What Determines Whether One Rebirths in a Wholesome Realm or the Three Evil Destinies at the End of Life?

Some people say that when a person dies, the eighth consciousness naturally guides them into a good destination. But if the eighth consciousness could naturally guide one into the good destinies, then why is it that, throughout beginningless kalpas, all sentient beings have spent far more time in the three evil destinies than in the three good destinies? On what basis would the eighth consciousness guide sentient beings' manas into the good destinies? Some say that as long as one has been cultivated in wholesome dharmas, the eighth consciousness can guide one into a good destination. But there are very many people who have been cultivated in wholesome dharmas, very many who have been cultivated in the Buddha's teachings, and very many who have been cultivated in correct Dharma principles—so how many of them, at the time of death, can be assured of not falling into the three evil destinies and being led by the eighth consciousness into the three good destinies? On what basis does the eighth consciousness guide the manas into the good destinies? It is only by relying on the seeds of wholesome karma stored in the eighth consciousness that one can be guided into the good destinies. But the eighth consciousness also contains countless seeds of unwholesome karma—karmic seeds left over from the creation of unwholesome karma throughout beginningless kalpas that have not yet manifested. On exactly which karmic seeds will the eighth consciousness base itself to guide the manas into rebirth? This question is extremely important and crucial. The conditions that the Buddha, in the sūtras, guaranteed for sentient beings to avoid the three evil destinies after death are: first, the elimination of self-view and the severing of the three fetters as taught in the Āgamas; second, seeing one's true mind and awakening to one's nature as taught in the Mahāyāna sūtras; third, the power of meditative concentration (samādhi) of recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) with a single-minded, undisturbed mind at the time of death as taught in the Amitābha Sūtra; fourth, the accomplishment of the third contemplation or above among the sixteen contemplations taught in the Contemplation of the Immeasurable Life Sūtra, together with the respective karmic conditions for rebirth in each of the nine grades; fifth, the conditions for rebirth taught in other Pure Land sūtras; and sixth, the seeds of wholesome karma required for non-Buddhists to be reborn in the heavens after death.  

These conditions show that it is not the case that merely having been cultivated in wholesome dharmas and the Buddha's teachings enables one to avoid the three evil destinies and be reborn in a good destiny. Rather, it depends on whether the force of the wholesome karma created during this lifetime is greater or the force of the unwholesome karma is greater, and on whether the seeds of major unwholesome karma from beginningless kalpas ago have been eliminated, or whether the conditions for the manifestation of the seeds of major unwholesome karma are complete. At the time of death, whichever is stronger—the power of the wholesome karmic seeds or the power of the unwholesome karmic seeds—the stronger one pulls first, and the eighth consciousness draws sentient beings along according to the stronger karma. Where one goes after death is determined by the contest between the force of wholesome karma and the force of unwholesome karma, not by the eighth consciousness. The eighth consciousness merely follows the force of the karmic seeds; the eighth consciousness has no intention to guide the destination of sentient beings.  

Countless people have had the opportunity to be cultivated in the correct Dharma and wholesome dharmas, yet their afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion remain fully present—not the least eliminated or subdued. Clearly, the force of their afflictive karma is still very strong, and at the time of death they will naturally be drawn by afflictive and unwholesome karma toward the three evil destinies. Countless people, although cultivated in wholesome dharmas, have in the process of that cultivation also created the unwholesome karma of slandering the Three Jewels of the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. This unwholesome karma is enormous; all the cultivation of wholesome karma cannot withstand the force of the unwholesome karma of slandering the Three Jewels. Thus, at the time of death, the eighth consciousness will certainly follow the seed-force of the slandering karma and guide the manas into the three evil destinies. Even if one has not created any relatively major unwholesome karma in this life, if the unwholesome karma from beginningless kalpas ago has ripened, and the force of the wholesome karma from cultivating wholesome dharmas in this life is not strong enough—the conditions not being ripe—it is insufficient to alter the conditions of the unwholesome karma, and the eighth consciousness will guide the manas into the three evil destinies according to the powerful seed-conditions of unwholesome karma.  

If the force of one's cultivation of wholesome dharmas in this life is not strong enough but rather weak and inferior—such that only the mind consciousness understands and comprehends the wholesome dharmas, without the cultivation reaching the manas, and the manas has not realized the wholesome dharmas—then it cannot become the driving force behind all bodily, verbal, and mental actions. Nothing in the dharmas of the five-aggregate body has changed, or the change is so slight that it is insufficient to counteract afflictive and unwholesome karma. Such cultivation has no power, and it either cannot be stored as seeds in the eighth consciousness, or only a tiny bit of seed is stored, which then has no effect and is insufficient to counteract the force of afflictive karma; thus it cannot change one's destiny of the three evil destinies in future lives. All bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the five-aggregate body must be stored as seeds in the eighth consciousness. Although countless people have been cultivated in wholesome dharmas, their bodily, verbal, and mental actions have not changed, and they still create unwholesome karma of greed, hatred, and delusion. What is stored in the eighth consciousness is therefore the karma of greed, hatred, and delusion. At the time of death, the force of this afflictive karma is very great, and it will draw the manas into the three evil destinies, preventing rebirth in a good destiny.

Who is the master that directs and creates the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the five-aggregate body? Of course it is the manas that directs and creates them. If the wholesome dharmas that sentient beings cultivate in this life do not enter the mind of the manas, and the manas does not realize the Buddha's teachings, then the manas is not wholesome, and it will not direct the creation of wholesome karma; the seeds of wholesome karma will not be stored in the substance of the eighth consciousness. How, then, could the eighth consciousness guide the manas into rebirth in a good destiny? To summarize: no matter who has cultivated wholesome dharmas, if that cultivation does not permeate and mature the manas, cannot change the afflicted and defiled nature of the manas, and does not change the mental conduct of the manas, then the manas will continue to direct the creation of defiled karma. The defiled karma will be stored in the substance of the eighth consciousness as seeds, producing the unwholesome karmic retribution of future lives, and such a person cannot go to a good destiny at the end of life.