The Relationship Between Karmic Seeds and Habitual Tendencies

The relationship between karmic seeds and habitual tendencies is a profoundly profound principle, belonging to the domain of the wisdom of seeds in Yogācāra. A habitual tendency arises when a dharma has been practiced for a long time until it has taken shape and become a habit; thereafter, this habit dominates one's bodily, verbal, and mental actions. After an action of karma has been performed and then stored as a seed, the karmic seed is deepened and intensified, causing one's habitual tendencies to become even heavier in the future.

Habitual tendencies also come from karmic seeds; since something has become a habit over a long time, there must be karmic seeds. Habitual tendencies are manifested by the manas. The manas directs the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the six consciousnesses; after these actions are performed, they are stored as karmic seeds, which become manifest in later lives—this is called habitual tendency. Karmic seeds are formed through karma created under the direction of the manas. The manas is fully in accord with karmic seeds: whatever nature the manas has, the karmic seeds have that nature; whatever nature the karmic seeds have, the manas manifests karmic actions of that nature. If one wishes to leave behind karmic seeds of "no-self," what should one do? If one wishes to form the habitual tendency of "no-self," how should one cultivate? If one wishes, in a future life, to be born already seeing the world of the five aggregates as empty, how should one cultivate in this life?

Subhūti, while still in his mother's womb, already knew that the world is empty and tranquil—how deep must that habitual tendency have been? His cultivation and realization of emptiness had lasted for more than countless kalpas; throughout such a long time his mind was empty, and of course this good habit of emptiness persisted for as many as countless kalpas. Subhūti's habitual tendency of an empty mind had not the slightest connection with the conditioning of the mind consciousness in this life; even before the mind consciousness appeared, his manas was already empty. How at ease, how liberated, must such an empty mind be!

Emptiness that exists only in theory is no longer empty when one faces worldly dharmas; it is no longer empty at the time of death, even less empty after death, and in later lives it becomes impossible to be empty at all. Therefore, theoretically dwelling in "everything is like a dream, like an illusion," or in "suchness and the nature of dharmas"—all of that is self-deception and is of no practical use whatsoever. When the moment of truth arrives, one acts just as one always has, and at death one dies just as one always would; it cannot solve the problem of birth and death. These theoretical understandings reveal their true form the moment one encounters an actual situation—one's original shape is fully exposed—and that is why it is said to be of no use. But once the manas has realized it and karmic seeds are formed, one reaps the benefit life after life: when events occur, one does not revert to one's original form, and one is not deluded at the time of rebirth. If one is not deluded while dwelling in the womb, not deluded at birth, and not deluded throughout the process of growing up, then one is liberated at all times.