Bhagavat's Explanation of the Origin of the World in the Surangama Sutra

All ignorance of sentient beings is beginningless; it is called beginningless ignorance, existing since prior to beginningless kalpas. Given this, to which mental substance is beginningless ignorance primarily connected? It corresponds to the seventh consciousness, the manas (mind root). In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the World-Honored One explained that prior to beginningless kalpas, when chaos had yet to disperse, only the eighth consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna) and the manas existed. There was no threefold world, no five aggregates, and no six consciousnesses. At that time, all ignorance already existed; not a single form of ignorance was generated later. Therefore, it is said that all ignorance is the ignorance of the manas. This section of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra explains the origin of the world. Before this, there was no world at all. Due to ignorance, the manas reached outward and clung, thus forming the world. Without a world, there could be no five aggregates body or six consciousnesses, as the five aggregates body must have a dwelling place to rely upon. When the world arose, it also required the passage of innumerable kalpas.

Why is empty space considered uniform? If there were different empty spaces, with one empty space per world, empty space would have boundaries. Having boundaries means it would not be empty space. This describes the initial process of the formation of the five aggregates world. Before this, there was a state of chaos. What was in chaos? The manas was in chaos, because at that time there was no universe, no empty space, no heavens, no earth, no world—only two consciousness-minds. When the manas gave rise to thoughts and reached outward to cling, it was unconscious and extremely subtle. Thus, the eighth consciousness, following the manas, gradually evolved empty space and the world, as well as the later five aggregates world.

Since there was no empty space or world prior to beginningless kalpas, did the eighth consciousness and the manas have concepts of time and space? Was there a manas here and a manas there? Do the eighth consciousness and the manas come and go? Can they move from one place to another? Since there is no concept of time or space for the eighth consciousness and the manas, we should understand how supernormal powers function. We should also understand why rebirth in the Buddha-lands can be attained in an instant.