The Arising, Abiding, Changing, and Ceasing of All Dharmas Are Governed by Karmic Seeds

Throughout the immeasurable kalpas of birth and death in the cycle of reincarnation, who is the master? Some say it is the Tathāgatagarbha; others say it is the manas (the seventh consciousness). Both views are considered correct. The Tathāgatagarbha functions as the master passively, for it has no mind to consciously govern anything. It does not actively cause beings to undergo immeasurable kalpas of birth and death. However, since it is the Tathāgatagarbha that manifests all dharmas and the cycle of birth and death, it can still be considered the master of beings' reincarnation. The manas, on the other hand, possesses the volition to govern mental activities. It acts as the active master during beings' birth and death, with its mind and karmic force governing all dharmas and the cycle of reincarnation.

In my view, the birth and death of beings is governed by karmic seeds; it is the karmic seeds that are in charge. Karmic seeds being the master represents the Tathāgatagarbha being the master, for it is the Tathāgatagarbha that stores and releases the karmic seeds, realizing the causes, conditions, and effects for beings according to these seeds. Therefore, karmic seeds being the master is essentially the Tathāgatagarbha being the master, and vice versa. Although karmic seeds lack agency and are not the true master, they indeed play a leading role.

Karmic seeds being the master is simultaneously the manas being the master. The manas corresponds to the karmic seeds; what kind of karma there is determines what kind of manas there is, and what kind of manas there is determines what kind of karma there is. The two are mutually matched and consistent. Although there are many karmic seeds that the manas dislikes, they are ultimately created by the manas itself. There are many things the manas wishes to govern, but it requires corresponding karmic seeds and karmic conditions. Without the corresponding karmic seeds, the manas cannot be the master; it can only drift along with the karmic seeds. Therefore, karmic seeds being the master is the manas being the master, and the manas being the master is karmic seeds being the master. Karmic seeds unify the Tathāgatagarbha and the manas; both are masters and yet not masters. The Tathāgatagarbha gives rise to all dharmas in accordance with the karmic seeds, functioning as a passive master. Although the manas is an active master, it also conforms to and aligns with the karmic seeds. Thus, all dharmas are ultimately decided by the karmic seeds. Although it is the karmic seeds that decide, if the volitional power (pranidhāna) of the manas is extremely strong, it can transcend the karmic seeds, allowing the volitional power to become the master and manifest all dharmas according to that power. For example, after an Arhat attains the four dhyānas, even though he was originally destined to die a normal death at the end of his lifespan, he can choose to leave earlier or postpone his departure. The duration of his life is then under his control. At this point, it is the manas that is the master, or rather, the volitional power of the manas that is the master. However, upon careful analysis, it is still the karmic seeds that are in charge, because upon attaining the four dhyānas, the karmic seeds change. When the karmic seeds change, the karmic retribution changes, and birth and death become self-determined. It merely appears as if the manas can be the master.

In reality, the manas corresponds to the karmic seeds at every moment, in every life. All dharmas are still governed by the karmic seeds, which determine their birth, abiding, change, and cessation. The six paths of reincarnation for beings are originally determined by karmic actions. If, through cultivation, one generates a great pure vow, the karmic seeds change, and the karmic retribution changes accordingly. Superficially, it may seem as if the manas is the master, as if whatever the manas wishes comes to pass, but in reality, it is still karma that is the master, playing the decisive role.

For example, a person in a vegetative state lies in bed for decades, unable to move their body. In our view, their manas should have long chosen to leave that unusable body. However, because they still possess a measure of blessings from the human realm, the fortune of being human not yet exhausted, and the karmic seeds for the human realm not yet vanished, they continue living as a vegetative being. They must exhaust this bit of fortune. Lacking the wisdom to make long-term plans, they do not reserve blessings for future lives to live more comfortably. If their karmic seeds for fortune were exhausted, the manas would immediately decide to leave. Even if it doesn't decide, it would be passively compelled to leave because it cannot sustain life any longer; there is no fortune or karmic seed left to support its continued existence.

Another example: in the past, some individuals, after attaining the fruit of enlightenment, did not wish to live any longer and chose suicide to leave the human realm early, subsequently being reborn in the heavenly realm to continue their cultivation. In this case, one could say it is the manas being the master. However, it is because they have severed the view of self and possess corresponding wholesome karmic seeds that support their ability to abandon the human realm and proceed to the heavenly realm for cultivation. Supported by merit and wholesome karma, they can enjoy the wholesome retribution and merit of severing the view of self in advance; thus, when the manas wishes to commit suicide, it succeeds. If they had not severed the view of self and the karmic seeds remained unchanged, even if suicide succeeded, they would not be reborn in the heavenly realm after death, nor enter the remainderless nirvāṇa. They would inevitably follow their original unwholesome and evil karma to take rebirth, possibly falling into the three lower realms to suffer. Therefore, all dharmas are still governed by the karmic seeds.

Karmic seeds reside within the Tathāgatagarbha. The Tathāgatagarbha cognizes the karmic seeds and, based on them, creates all dharmas to manifest the causes, conditions, and effects for beings. Thus, all dharmas are still governed by the Tathāgatagarbha. Superficially, the manas appears to be the master, but it may not necessarily be able to govern, being constrained by karmic seeds; it has no choice. Therefore, all dharmas exist within cause and effect; nothing lies beyond cause and effect, and no dharma exists that violates cause and effect.