The Relationship Between Pure Karma and Defiled Karma

The Tathagatagarbha inherently contains the seeds of the seventh consciousness. These seeds are sent out to discriminate the six dusts (objects of the six senses). After discrimination, they return, bringing back the content of the discriminated actions. The Tathagatagarbha then stores this content, simultaneously knowing all that the seventh consciousness has done. If the seventh consciousness commits karmic actions of greed, hatred, and delusion, the returning seeds become defiled. Once stored, when sent out again, they are defiled seeds, and the seventh consciousness naturally becomes tainted with greed, hatred, and delusion. If the seventh consciousness performs pure karmic actions, the returning seeds are pure, and when sent out again, the mental activities of the seventh consciousness will be pure. These seeds continuously alternate between purity and defilement according to our bodily, verbal, and mental actions. When purity increases, defilement decreases; when defilement increases, purity decreases. Purity and defilement do not increase or decrease simultaneously; they always maintain a relationship where one increases while the other decreases.

From this, it is evident that the number of seeds of the seventh consciousness is fixed and does not increase or decrease in quantity. Otherwise, the virtuous nature of sentient beings would increase while the unwholesome nature also increases, or wholesome karma would decrease while unwholesome karma also decreases—this is impossible.