The Functioning of the Eight Consciousnesses — The Mental Factor of Volition (Cetanā)

The scope of "formations" (saṃskāra) is extremely broad, encompassing the activities of all eight consciousnesses. Broadly speaking, it refers to movement, operation, turning, action, change, flowing-on, and so forth. In short, all phenomena of ceaseless flux fall within the scope of formations. Seen this way, there simply exists nothing—whether worldly or transcendent—that is a matter or principle of non-activity and non-movement. Even the tathāgatagarbha is constantly in activity, never having stopped and never going to stop. He has observable characteristics of activity, yet amid all activity, His mind remains tranquil and unmoving.

Why is this said? First, because the tathāgatagarbha possesses the five universally present mental factors, and these five mental factors have never ceased for even a single instant; they are always operating. Even within nirvāṇa without remainder, the tathāgatagarbha's five universally present mental factors continue to operate without interruption. Second, the tathāgatagarbha itself also has its own seeds of consciousness arising and ceasing moment by moment without pause; only thus can the tathāgatagarbha continue to exist unceasingly and keep operating continuously, never stalling for a single instant. That is precisely why it is a consciousness that is neither born nor extinguished.

As long as the tathāgatagarbha exists, its five universally present mental factors are operating—this is activity (saṃskāra). Moreover, the mental factor of volition (cetanā) itself represents both the meaning of choosing and deciding, and the meaning of operating and functioning. It is precisely the tathāgatagarbha's activity that drives the continual arising and operation of all dharmas, their constant arising and ceasing. Therefore, in the broad sense, the tathāgatagarbha can also be included within the aggregate of formations—only this aggregate of formations is not subject to birth and death. The tathāgatagarbha has the function of aggregating all dharmas, so broadly speaking, the tathāgatagarbha can also be called the aggregate of consciousness—and indeed the most fundamental aggregate of consciousness, an aggregate of consciousness that is neither born nor extinguished. It is precisely because of the functional nature of the tathāgatagarbha as the aggregate of consciousness that all dharmas can be aggregated together, allowing dharmas to arise, cease, and transform, allowing sentient beings to transmigrate without end, and allowing the world to change in unfathomable ways.

How exactly does the tathāgatagarbha operate and function? First, He outputs seeds and withdraws seeds, creating all the dharmas of the five-aggregate world, allowing all dharmas to arise, cease, and transform without pause; and He stores karmic seeds and releases karmic seeds. Second, with regard to karmic seeds and to all the dharmas of the five-aggregate world, He continually performs contact, attention, feeling, perception, and volition, allowing dharmas to operate ceaselessly in accordance with conditions. Even though the tathāgatagarbha thus operates constantly without stilling, this in no way affects the tranquil, quiescent, and unconditioned nature of His own mind; it does not affect His mental activity toward dharmas of not seeing and not hearing, without desire and without seeking; nor does it affect His mental activity toward dharmas of being unshaken and unmoved.

The activity of the seventh consciousness includes the formations of ignorance in the twelve links of dependent origination, and also includes the formations of the noble ones who are without ignorance. The formations of ignorance are the activity of birth-and-death transmigration; the formations without ignorance are the activity of liberation from birth and death. The activity of the seventh consciousness plays a decisive and pivotal role in both transmigration and liberation. It is precisely the activity of the seventh consciousness that drives the tathāgatagarbha to aggregate the karmic seeds of the five aggregates' birth-and-death transmigration, thereby aggregating the five-aggregate world. Therefore, again in the broad sense, the seventh consciousness also belongs to the categories of the aggregate of formations and the aggregate of consciousness.

The activity of the six consciousnesses is relatively easy to observe and understand. The six consciousnesses are of the nature of dependence on others (paratantra), being passively manifested activity. Whether in the broad or narrow sense, the six consciousnesses are subsumed under the aggregate of consciousness. This is because the bodily, verbal, and mental actions created by the six consciousnesses are precisely the cause for the accumulation of karmic seeds, the cause for the manifestation of the five-aggregate world, and the cause for the aggregation of name-and-form. Although this aggregation is passive, it still accounts for a large portion of the aggregating function.