Commentary on the Pitāputrasamāgama Sūtra (139)

The Aggregates of Death and Birth

Original Text:

O great king, consciousness is the master. Karma is the condition. These two factors are interdependent. When the initial consciousness arises, one may descend into hell, fall into the animal realm, enter the realm of hungry ghosts, or be reborn among asuras, humans, or devas. Upon the arising of the initial consciousness, each being receives its corresponding retribution. The same mental factors continue to operate in succession. When the final consciousness ceases, it is called the aggregates of death. When the initial consciousness arises, it is called the aggregates of birth.

Explanation:

The Buddha said: O great king, the ālaya-vijñāna (storehouse consciousness) is the master that gives rise to the future five-aggregate body. Karmic seeds serve as the condition. Through the union of these two causes and conditions, the initial consciousness of the next life arises. Beings may descend into hell, fall into the ghost realm, or be reborn among the three evil paths of animals; or they may be reborn among the three wholesome paths of asuras, humans, or devas. Once the initial consciousness arises, beings begin to receive their respective karmic retributions. Then, consciousness continues to operate continuously within the same physical body. When the consciousness ceases at the end of life, the physical body becomes a corpse, called the aggregates of death. The initial consciousness arising within the physical body is called the initial consciousness, and the five aggregates of the physical body are called the aggregates of birth.