The Relationship Between Seeds and Mental Factors (caittas)

Mental factors (caittas) are the modes of operation of the mind—that is, mental states, mental thoughts, mental activities, wholesome minds, unwholesome minds, neither-wholesome-nor-unwholesome minds, concentrated minds, distracted minds, wise minds, ignorant minds, minds of delusion, and so on; their scope is extremely deep and broad. When these modes of operation of the several consciousnesses run their course, the eighth consciousness records and stores them away at all times and places, where they become seeds. The seeds here refer to karmic seeds, not the seven intrinsically existing great seeds.

When body, speech, and mind are in operation, the mental activities and mental factors of the seven consciousnesses must all be recorded in the eighth consciousness, becoming karmic seeds. When the seventh consciousness, the manas, is not operating together with the six consciousnesses, can the mental factors of the manas still become karmic seeds?

If the manas alone curses someone or makes a vicious vow, and someone is truly harmed, can this become a karmic seed? When the manas enters a relative's dream to seek help, or enters an enemy's dream to intimidate someone, or summons a dying person to come see oneself, and so on—can all of these become karmic seeds? In the meditative concentration of non-perception (asaṃjñā-samāpatti) and the cessation of perception and feeling (nirodha-samāpatti), can the mental activities of the manas become karmic seeds, such as the length of time in concentration? Can the state of concentration of the devas in the Heaven of Non-Perception become karmic seeds?

In a coma there are no six consciousnesses—can this situation become a karmic seed? Does it count as receiving retribution? When one sleeps more than ten hours a day, during which there are no six consciousnesses, can this become a karmic seed? Does it count as retributive fruit? Devas do not need to enter the womb, but humans must enter the womb—does entering the womb count as retributive fruit? Can it become a karmic seed? Does the length of time entering the womb take count as retributive fruit? Can it become a karmic seed? When the manas, together with the tathāgatagarbha, goes to the land of bliss (Sukhāvatī) to create lotus-flower palaces, can this become a karmic seed? Is it retributive fruit?

After sleeping through the night, upon waking in the morning, one suddenly understands a matter or comprehends a principle. Does the manas's mental activity throughout that night count as karma? Are seeds stored? Is there retributive fruit? If the manas spends the whole night recollecting the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti), reciting mantras, reading Buddhist sutras, or engaged in Chan contemplation all night, does this also count as practice? Can Chan contemplation produce a result? If the manas goes to discuss the Dharma with someone in the middle of the night, can wisdom grow thereafter? If in the middle of the night it goes to ask Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva about the Dharma, and Avalokiteśvara patiently answers, after waking, can one then receive the sweet dew of the Buddha's Dharma? If one has a serious illness and goes in the middle of the night to seek medicine from an immortal or a Bodhisattva, and after taking it, the illness is cured the next day—does this count as retributive fruit? Can it be stored as a karmic seed? All of the various situations and mental activities described above are karma; they will all be stored as karmic seeds and all have retributive fruit.

In the teaching of the twelve links of dependent origination, the first link is: ignorance conditions volitional formations (avidyā-pratyayāḥ saṃskārāḥ). Although the manas's initial ignorance is not a karmic seed, because of ignorance the manas gives rise to the mind and reaches outward, seeking to apprehend and understand some dharma. The tathāgatagarbha then accords with this, and together they create the material universe (the inanimate vessel world); afterward, each person's tathāgatagarbha creates the body of the five aggregates (pañcaskandha). Karmic formations then appear, and thereafter there are karmic seeds.