Can Seeds Be Purified Before Enlightenment?

Purifying karmic seeds generally occurs after afflictions have been eradicated; only when one no longer creates afflicted karma can the seeds become pure. As afflictive habits are being eradicated, each bit of habit eliminated makes the karmic seeds a bit purer. When afflictions have not been completely eradicated, one's bodily, verbal, and mental actions will still create unwholesome karma, and the karmic seeds cannot be purified. Before enlightenment, because one has not realized the true reality of all dharmas, one still holds the view of self, still grasps at self, and will still create unwholesome karma because of self; thus the karmic seeds cannot become pure. After enlightenment, having realized true suchness (tathatā) and knowing that all dharmas are empty in nature and that the five aggregates are without self, one can gradually subdue afflictions, and the unwholesome karma created for the sake of self becomes less and less. Only after attaining the bhūmis can one cease creating obvious unwholesome karma, and the seeds begin to become pure; however, since afflictive habits and ignorance still remain, subtle unwholesome and unskillful karma will inevitably still appear.

Buddhist practitioners should cultivate the habit of introspecting on their own minds, which allows them to quickly subdue afflictions. Afterwards, they must still strive to eradicate afflictions; only after developing first dhyāna meditative concentration can they begin to gradually eradicate afflictions. Otherwise, one is merely suppressing afflictions, and when conditions arise later, one will still create karma of greed, anger, and delusion. After eradicating the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa) and seeing the mind, only with first dhyāna meditative concentration does one have the ability to eradicate afflictions; anything short of this is merely suppressing afflictions, without uprooting them at the source—if the root is not removed, the grass of afflictions will grow again. A pond of filthy water: to make it clean, at the very least one must stop pouring filthy water into it; only then can one find ways to clean up the dirty water. If one keeps pouring in filthy water, there is no way to make the water clean. Therefore, the purification of seeds happens after enlightenment; before enlightenment, one can only suppress afflictions and try one's best not to create unwholesome karma.