The Meanings of Vipāka-vijñāna, Vipāka-vāsanā, Niṣyanda-vāsanā, and Amala-vijñāna

The maturation consciousness is another name for the Tathagatagarbha, representing the true mind of Bodhisattvas at the eighth stage (bhūmi) and above. The maturation consciousness denotes the karmic seeds within the mind-substance that cause Bodhisattvas to still undergo subtle birth-and-death (saṃsāra), to still experience change, preventing them from attaining Buddhahood and realizing ultimate nirvana. This subtle birth-and-death is distinct from the coarse and heavy birth-and-death with demarcated segments (āyus). The ālaya-consciousness stores the seeds of birth-and-death with demarcated segments for sentient beings before the eighth Bodhisattva stage, meaning that sentient beings at this stage possess defiled karmic activities of birth-and-death with demarcated segments within their seven consciousnesses and five aggregates. The maturation consciousness stores the seeds of transformative birth-and-death (parināma-cyuti) for sentient beings beyond the eighth Bodhisattva stage, indicating that Bodhisattvas at the eighth stage and above still have subtle seeds of birth-and-death that need to be eliminated. Only after they are completely eradicated can Buddhahood be attained, at which point the maturation consciousness is renamed the immaculate consciousness (amala-vijñāna).

The habitual tendencies of maturation, also called the habitual tendencies of birth-and-death flow, the habitual tendencies of ignorance, or the habitual tendencies of afflictions, are extremely subtle. They generally refer to the habitual tendencies of ignorance in Bodhisattvas after the eighth stage, or alternatively, the habitual tendencies of afflictions in Bodhisattvas from the first stage and above. As long as these habitual tendencies exist, birth-and-death persist. Only when the habitual tendencies are completely severed can Buddhahood be attained.

The "equal" (等) in "equal outflow habitual tendencies" (等流习气) signifies sameness or equality, and "outflow" (流) signifies flow or continuity. It denotes the habitual tendencies of continuous flow within the same consciousness, or the unchanging habitual tendencies within the same sentient being.

The immaculate consciousness (白净识) refers to an alternative name for the eighth consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna) in the stage of Bodhisattvas at the eighth bhūmi and above. The karmic seeds stored within the substance of the eighth consciousness are pure and immaculate, consisting mostly of seeds of white karma (wholesome actions), while seeds of black karma (unwholesome actions) are almost entirely absent and cannot manifest. At this stage, the eighth consciousness can be called the adāna-consciousness (阿陀那识).