Who Is in Saṃsāra

The manas's deluded thinking lies in taking the false as real—regarding the images manifested by the tathāgatagarbha as true, taking the reflections in the mirror of the tathāgatagarbha as an actually existing objective realm outside, passing off the false as genuine, and deceiving oneself and others life after life. The manas controls and directs the six consciousnesses to continually manipulate the people, matters, and things inside the mirror, engaging in ceaseless activity on the surface of the mirror. When this activity becomes severe and the accumulated karmic seeds grow numerous and great, it eventually affects the actual entities outside the mirror, thereby altering the objective realm, and cause and effect then undergo change.

After the manas has eliminated ignorance, it knows that all dharmas are illusory manifestations, yet it still carries out activities within the three realms and the six destinies; however, it no longer attaches its mind to the people, affairs, objects, and principles of the three realms. In this way, one can free oneself from the suffering of birth-and-death and saṃsāra in the three realms and six destinies, and the mind is no longer deluded.

But in the ultimate ground of principle, does rebirth actually exist? Is there anyone who transmigrates? No. At the time of death, the physical body faculty ceases and no longer exists—the body faculty does not transmigrate. The mind consciousness and the five sense consciousnesses also cease and vanish at the time of death, so they certainly do not transmigrate either. The manas, however, never ceases life after life; it has no former life and no later life, so naturally it cannot be said to transmigrate or not. As for the eighth consciousness, it even more does not transmigrate; likewise it has no former or later lives. Moreover, the six destinies have nothing to do with Him, and He does not undergo suffering. Then who is it that transmigrates? There is no one who transmigrates.