The Relationship between Tathāgatagarbha and Memory (II)

Yet sometimes we can still perceive certain information from past lives—how is this perceived? It must rely on the tathāgatagarbha. When the karmic seeds within the tathāgatagarbha have already matured, and all the conditions for their manifestation are complete, then those karmic seeds will manifest. Regardless of whether the manas grasps at them or not, the karmic seeds manifest as mental sense-objects (dharmas); the manas contacts them, and the mind consciousness thereby gains a certain power of perception. Moreover, the content we were habituated to in past lives can also be drawn out by the manas for the mind consciousness to discern; thus, when the mind consciousness encounters similar content again, it can understand and memorize it very quickly, without any effort at all—just like traveling a familiar road in a light carriage.

When we come into contact in this life with dharmas we were habituated to in past lives, we quickly resonate with them. For example, if in a past life we often recited the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the karmic seed of reciting the Śūraṅgama Sūtra was stored in the tathāgatagarbha. In this life, as soon as we come into contact with the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, reading it feels very familiar and very smooth, and as we read along we can even recite it from memory. This shows that we did not just begin reciting the Śūraṅgama Sūtra in this life; rather, we were already habituated to it in past lives. Because the karmic seed of reciting the Śūraṅgama Sūtra exists from past lives, when the conditions ripen and the manas draws upon it, the mind consciousness accordingly receives its benefit, and studying the Śūraṅgama Sūtra becomes extremely fast—reading quickly and memorizing firmly—so naturally one can recite it from memory, feeling that those sentences and their meanings are all very familiar. In this way, our study and practice of Buddhism in this life is connected with the karmic seeds of past lives.

When we recite the Heart Sutra in this life until we can recite it from memory, that seed is also stored in the tathāgatagarbha. After we can recite it, when we recite the Heart Sutra again—"Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, when practicing deep prajñā-pāramitā..."—word by word, syllable by syllable, these mental sense-objects are all taken out from the storehouse of the tathāgatagarbha, passing through the manas for the mind consciousness to receive and enjoy. This is what is meant by saying that the mind consciousness has the ability of memory and can recite the Heart Sutra from memory. What the mind consciousness learns and memorizes, it cannot store itself, because it is itself subject to arising and ceasing, and it has no function of storing karmic seeds. Even if it could store them, they would be lost when the mind consciousness ceases, because the mind consciousness lacks self-mastery and has no capacity for safekeeping. Therefore only the tathāgatagarbha can store them, because He never disappears; what is placed there is very safe and reliable, with no worry that the seeds will be lost when the tathāgatagarbha ceases—for the tathāgatagarbha never ceases.

When the seeds stored in the tathāgatagarbha are needed by the mind consciousness, they must be taken out. At this point, the manas must be relied upon. When the mind consciousness wants to recite the Heart Sutra, this desire is conveyed to the manas; after the manas knows of it, it also decides to recite the Heart Sutra, and thus the mental factor of volition (cetanā) arises. When the tathāgatagarbha discerns the manas's volition, it can transmit the seeds for reciting the Heart Sutra outward; when the mind consciousness discerns these mental sense-objects, it naturally can recite the Heart Sutra, with each word and each syllable coming forth.

If the Heart Sutra has not been read until familiar, and one cannot recite it from memory, then there is no seed for recitation; when one wants to recite it, those words and syllables will not come forth. Perhaps one can recite the first word, the second word, the third word, the fourth word, but beyond that, nothing more comes out. This is because we never stored them in—the storehouse of the tathāgatagarbha contains no karmic seed capable of recitation, and the tathāgatagarbha cannot manufacture seeds by itself. If there is no goods in the storehouse, of course nothing can be taken out to enjoy; then one has no choice but to open the book and read along.

Yet sometimes we can still perceive certain information from past lives—how is this perceived? It must rely on the tathāgatagarbha. When the karmic seeds within the tathāgatagarbha have already matured, and all the conditions for their manifestation are complete, then those karmic seeds will manifest. Regardless of whether the manas grasps at them or not, the karmic seeds manifest as mental sense-objects (dharmas); the manas contacts them, and the mind consciousness thereby gains a certain power of perception. Moreover, the content we were habituated to in past lives can also be drawn out by the manas for the mind consciousness to discern; thus, when the mind consciousness encounters similar content again, it can understand and memorize it very quickly, without any effort at all—just like traveling a familiar road in a light carriage.

When we come into contact in this life with dharmas we were habituated to in past lives, we quickly resonate with them. For example, if in a past life we often recited the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the karmic seed of reciting the Śūraṅgama Sūtra was stored in the tathāgatagarbha. In this life, as soon as we come into contact with the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, reading it feels very familiar and very smooth, and as we read along we can even recite it from memory. This shows that we did not just begin reciting the Śūraṅgama Sūtra in this life; rather, we were already habituated to it in past lives. Because the karmic seed of reciting the Śūraṅgama Sūtra exists from past lives, when the conditions ripen and the manas draws upon it, the mind consciousness accordingly receives its benefit, and studying the Śūraṅgama Sūtra becomes extremely fast—reading quickly and memorizing firmly—so naturally one can recite it from memory, feeling that those sentences and their meanings are all very familiar. In this way, our study and practice of Buddhism in this life is connected with the karmic seeds of past lives.

When we recite the Heart Sutra in this life until we can recite it from memory, that seed is also stored in the tathāgatagarbha. After we can recite it, when we recite the Heart Sutra again—"Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, when practicing deep prajñā-pāramitā..."—word by word, syllable by syllable, these mental sense-objects are all taken out from the storehouse of the tathāgatagarbha, passing through the manas for the mind consciousness to receive and enjoy. This is what is meant by saying that the mind consciousness has the ability of memory and can recite the Heart Sutra from memory. What the mind consciousness learns and memorizes, it cannot store itself, because it is itself subject to arising and ceasing, and it has no function of storing karmic seeds. Even if it could store them, they would be lost when the mind consciousness ceases, because the mind consciousness lacks self-mastery and has no capacity for safekeeping. Therefore only the tathāgatagarbha can store them, because He never disappears; what is placed there is very safe and reliable, with no worry that the seeds will be lost when the tathāgatagarbha ceases—for the tathāgatagarbha never ceases.

When the seeds stored in the tathāgatagarbha are needed by the mind consciousness, they must be taken out. At this point, the manas must be relied upon. When the mind consciousness wants to recite the Heart Sutra, this desire is conveyed to the manas; after the manas knows of it, it also decides to recite the Heart Sutra, and thus the mental factor of volition (cetanā) arises. When the tathāgatagarbha discerns the manas's volition, it can transmit the seeds for reciting the Heart Sutra outward; when the mind consciousness discerns these mental sense-objects, it naturally can recite the Heart Sutra, with each word and each syllable coming forth.

If the Heart Sutra has not been read until familiar, and one cannot recite it from memory, then there is no seed for recitation; when one wants to recite it, those words and syllables will not come forth. Perhaps one can recite the first word, the second word, the third word, the fourth word, but beyond that, nothing more comes out. This is because we never stored them in—the storehouse of the tathāgatagarbha contains no karmic seed capable of recitation, and the tathāgatagarbha cannot manufacture seeds by itself. If there is no goods in the storehouse, of course nothing can be taken out to enjoy; then one has no choice but to open the book and read along.