Why Do All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas Not Receive Negative Perfuming?

If sentient beings, living in the world, still become defiled through conditioning when they encounter adverse conditions, thereby giving rise to afflictions, this shows that sentient beings' manas is still conjoined with afflictions and has not eliminated them; hence, upon encountering conditions, they become defiled, and upon encountering conditions, unwholesome karma manifests. The Buddhas, through their cultivation over three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas, have long since completely eliminated all afflictive defilements—greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, doubt, wrong views, and so on—as well as all afflictive habitual tendencies, with no residual habits remaining. When they come to this evil world of the five turbidities and come into contact with sentient beings full of afflictions, they are not tainted in the slightest by the afflictions of sentient beings; their minds remain forever pure and undefiled. This is because the Buddha eliminated afflictions at the first bhūmi, and His mind was already free of defilement; only at that time had the afflictive habitual tendencies not yet been fully eliminated.

The afflictions that the Buddhas began eliminating even before the first bhūmi are those eliminated in both the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. Because the seventh consciousness eliminated afflictions, the consciousnesses could be transformed into wisdom, and the equality wisdom (samatā-jñāna) was attained, perceiving all dharmas as equal and without duality, with no distinction between self and others. Therefore there is no selfishness, and one treats people and affairs with equanimity. Because the seventh consciousness, the manas, has eliminated afflictions, no matter where it is reborn in later lives, the manas has no afflictions and is not subject to conditioning. However, when the afflictive habitual tendencies have not yet been eliminated, those tendencies will occasionally manifest—this is unavoidable—and the mind consciousness will occasionally be conditioned by the environment. Although the mind consciousness may be conditioned and display some afflictions, these are quickly eliminated; they do not persist or become entrenched, nor do they condition and influence the manas.

Because the manas is not subject to conditioning and itself no longer has afflictions, the afflictions of the mind consciousness are easy to eliminate. Otherwise, with the mind consciousness swayed by the manas, afflictions would not be easy to eliminate, and even if eliminated they would arise again. For bodhisattvas at the eighth bhūmi and above, the mind consciousness is no longer subject to conditioning and will no longer manifest afflictive habitual tendencies. The mind consciousness of the Buddhas is even more free from any taint or defilement; neither afflictions nor habitual tendencies ever appear. Seeing forms, they are not greedy; seeing wealth, they are not attached; they do not seek power or status; they are neither hateful nor angry, neither vexed nor agitated; their minds are soft and harmonious, tranquil and supremely tranquil. The sixth and seventh consciousnesses of ordinary sentient beings, however, are endowed with all afflictions: upon encountering conditions they are conditioned and defiled, and they almost always comply with their environment, having little resistance to it. Seeing forms, they crave; seeing wealth, they covet; they relish power and pursue fame and gain; when adverse conditions arise, anger constantly follows their minds, and their selfishness and self-centeredness are extremely heavy.

From this it can be seen that the manas of ordinary sentient beings is endowed with all afflictions—greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, doubt, and wrong views—and since the mind consciousness follows the manas, afflictions also frequently manifest. When defiling conditions are encountered, the mind consciousness is easily conditioned and defiled. Because the manas connects the past, present, and future three lives, and is endowed with all afflictions, birth-and-death and saṃsāra continue without end. In the antarā-bhava and at birth in later lives, all afflictions are already present, no different from the previous life, with afflictions life after life without cease. However, apart from the afflictions of self-view, self-grasping, self-conceit, and self-delusion, which constantly accompany the manas in its continuous operation without pause, the other afflictions do not constantly accompany the manas in its operation; rather, they manifest only when conditions are encountered, creating unwholesome karma and depositing karmic seeds, thereby continuing the birth-and-death and saṃsāra of future lives.