What Represents the Identity of Sentient Beings?

Throughout countless lifetimes of birth and death in saṃsāra, what represents our identity? In the course of cultivation from an ordinary being to a Buddha, what represents our identity?

For instance, when one becomes a Buddha, what represents the Buddha's identity? When one becomes an eighth-ground, ninth-ground, or saṃbhogakāya... wait, rather, a bodhisattva of equal enlightenment, what represents the identity of such a great bodhisattva? When one becomes a bodhisattva of the first ground or above, what represents the identity of a bodhisattva of the first ground or above? After seeing one's true mind and attaining enlightenment, what represents the identity of a bodhisattva who has awakened to the true mind? From attaining the first fruit up to the fourth fruit, what represents the identity of the noble ones at the first and second fruits? What represents the identity of the noble ones at the third and fourth fruits? After attaining the fruit of a pratyekabuddha, what represents the identity of a pratyekabuddha?

At the stage of ordinary beings, what represents the identity of hell beings? What represents the identity of hungry ghosts? What represents the identity of animals? What represents the identity of asuras? What represents the identity of celestial beings in the various heavens? What represents the identity of the various kinds of humans?

When sentient beings die each time, the six consciousnesses cease, the body of the five aggregates (pañcaskandha) ceases, and only the manas and the eighth consciousness (ālayavijñāna) remain, going together to the next life and giving birth to the five-aggregate body of the next life. This is so life after life. Therefore, only the manas and the eighth consciousness can represent the identity of sentient beings. However, the eighth consciousness of every sentient being is identical, possessing the same virtues, without the slightest difference. Thus the eighth consciousness cannot represent the identity of sentient beings; otherwise, all sentient beings would have the same identity, with no distinction whatsoever. Therefore, only the manas represents the identity of sentient beings.

Whatever virtues the manas possesses, that is what kind of sentient being one is. If the manas possesses the virtues of a Buddha, one is the World-Honored One—the Buddha is represented by the Sambhogakāya Buddha (saṃbhoga-kāya-buddha) accomplished through the manas, clearly distinct from the retributive body of sentient beings. If the manas possesses the virtues of a bodhisattva of equal enlightenment, the being is a bodhisattva of equal enlightenment; if the manas possesses the virtues of an eighth-ground bodhisattva, the being is an eighth-ground bodhisattva; if the manas possesses the virtues of a first-ground bodhisattva, having begun to transform consciousness into wisdom, the being is a first-ground bodhisattva.

If the manas has seen the true mind and realized awakening but has not yet transformed consciousness into wisdom, the being is a bodhisattva at the three virtuous stages; if the manas has merely attained the fruits without seeing the true mind, the being is a noble or virtuous one of the Small Vehicle; if the manas has attained the fruit of a pratyekabuddha and possesses the virtues of a pratyekabuddha, the being is a pratyekabuddha.

If the mind-nature of the manas is as vicious and wrathful as that of hell beings, the being is a hell being; if the manas is extremely stingy and greedy, the being is a hungry ghost; if the manas is extremely foolish and unteachable, the being is an animal; if the virtues of the manas are very wrathful and combative yet endowed with merit, the being is an asura; if the virtues of the manas contain both good and evil, sometimes good and sometimes evil, the being is a human; if the virtues of the manas have more good than evil, the being is a celestial being of the desire realm; if the virtues of the manas are not only good but also possess meditative concentration (samādhi), the being is a celestial being of the form realm or the formless realm.

The human body is the crucial point, determining whether the next life will be higher or lower. If in learning Buddhism and cultivating practice one does not cultivate to the level of the manas, does not elevate and transform the virtues of the manas, then at the time of death, once the six consciousnesses cease, the manas will determine the identity of the next life according to its currently manifest virtues, and together with the tathāgatagarbha will enter the womb corresponding to the virtues of the manas—such is the law of cause and effect. Countless people cultivate like a dragonfly skimming the water, tasting only superficially and stopping there; they do not proceed to the mind of the manas and do not implement the Buddha's teachings into the mind of the manas. Then the manas will carry its ignorance and continue to be reborn into the womb of ignorance, giving birth to ignorant suffering beings.

I have earnestly and repeatedly expounded on the manas and on the importance of the manas, yet there are still foolish sentient beings who refuse to acknowledge the manas: they do not let the manas attain the fruits when attaining realization, and do not let the manas see the true mind when awakening. Then in the next life, the manas that has neither attained the fruits nor seen the true mind will continue to take rebirth, but its identity will absolutely not be that of one who has attained the fruits or seen the true mind. By the time one regrets it, it will already be too late.