"Explanation of the Mahāyāna Vijñāna Sutra"

Original text: Bhadrapāla addressed the Buddha, saying: "World-Honored One, sentient beings, though aware of the existence of consciousness, are like a precious jewel sealed within a box—it remains unmanifested and unknown. World-Honored One, they do not know what form this consciousness takes, why it is called 'consciousness,' nor what happens when sentient beings die: their hands and feet thrash chaotically, their eyes change expression, they lose self-control, their faculties perish, the great elements disperse, and the consciousness departs from the body. To where does it go? What is its inherent nature? What appearance does it have? How does it abandon this body and receive another?"

Then, is the Ālayavijñāna the first to enter the physical body? No, it is not. The Ālayavijñāna cannot sustain the physical body alone, nor does it possess the intention to sustain it. Influenced by the mental factor of volition (cetanā) associated with the manas (mind faculty), it follows the manas instantaneously into the fertilized egg to sustain it, entering the mother's womb simultaneously with the manas. Because the manas and the Ālayavijñāna are inseparable—as inseparable as shadow and form, not parting even for an instant—when these two enter the womb or leave the physical body, there is no sequence of arrival or departure. If there were a sequence, it would imply that they can separate from each other, meaning the manas could exist independently and the Ālayavijñāna could function alone. This would contradict the intrinsic nature of both the Ālayavijñāna and the manas.

The seeds of the four great elements (earth, water, fire, wind) emerge from the Ālayavijñāna. When the Ālayavijñāna is about to leave the physical body, it must reclaim all the seeds of the four great elements. Only then can the seeds within the Ālayavijñāna remain neither increased nor decreased, ready to be projected out again when conditions ripen, giving rise to all phenomena. Long before sentient beings approach death—even a considerable time prior—the Ālayavijñāna knows, because it perceives the karmic seeds and is aware of the time of death, down to the specific moment. It gradually alters the seeds of the four great elements, causing the body to emit foul odors and bodily functions to weaken. As the final breath approaches, the actual disintegration of the four great elements begins, reclaiming all the seeds. Once fully reclaimed, the physical body becomes a corpse.

The first five consciousnesses (visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile) cease to arise and manifest. The sense-accompanying mental consciousness (manovijñāna) then vanishes and extinguishes. Due to the disintegration of the subtle material faculties (the support for consciousness), the solitary mental consciousness also gradually disappears. At this point, one enters the stage of actual death. For those who have performed virtuous deeds, the death process may be relatively brief and painless. For those who have committed unwholesome deeds, the dying process may be prolonged, involving considerable suffering. This process might last several hours—six or seven hours, eight hours, or even over ten hours for some.

The sequential cessation of the six consciousnesses coincides with the gradual separation of the four great elements, during which intense suffering is felt. The seeds of the four great elements separate one by one. Once separated, they return to the Ālayavijñāna, which ceases projecting them outward. Consequently, the body gradually loses warmth because the fire element seed has separated, causing the body to turn cold. The earth, water, and wind elements also successively separate and return to the Ālayavijñāna.

However, those who have performed virtuous deeds experience no suffering at this stage. This is the karmic result of their wholesome actions. In the snap of a finger, they may be reborn in a heavenly realm. Yet, as long as the view of self is not severed, they still cling to the three realms. It is merely due to their wholesome karma and its corresponding pleasant result that they proceed to enjoy heavenly bliss. At this moment, heavenly music may resound, and heavenly parents may await them. For recipients of wholesome results, the departure of the eight consciousnesses from the physical body does not take long—it happens in an instant, sparing them suffering. Those reborn in the human realm take relatively longer to breathe their last; the process is not as brief, nor is it excessively long, but involves little suffering.

Original text: Bhadrapāla addressed the Buddha, saying: "World-Honored One, sentient beings, though aware of the existence of consciousness, are like a precious jewel sealed within a box—it remains unmanifested and unknown. World-Honored One, they do not know what form this consciousness takes, why it is called 'consciousness,' nor what happens when sentient beings die: their hands and feet thrash chaotically, their eyes change expression, they lose self-control, their faculties perish, the great elements disperse, and the consciousness departs from the body. To where does it go? What is its inherent nature? What appearance does it have? How does it abandon this body and receive another?"

Those who have committed more unwholesome deeds experience greater suffering during the disintegration of the four great elements at death. At the point of death, their hands and feet thrash chaotically, indicating a struggle against agony. However, they can no longer express this suffering—the mouth cannot move, and the tongue, mouth, and teeth, being part of the body faculty, are non-functional, preventing speech. If someone touches them at this moment, they may feel excruciating pain, potentially arousing hatred. Should hatred arise, they might fall into hell realms driven by that very hatred. Therefore, the body should not be touched immediately after death—bathing or changing clothes must wait until life is fully extinguished. How long does this take? Perhaps eight hours, or over ten hours; the time varies. Generally, those destined for the three lower realms have rigid, cold corpses with unpleasant complexions—black for hell beings, bluish-gray for hungry ghosts.

Finally, when all six consciousnesses completely cease, the five aggregates vanish with them. The manas can no longer utilize the aggregate-body; finding nothing it can command or control, it abandons hope for the physical body and discards it, seeking rebirth to obtain a new body. Thus arises the intermediate state (antarābhava). This is the process of the perishing of the faculties.

Another aspect is the "dispersal of the great elements," referring to the disintegration of the four great elements—earth, water, fire, and wind (actually, space is a fifth). The seeds of these elements separate and scatter. Originally combined to form the physical body, their separation causes the body's life functions to cease. Though the flesh remains, it becomes inert like wood.

After the four great elements of the sentient being's physical body disintegrate, the Ālayavijñāna departs the body together with the manas to seek rebirth in another physical body. It will manifest another body—the specific form determined by karmic seeds and the force of karma. In most cases, an intermediate state body appears first before entering the various destinies. However, rebirth in heavenly realms or hell realms occurs without an intermediate state. Where the Ālayavijñāna goes depends on the karmic conditions ripening at death. For instance, if we created unwholesome karma in past lives and do not practice Buddhism or wholesome Dharma in this life, we may fall into the three lower realms. But if we create wholesome karma in this life, and if that wholesome karma ripens and outweighs the unwholesome, we will follow the wholesome karma to a fortunate rebirth. The Ālayavijñāna migrates according to the karmic conditions of sentient beings. At death, whichever karmic condition ripens first determines the outcome. If our wholesome karma in this life is insufficient to counter the ripening of unwholesome karma, even as Buddhists, when unwholesome karmic conditions manifest, we will still fall into the three lower realms to undergo retribution.