Sectional Birth and Death and Transformative Birth and Death

Those who have not realized the first ground (Prathamā Bhūmi) are called ordinary beings (pṛthagjana). Those who have attained the first ground are sages, having eradicated the nature of an ordinary being and ceasing to create evil karma leading to birth and death. Sentient beings who have not severed the defiled karmic seeds of birth and death all belong to the category of ordinary beings. After the end of this lifespan, they will have another life, born at another time, in another place—either in the heavens, the human realm, hell, or as a hungry ghost. This is called being born at a different time and in a different place. Both first-ground Bodhisattvas and ordinary beings undergo segmental birth and death (sāvṛttika maraṇa). For example, a human lives for one lifetime, lasting one hundred and eighty years, or perhaps a thousand eight hundred years. After the lifespan ends, there is the next life. Birth and death occur in segments, hence it is called segmental birth and death. If a first-ground Bodhisattva is reborn in the heavenly realm, their lifespan is extremely long. If reborn in the human realm, their lifespan is the same as that of ordinary beings, and they also undergo segmental birth and death. If, through the power of their vow, they are reborn in the animal realm, their lifespan is as short as that of an animal, and they also undergo segmental birth and death. Besides segmental birth and death, there is also transformative birth and death (avṛttika maraṇa). Transformative birth and death refers to an extremely long lifespan, but the defiled seeds of birth and death within the Tathāgatagarbha have not yet been completely eradicated. They can still activate karmic forces leading to birth and death and cannot permanently eliminate the illusory appearance of birth and death. The arising and ceasing seeds within the mind cannot be severed before attaining the Buddha ground. Therefore, transformative birth and death exists.