Commentary on the Sutra of the Compendium of Fathers and Sons (158)

Death Aggregate and Birth Aggregate

Original text: O great king, consciousness is the master, karma is the condition. These two act as mutual causes. The initial consciousness arises. Sentient beings either descend into hell, fall into the animal realm, enter the Yamaloka realm, or become asuras, humans, or devas. Once the initial consciousness manifests, each receives their corresponding karmic retribution. The mental continuum of similar nature persists 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: O great king, the ālaya-vijñāna is the master that gives rise to the five aggregates of the next life's body, with karmic seeds serving as the objective condition. Through the conjunction of these two causes and conditions, the initial consciousness of the next life arises. Sentient beings either descend into the hell realm, fall into the hungry ghost realm, or are reborn in the three evil destinies of the animal realm; or they are reborn in the three good destinies: the asura realm, human realm, and deva realm. Once the initial consciousness arises, sentient 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.