The Principle of the Knowledge of Past Existences

Those with divine powers can know matters of future lifetimes; the karmic seeds of future events have certainly not yet ripened. The Tathagatagarbha certainly can perceive karmic seeds that have not yet ripened. Can the manas (mind-root) perceive the same unripened karmic seeds? If the manas cannot perceive either ripened or unripened karmic seeds, then how does the consciousness know about matters of future lifetimes and events that have not yet occurred? How does the divine power of knowing past lives (pubbenivāsānussati) arise in the consciousness? All dharmas known by consciousness are first contacted, known, and perceived by the manas; only then can the manas direct attention (manasikāra) to allow the consciousness to perceive them subtly, and only then can the consciousness know the dharmas contacted and known by the manas. The consciousness's divine power of knowing past lives, as well as the consciousness in dreams knowing events that will happen later, all originate from the manas; they are known through being guided by the manas. Therefore, it is said that the manas can contact and know events that have not yet happened and matters of future lifetimes; this relies on the eighth consciousness (Alaya-vijñāna) perceiving the karmic seeds to make its own perception.

There are many instances of consciousness knowing events in advance. For example, before an earthquake, some animals know in advance and exhibit restlessness and anxiety afterward. The earthquake has not occurred; the karmic seeds have not ripened and manifested. How do the animals know that a disaster is about to happen and become panic-stricken? If the manas does not connect with the karmic seeds along with the Tathagatagarbha, how can consciousness connect with the karmic seeds? Before a person is about to die, or just before an accident, there are premonitions. The event has not happened; the karmic seeds have not manifested. Why can there be a premonition? If the manas does not connect with the karmic seeds, why does consciousness have a feeling? In dreams, when one dreams of events that will happen days or months later, upon waking, there is a feeling that something special is about to occur. If the manas does not connect with the karmic seeds, how can there be precognitive dreams? All these future events are first perceived by the manas; it is how the manas alerts the consciousness to perceive them, so that countermeasures can be taken.