The Meaning of the Neither Defiled nor Pure Nature of Ālayavijñāna

Some say the ālaya-vijñāna has both defiled and pure aspects, hence the doctrine of transforming consciousness into wisdom. In reality, the fundamental nature of the ālaya-vijñāna is pure consciousness. It is only because it contains the defiled karmic seeds produced by the seven consciousnesses that the ālaya-vijñāna becomes neither defiled nor pure. If the ālaya-vijñāna did not collect the defiled karmic seeds from the seven consciousnesses, it would be a pure and undefiled consciousness. If the ālaya-vijñāna were defiled, it would entail afflictions and defiled karma. However, the ālaya-vijñāna itself does not create any good or evil karma; it is the seven consciousnesses that possess afflictions and defilement, creating good and evil karma. Therefore, the evil karma created by the seven consciousnesses when afflicted is defiled karma. The ālaya-vijñāna collects the good and evil karma created by the seven consciousnesses, thus containing the defiled karmic seeds.