Commentary on the Pitṛputra Samāgama Sūtra (147)

Death Aggregate and Birth Aggregate

Original Text: Great King, consciousness acts as the master, and karma serves as the object of clinging. Through the mutual causation of these two, the initial consciousness arises. Beings may descend into hell, fall into the animal realm, the realm of Yama, or the realm of asuras; or they may be born among humans or devas. Once the initial consciousness arises, each being receives its corresponding karmic retribution. A homogeneous continuum of mental states follows and continues to operate. The cessation of the final consciousness is called the death aggregate. The arising of the initial consciousness is called the birth aggregate.

Explanation: Great King, the alaya-vijnana is the master that gives rise to the five aggregates of the next life's body. Karmic seeds serve as the object. Through the combination of these two causes and conditions, the initial consciousness of the next life arises. Beings may descend into hell, fall into the hungry ghost realm, or take birth among the three evil paths of animals; or they may be born into the three wholesome paths: the asura realm, the human realm, or the deva realm. Once the initial consciousness arises, beings begin to receive their respective karmic retribution. Then, consciousness continues to operate uninterruptedly within the same physical body. When the consciousness ceases at the end of life, the physical body becomes a corpse, called the death aggregate. The initial consciousness that first arises within the physical body is called the initial consciousness, and the five aggregates of the physical body are called the birth aggregate.