Direct Actualization of Karmic Causality through Tathagatagarbha

The Tathagatagarbha directly actualizes the karmic retribution of sentient beings, without necessarily involving the mental factors of deliberation associated with the manas. The Tathagatagarbha directly brings about karmic causes and effects; it does not rely on the seven consciousnesses as the master. The Tathagatagarbha directly causes the physical body to grow, mature, and age; it does not rely on the seven consciousnesses as the master. The Tathagatagarbha directly manifests the physical body and living environment corresponding to the karmic retribution; it does not rely on the seven consciousnesses as the master.

The karmic actions created by sentient beings in this present life are all stored by the Tathagatagarbha, including every detail of body, speech, and mind. Not a single detail is omitted; all are recorded and stored in the form of karmic seeds. When conditions ripen in future lifetimes, the Tathagatagarbha outputs these karmic seeds, and sentient beings must then act and experience retribution according to their own karmic seeds.

These karmic seeds are all associated with the manas, because the manas exists perpetually across lifetimes without perishing, continuously carrying these karmic seeds into future lives until the retribution is fully experienced and the karmic seeds vanish. In contrast, the six consciousnesses are newly born in each lifetime; they do not carry karmic seeds but are influenced (perfumed) by the manas, thereby manifesting various habitual tendencies and afflictions.