Chapter 15: The Relationship Between Mental Associates and Seeds

I. Mental Associates are the Manifestations of the Mind's Operation

Mental associates are the manifestations of the mind's operation, encompassing states of mind, thoughts, mental activities, wholesome minds, unwholesome minds, minds that are neither wholesome nor unwholesome, concentrated minds, scattered minds, wise minds, ignorant minds, minds obscured by fundamental ignorance, and so forth. Their scope is extremely profound and vast. When these manifestations of the various consciousnesses operate, the eighth consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna) records and stores them at all times and in all places, transforming them into seeds. Here, "seeds" refer to karmic seeds, not the seven fundamental seeds.

When bodily, verbal, and mental activities operate, the mental activities and mental associates of the seven consciousnesses are all recorded in the eighth consciousness, becoming karmic seeds. When the seventh consciousness (manas, the defiled mental consciousness) operates without the six consciousnesses, can the mental associates of manas still become karmic seeds? When manas alone curses or makes a poisonous vow, and someone is genuinely harmed, can this become karmic seeds? When manas enters the dreams of loved ones to seek help, or enters the dreams of enemies to threaten them, or when the manas of someone about to die comes to see oneself, etc., can these become karmic seeds? In the states of non-perception meditation (asaṃjñi-samāpatti) and cessation meditation (nirodha-samāpatti), can the mental activities of manas become karmic seeds? Can the meditative state of beings in the heaven of non-perception (asaṃjñi-deva) become karmic seeds?

When unconscious without the six consciousnesses, can this situation become karmic seeds? Does it constitute retribution? Sleeping for more than ten hours a day, during which time there are no six consciousnesses, can this become karmic seeds? Does it constitute karmic fruit? Heavenly beings do not need to enter a womb; humans must enter a womb. Does entering a womb constitute karmic fruit? Can it become karmic seeds? Does the length of time dwelling in the womb constitute karmic fruit? Can it become karmic seeds?

All the various situations and mental activities mentioned above constitute karma, will be stored as karmic seeds, and will bear karmic fruit. The first link of the twelve links of dependent origination: Ignorance (avidyā) conditions volitional formations (saṃskāra). The initial ignorance of manas is not a karmic seed, but because manas, due to ignorance, gives rise to the mind that grasps externally, desiring to understand some dharma, then the tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature) accords with it, and together they create the material universe. Afterwards, the tathāgatagarbha of each individual creates the five aggregates body. Karmic activity then appears, and subsequently, karmic seeds arise.

II. Manas' Solitary Activities Constitute Karmic Activity and Also Store Seeds

Pure Land practitioners who cultivate diligently in the Sahā world, whose manas and tathāgatagarbha manifest a lotus platform in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss – this constitutes karmic seeds. When the karmic seeds mature, after death they are reborn within a lotus in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss – this is the karmic fruit of their cultivation. During cultivation, karmic seeds are stored; when the seeds mature, they go to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss to receive wholesome retribution. Manas, leaving the mental consciousness (mano-vijñāna) behind, causes the appearance of the lotus platform in the Pure Land – this should also constitute karmic activity and also belongs to the fruit of cultivation. But whether this fruit is ultimately obtained depends on conditions, on whether the seeds can mature; if cultivation regresses, the immature seeds wither, the lotus platform in the Pure Land disappears, and one cannot be reborn there at the time of death.

After sleeping all night, upon waking in the morning, the mental consciousness feels it has understood a matter, comprehended a principle. Throughout the night, the mental consciousness did not appear; it was entirely manas' own solitary mental activity, resulting in understanding a matter, and when the mental consciousness appeared, it understood this matter. This also constitutes karmic activity, also stores seeds, and also has karmic fruit. If manas spent the whole night reciting the Buddha's name or mantras, or spent the whole night investigating Chan (Zen), even without the appearance of the mental consciousness, it is still cultivation, and moreover, the best cultivation, the most successful cultivation. It constitutes karmic activity, stores seeds, and has karmic fruit. However, manas' solitary mental activities and investigative activities are the result of previous cultivation together with the mental consciousness, influenced by the mental consciousness. Therefore, manas' solitary karmic activity also constitutes fruit.

If manas discusses the Dharma with someone in the middle of the night, it can also increase wisdom. If manas goes to seek teachings from Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva in the middle of the night, and Avalokiteśvara patiently answers, then upon waking, the mental consciousness understands and obtains the nectar of the Dharma. If one falls seriously ill, and manas goes to an immortal or a Bodhisattva in the middle of the night to ask for medicine, takes it, and wakes up the next day cured – this constitutes karmic activity, stores seeds, and has karmic fruit.

III. The Relationship Between Karmic Seeds and Mental Associates

The tathāgatagarbha cognizes the mental activities of sentient beings, meaning it cognizes the mental activities of manas. Only when the mental activities of manas manifest can the tathāgatagarbha cognize them and produce seeds for the arising of the first six consciousnesses, etc. All dharmas are instigated and brought about by manas as the master. If manas does not choose and act, the six consciousnesses do not arise. Therefore, the tathāgatagarbha necessarily cooperates with manas; it necessarily cognizes the mental activities of manas, and only afterwards can it produce the six consciousnesses to accomplish manas' mental activities. In the operation of all dharmas, the tathāgatagarbha primarily interacts with manas, while also according with karmic seeds. When karmic seeds mature, regardless of whether manas needs, likes, or dislikes it, the tathāgatagarbha must manifest the karmic conditions.

Karmic seeds are the record of the operation of mental associates. Bodily, verbal, and mental actions are mental associates; all actions are mental associates. If mental associates are pure, actions are pure, and karmic seeds are pure. If mental associates change, karmic seeds change. Body and mind correspond; for example, when the mental associate of anger arises, the body changes; when the mental associate of lightness, ease, and meditative concentration arises, the body changes. Who changes the mental associates? Mental associates change themselves; they change themselves. It is not the Buddha who changes them, nor is it the tathāgatagarbha that changes them. Therefore, cultivation is always done by oneself; do not expect anyone else to substitute. Thinking that with a blessing one can ascend to heaven is not correct.

IV. Can Manas Cause the Tathāgatagarbha to Store Dharmas in Important or Unimportant Locations?

Question: Some say: After manas personally experiences and desires to grasp a certain dharma, if the mental consciousness does not have an extremely strong intention to remember it, manas, following the judgment of the mental consciousness, will not cause the tathāgatagarbha to store it in a very important location, so over time it is forgotten. Can manas cause the tathāgatagarbha to store dharmas in important locations or unimportant locations?

Answer: The tathāgatagarbha is formless and without characteristics; within it, there are no locations, nor does it have inside or outside. The karmic seeds formed by the actions of the six consciousnesses are formless, characteristicless information; likewise, they cannot have form or location. Since there are no locations within the tathāgatagarbha, naturally there is no such thing as whether a location is important or unimportant. The tathāgatagarbha also cannot discern whether karmic seeds or karmic activities are important or unimportant; it lacks this discriminatory ability and cannot distinguish which dharmas are important or unimportant. Therefore, the storage of karmic seeds cannot possibly be based on the importance of the dharma. To take a step back, even if there were important and unimportant locations within the tathāgatagarbha, it is not manas that causes the tathāgatagarbha to store seeds according to the importance of the dharma. This is illogical and contradicts the principle of the tathāgatagarbha's natural, spontaneous storage of seeds as it intrinsically is.

In fact, all dharmas created by the actions of the five aggregates body-mind are stored by the tathāgatagarbha indiscriminately into the mind-substance at all times. Different karma results in different seeds; different mental activities result in different seeds, and the kalpas (aeons) for the seeds to mature also differ. What is meant by different mental activities? It means the manifestation of manas and the mental consciousness in the operation of dharmas: whether there is greed, hatred, or delusion; whether it is intentional or unintentional; what the thoughts and views are; whether there is attachment or aversion; whether there is wisdom or lack of wisdom; whether the mind is concentrated or scattered, and so on and so forth. In short, it refers to the mental associates of the several consciousnesses. The mental activities of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses differ; their focus on dharmas differs; their application of mind differs; thus, the karmic seeds formed differ. Colloquially speaking, karmic seeds are records of mental actions; different mental actions naturally result in different records.

On the other hand, regarding the dharmas experienced, sometimes the mental consciousness intends to remember them, but the key is to see whether manas intends to remember them. If manas does not want to remember, no matter how much the mental consciousness wants to remember, it is useless; ultimately, it cannot be remembered. Both remembering and not remembering store seeds, but the seeds stored are completely different. If one can distinguish the master-servant relationship between manas and the mental consciousness, one will not elevate the function of the mental consciousness so highly.

V. The Eighth Consciousness' Cognition of Karmic Seeds

Can the eighth consciousness cognize immature karmic seeds? Of course it can cognize them and perceive them. The supernatural powers (abhijñā) of an arhat with dual liberation (ubhayatobhāga-vimukta) can know events concerning sentient beings from eighty thousand great kalpas in the past and future. Why can an arhat know events that will only occur so far in the future? Because the arhat's manas, relying on its own tathāgatagarbha, perceives the karmic seeds that will only mature in future lives, and the mental consciousness, relying on manas, can thus perceive the manifestation of karmic seeds in future lives. The events known by bodhisattvas on the grounds (bhūmi) who possess supernatural powers far exceed those known by arhats, encompassing a time span greater than eighty thousand kalpas. The Buddha's supernatural powers and powers are incomparably superior to those of bodhisattvas; He can know events one or two immeasurable kalpas (asaṃkhyeya-kalpa) in the future. For example, the Buddha predicts for an eighth-ground bodhisattva that they will attain Buddhahood at a certain time one immeasurable kalpa in the future, and occasionally makes predictions for first-ground bodhisattvas as well.

How do Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats perceive events so far in the past or future? This is all the result of the combination of meditative concentration (dhyāna) and wisdom (prajñā). Which consciousness of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats knows events from kalpas long past and kalpas long future? It is the mental consciousness that knows; the mental consciousness knows from manas; manas knows from the tathāgatagarbha; the tathāgatagarbha knows by perceiving karmic seeds. However, the content known by the tathāgatagarbha differs from that known by the sixth and seventh consciousnesses.

If the Buddha observes sentient beings, He can observe experiences from three immeasurable kalpas ago, or even countless immeasurable kalpas ago. How is this possible? Events that occurred kalpas long ago are as if before His very eyes, like observing events happening right now; this is direct perception (pratyakṣa), an immediate perceptual realm. This includes events that will occur kalpas long in the future, also as if before His very eyes. Events that occurred kalpas long ago, that karma may have long since perished; events that will occur kalpas long in the future, the karmic seeds are far from mature – how does the Buddha know them? Which consciousness knows them? Some karmic seeds have not yet formed; karmic actions have not yet been performed – how does the Buddha know? How do bodhisattvas know? How do arhats know?

A non-Buddhist with supernatural powers can also know events one or two years, or several years in the future; the karmic seeds are similarly immature – which consciousness of his perceives future events? Fortune-tellers can also know events about to happen just before death. Even people without supernatural powers – their tathāgatagarbha can cognize immature karmic seeds; manas, relying on the tathāgatagarbha, can realize events that will happen in future lives; it's just that the mental consciousness cannot know them from manas.

Only eighth-ground bodhisattvas can have the six sense faculties interpenetrating; great arhats with dual liberation can have the six sense faculties interpenetrating. Ordinary supernatural powers are extremely far from the interpenetration of the six faculties, yet they can also know events of future lives. This knowing is done by the mental consciousness. So, can the mental consciousness know immature karmic seeds of future lives? Clearly, the mental consciousness cannot know karmic seeds, whether present, past, or future. But manas, relying on the seeing faculty (dṛś) aspect of the tathāgatagarbha, necessarily knows; the mental consciousness, relying on manas, can thus know events of future lives. In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the Buddha says that manas silently contains all dharmas. "Contains" means accommodates and receives. "All dharmas" means all dharmas perceived by the tathāgatagarbha; manas, following it, can also perceive them.

VI. The Propelling Function of Manas

Karmic seeds are formed after manas desires to do something and the tathāgatagarbha cooperates by producing the six consciousnesses to create them. However, the appearance of many dharmas is not propelled by the mental consciousness; they are entirely propelled solely by manas. For example, before the five grasping aggregates (pañca upādāna-skandha) are born, there is no mental consciousness. It is manas that induces the tathāgatagarbha to manifest the material universe as the living environment, then to produce the five aggregates body; only then is there mental consciousness, the actions of the five aggregates body, and the appearance of karmic seeds. Before waking up from sleep, there is no mental consciousness; it is manas that wants to wake up, and only afterwards does one wake up. When unconscious, there is no mental consciousness; it is manas, based on the body's condition, wanting to wake up, and only afterwards are the six consciousnesses born and one wakes up. In the mother's womb initially, there is no mental consciousness; it is manas that wants to take rebirth, so rebirth occurs; wants to dwell in the womb, so it dwells; wants to be born, so birth occurs. In non-perception meditation and cessation meditation, there is no mental consciousness; it is manas dwelling in the meditative state, and only upon exiting the meditation is the mental consciousness produced. In these situations without the mental consciousness, the events experienced by manas are all recorded and stored as seeds by the tathāgatagarbha; they all influence future lives and can be known by those with supernatural powers.

VII. The Interrelationship of Body and Mind

Body and mind mutually influence each other, are interrelated, have a close relationship, and are even mutually constraining moment by moment. The three transforming consciousnesses (the threefold transformation: the storehouse consciousness, manas, and the mental consciousness) moment by moment alter the material body (rūpa-kāya), and the material body also moment by moment influences the feelings and thoughts of the conscious minds.

The Buddha said that the seven fundamental seeds within the tathāgatagarbha are eternally pure, neither wholesome nor unwholesome. No matter what wholesome or unwholesome karma they help sentient beings create, upon returning to the tathāgatagarbha, they remain absolutely pure. Sentient beings are constituted by pure seven fundamental seeds; it's just that the mental associates of the conscious minds are impure.

Cultivation is actually the cultivation of mental associates, not the cultivation of the seven fundamental seeds, nor the cultivation of consciousness seeds. Mental associates have both clarity (vidyā) and ignorance (avidyā). Initially, they are all ignorance; ultimately, they are all clarity. The intermediate process is the path of cultivation, the process of cultivating the mind. From mental associates, one can understand the mental activities of sentient beings. From changes in mental associates, one can understand the degree of a sentient being's cultivation, the degree of transformation in their mental activities. After the mental consciousness changes, causing manas to also change, body and mind immediately change.

The transformation of body and mind is primarily the result of the transformation of manas. When meditative concentration arises during cultivation, the body immediately changes. Therefore, meditative concentration necessarily means manas has concentration; manas' mind has transformed; it no longer severely controls the material body or grasps at objects.

VIII. Do Habitual Tendencies Have Seeds?

When a certain thing is done frequently, becoming habitual, upon encountering similar matters later, one will unconsciously do it; this is called a habitual tendency (vāsanā). Habitual tendencies reside in manas. When manas habitually does something, habitual tendencies manifest; the mental consciousness is often unaware of manas' habitual tendencies. Habitual tendencies are divided into wholesome and unwholesome. Unwholesome habitual tendencies belong to afflictions of ignorance. Manas has possessed afflictions of ignorance since beginningless kalpas; this is called beginningless ignorance (anādi-avidyā), and it has no seeds. However, manas did not have afflictive habitual tendencies in beginningless kalpas, because without the actions of the five aggregates body, habits could not be formed. Later, after the five aggregates body was born, manas, utilizing the five aggregates body, continuously manifested afflictions of ignorance, thus forming habitual tendencies. The unwholesome actions performed formed seeds; therefore, habitual tendencies do have seeds, but beginningless ignorance has no seeds.

The five aggregates body, life after life, in the operation within the mundane world, continuously increases and decreases ignorance; afflictive habitual tendencies thus continuously strengthen and weaken. Therefore, all afflictions of ignorance severed during cultivation are primarily the severing of manas' afflictions. Once manas' afflictions are severed, manas' afflictive habitual tendencies, along with the branch-like afflictions of the six consciousnesses, will gradually disappear completely. In actuality, during the cultivation process, it is the mental consciousness that first subdues and severs afflictions, because the mental consciousness comprehends principles quickly; understanding correct principles enables it to cultivate and realize its own mind. Manas' afflictions are deep-rooted and comprehend principles slowly; correcting itself is very difficult. Therefore, if manas is not subdued and its afflictions severed, the mental consciousness' severed afflictions will regenerate based on manas. Cultivation means severing all ignorance of manas and increasing the clarity of manas. When ignorance is completely severed and clarity reaches its limit, Buddhahood is attained.

IX. Secrets in the Cooperation Between Manas and the Mental Consciousness

There are many secrets to uncover in the cooperation between manas and the mental consciousness; it is not as simple as commonly portrayed. Whether manas has firm conviction (adhimokṣa) or not results in different seeds being stored. Whether manas is intentional or unintentional results in different seeds being stored. Whether the mental consciousness is dominant or manas is dominant results in different seeds being stored. Seeds formed when the mental consciousness knows but manas has not realized their existence differ from seeds formed when manas and the mental consciousness together realize their existence. The Buddha Dharma is extremely subtle; it is not as commonly portrayed.