As Manas Is, So Are Sentient Beings

Question: If only the consciousness has realized the eighth consciousness, while the manas has not realized the eighth consciousness, nor is it used to realize it, and after this person dies and is reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, or ascends to a heavenly realm, then in the Pure Land, the physical body will be that of a heavenly being, and the consciousness will be the newly born consciousness of a heavenly being. If the manas has not realized the eighth consciousness, is this person still an enlightened bodhisattva who has realized the mind in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss? What is their spiritual attainment? Is the situation the same as that of an ordinary being reborn in the Pure Land? Are they both considered ordinary beings? Do they receive the same treatment as ordinary beings?

Answer: Regardless of the form or world in which sentient beings exist, their identity and spiritual attainment are primarily determined by the manas. What the manas is, the being is. Because the manas is the master of sentient beings, it is the sovereign consciousness. It corresponds to karmic seeds, continues into future lives, and thus the karma created by the manas determines the retribution received. If the manas acts as an ordinary being, one will be an ordinary being in the next life. If the manas severs the view of self, one will be a Stream-enterer (Sotāpanna) up to an Arhat (Arahant) in the next life. If the manas realizes the mind and sees one's true nature, one will be an enlightened bodhisattva in the next life. The seven stages of spiritual attainment are determined by the degree of wisdom and ignorance in the manas.

If, during a human life, the manas has not realized the eighth consciousness, one is an ordinary being. Rebirth in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss occurs with the status of an ordinary being. Upon arriving in the Pure Land, one remains an ordinary being, dwelling within a lotus flower for an indeterminate number of kalpas. Only after karmic obstructions are eliminated to a certain degree does the lotus blossom, allowing one to see the Buddha, hear the Dharma, and awaken to the truth, thereby becoming a true bodhisattva. The understanding attained by the consciousness during the human life does not play a fundamental role. If some of this understanding gradually influences the manas, it may implant corresponding subtle seeds, making it slightly easier for the manas in future lives to be influenced and attain realization.