Miscellaneous Discussions on Buddhism (Part One)
Chapter 9: On Seeds
I. One Can Only Attain Buddhahood After the Seeds of Beings' Unwholesome Karma Are Completely Exhausted
The principle of karmic seeds withering is profound beyond profound; only one who possesses very deep wisdom of the varieties of paths can comprehend the deep meaning herein. Before each sentient being attains buddhahood, all the retributions of unwholesome karma must be fully undergone, fully retributed, and completely exhausted, with not even a tiny bit remaining, before one can become a buddha; as long as even a tiny bit of unwholesome karma exists without being eliminated, one cannot become a buddha. The unwholesome karma that sentient beings have created since beginningless kalpas must all be retributed at the time of approaching buddhahood in order to be eliminated—this is impossible. Because the unwholesome karma created since beginningless kalpas is truly far too much, as numerous as dust motes; if all of it had to be retributed in order to be eliminated, then three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas would certainly not be enough to undergo it all—such a long span of kalpas could not exhaust or complete the retribution. Yet each buddha has cultivated for only three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas, and their unwholesome karmic seeds have all been exhausted. So how were these karmic seeds exhausted?
Some karmic seeds, due to the circumstance of not manifesting for a long time, gradually wither and disappear on their own; especially the smaller unwholesome karmic seeds more easily wither and disappear, whereas the very large unwholesome karmic seeds cannot wither and must be fully retributed while still on the bodhisattva grounds; or heavy karma is transformed into light karma, whereby heavy offenses receive light retribution and are eliminated—all unwholesome karma must be completely exhausted before one can become a buddha. Many great bodhisattvas, when they come to the human world, still have to undergo the retribution of unwholesome karma—that is unavoidable. On the other hand, during the course of cultivation, bodhisattvas continuously accumulate wholesome karma, so that life after life their wholesome karma far exceeds their unwholesome karma; the conditions for the arising of the relatively smaller unwholesome karmic seeds are never complete, and over an infinitely long time, the manas always corresponds with wholesome karmic seeds and does not correspond with unwholesome karmic seeds, so the mind-ground gradually becomes purified, and the seeds from long, distant kalpas wither and disappear.
Some of the smaller unwholesome karmic seeds, if they have no opportunity to manifest for a long time, will certainly wither; if the unwholesome and inferior habitual tendencies of the manas have no opportunity to manifest for a long time, and then good, wholesome habits are formed, the original unwholesome habits will also disappear. The karmic seeds that can be eliminated refer to the actions performed by body, speech, and mind in past lives as seeds, which have already been stored in the tathāgatagarbha and will manifest unwholesome retribution when conditions are encountered in the future; the retribution can only be realized when causes and conditions ripen. What we need to do is, through repentance to eliminate karma and by performing great wholesome karma greater than the unwholesome karma of past lives, have the seeds of wholesome karma always manifest so that unwholesome karma has no opportunity to manifest, letting us always receive wholesome retribution and not receive, or receive little, unwholesome retribution; when in the future we have the capacity to bear it, we then undergo the unwholesome retribution—at that time, undergoing unwholesome retribution will not be such a painful matter, and we will be fully able to bear it.
II. What Does "Withering of Karmic Seeds" Mean?
The meaning of karmic seeds withering is: the habitual force of beings' karma-creating, when no opportunity for creating karma arises for a long time, will gradually weaken, until finally there is no ability, no momentum, to create karmic actions anymore. It is like a seed that has been stored and left idle for a long time—it loses its vitality and will no longer take root and sprout. A person who has created great unwholesome karma and is reborn in the lowest grade in the land of bliss (sukhāvatī) will, at the longest, dwell inside a lotus flower in the land of bliss for twelve great kalpas, cultivating the Buddha-dharma there, with absolutely no opportunity whatsoever to create karma; in the end, the unwholesomeness in the mental thoughts also disappears, and karma will never be created again—only then can one emerge from the lotus flower and face the Nirmāṇakāya Buddha Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva to hear the Dharma, yet not understand its meaning—all this is due to the obscuration of past offenses.
Because he has long had no karmic actions inside the lotus flower, the momentum of creating unwholesome karma is gone; the unwholesome actions of body, speech, and mind no longer manifest, and this has become habitual, so he will not disturb the tranquility (praśama) and peace of the land of bliss. However, the unwholesome karma he created in the past, when he returns to the Sahā world, if the conditions for great unwholesome karma ripen, he will still undergo retribution, only the karmic retribution will be somewhat lighter and not too heavy; it is impossible for him to undergo retribution in the three evil destinies again—he can only undergo some corresponding suffering retribution in the human world. This shows that heavy offenses can receive light retribution, and light offenses can disappear. Repentance follows the same principle: through repentance, unwholesome karmic seeds are eliminated or lightened, so that beings thereafter may not undergo the retribution of unwholesome karma or undergo it lightly, and the karmic seeds disappear. Therefore, not all karmic seeds disappear only through undergoing retribution; many are eliminated through other forms. Otherwise, by the time of attaining buddhahood, the unwholesome retribution would never be fully undergone, and one could not become a buddha.
III. Can Seeds Be Purified Before Enlightenment?
Purifying karmic seeds generally occurs after afflictions have been eradicated and afflictive karma is no longer created; only then can the seeds be purified. When afflictive habitual tendencies are being eradicated, as a bit of habitual tendency is eradicated, the karmic seeds become a bit purer. When afflictions have not been fully eradicated, body, speech, and mind will still create unwholesome karmic actions, and the karmic seeds cannot be purified. Before enlightenment, because one has not realized the true reality of all dharmas, there is still the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), one still grasps at self, and one will still create unwholesome karma because of self, so the karmic seeds cannot be purified. After enlightenment, having realized true suchness (tathatā) and knowing that the nature of all dharmas is empty and the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) are without self, one can gradually subdue afflictions, and the unwholesome karma created for the sake of self becomes less and less. Only after attaining the bhūmis can one no longer create obvious unwholesome karma, and the seeds begin to be purified; but there are still afflictive habitual tendencies and ignorance, so one cannot avoid the appearance of subtle unwholesome and unskillful karma.
Buddhist practitioners should cultivate the habit of introspecting on their own mind (pratyavekṣā-bala), and then they can quickly subdue afflictions. Afterward, they must also strive to eradicate afflictions; only after attaining the first dhyāna can one begin to gradually eradicate afflictions. Otherwise, one is merely suppressing afflictions, and upon encountering conditions later, one will still create karma of greed, hatred, and delusion. After the eradication of the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa) and seeing the mind, only with first-dhyāna meditative concentration (samādhi) does one have the ability to eradicate afflictions; apart from this, it is all suppression of afflictions, without cutting the grass and removing the roots—if the roots are not removed, the grass of afflictions will grow again. For a pond of filthy water to be purified, at the very least one must stop pouring filthy water into it; only then can one find ways to clean the filthy water. If one keeps pouring in filthy water, there is no way to make the water clean. Therefore, purifying seeds happens after enlightenment; before enlightenment, one can only suppress afflictions and try one's best not to create unwholesome karma, that is all.
IV. Are Seeds Truly Existent?
Only the tathāgatagarbha is truly existent. The seeds of the seven great elements are the inherent seeds of the tathāgatagarbha, never having arisen or ceased; they have the real function of giving birth to the myriad dharmas, and can also be said to be truly existent. As for karmic seeds, they are formed after birth, subject to arising, ceasing, and change—these are not truly existent. Although the buddha-nature is also unborn and unceasing, in nirvāṇa without remainder (Anupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa) the buddha-nature does not function, so it cannot be said to be completely real. In nirvāṇa without remainder, the seeds of the seven great elements still remain, but the buddha-nature does not; the seeds of the seven great elements are like the heart of the tathāgatagarbha, existing together with it, and therefore can be regarded as truly existent—everything else is not real.
V. What Is Determined Karma and What Is Undetermined Karma?
If the causes and conditions for the realization of karmic retribution are not yet ripe, that karma is undetermined: repentance can eliminate it, attaining the fruits can eliminate it, seeing the mind and seeing the nature can eliminate it, attaining the bhūmis can eliminate it—attaining any stage of realization can eliminate it. Karma whose causes and conditions for retribution have already ripened is determined karma; for ordinary people, it must be retributed. However, for those with strength in cultivation, when the karmic retribution is realized, heavy offenses can still receive light retribution, and the karmic retribution can also be transformed—none of this is fixed.
For noble ones, all karmic retribution is undetermined—it can be realized, or transformed and not realized, entirely up to the person. In terms of ultimate reality, all karmic retribution is undetermined. If karmic retribution were fixed, then sentient beings could not become buddhas, because the offenses of sentient beings over countless kalpas could never be fully eliminated, and if offenses cannot be fully eliminated, one cannot become a buddha. Yet in the actual world, the buddhas of the ten directions are countless, and their offenses have all been exhausted without remainder; therefore it is said that no karmic retribution is fixed.
VI. How Are Unwholesome Karmic Seeds Eliminated?
The purpose of cultivation is to transform the mind, especially to transform the manas. When unwholesome karmic seeds manifest, if the mind does not flow along with the unwholesome karma, the unwholesome karma is eliminated, and what is stored thereafter are the seeds of pure karma. If through cultivation the mental factors (caittas) are transformed into pure ones, then what is stored after creating karma are pure seeds. After the mind is also transformed and purified, some of the unwholesome karmic seeds will be eliminated, and some must undergo retribution in advance—heavy offenses receiving light retribution—and once retributed, they are finished. For example, at the time of attaining the fruits, the karma of the three evil destinies is eliminated; all the various realizations of the Buddha-dharma correspondingly eliminate a portion of unwholesome karmic seeds, though great unwholesome karma still requires undergoing slight retribution.
Cultivation in this life also affects the defiled seeds stored from past lives; otherwise, cultivation would have no use. The karmic seeds of birth-and-death over countless kalpas are immeasurable and boundless in number; if cultivation could not change the karmic seeds of past lives, and the boundless birth-and-death karma still had to be undergone, then when could it ever be fully undergone, and when could one become a buddha?
Cultivation can cut off the multitude of streams of birth-and-death. Without unwholesome karmic seeds, there would be no stream of birth-and-death. Why does birth-and-death flow? Because there is ignorance and karmic formations. Why is there unwholesome retribution? Because there is unwholesome karma. What is unwholesome retribution? Birth-and-death in the three realms and transmigration through the six destinies—it is because of unwholesome karma created through ignorance that there is transmigration through the six destinies, especially the birth-and-death transmigration of the three evil destinies. To extinguish the suffering feelings of birth-and-death in the three evil destinies, one must, through cultivation, extinguish the ignorance of the mind-ground—for example, at the time of attaining the fruits, at the time of seeing the mind, at the time of entering the first bhūmi, a portion of ignorance is extinguished, the karma of the three evil destinies is eliminated, and one no longer goes to the three evil destinies to undergo suffering.
