How Are Merit and Wisdom Attained?

Generally, we are born already possessing a certain amount of merit, and our destiny to enjoy blessings in the mother's womb is already predetermined; after birth, we begin to enjoy blessings, or begin to enjoy them at some point in time. This is the merit brought along by the seventh consciousness, the manas; the seeds are stored in the eighth consciousness, and the manas corresponds with those seeds. The mind consciousness is born after conception and does not come over from a previous life; moreover, during the time in the womb and in youth it has not accumulated merit, so the mind consciousness does not possess merit, but it can enjoy merit. The merit and wisdom with which one is born are both brought along by the manas, and are enjoyed by the mind consciousness. In this life, the mind consciousness cooperates with the manas to once again cultivate merit and wisdom; when the karmic seeds ripen, the present-life mind consciousness receives the wholesome retribution of merit and wisdom; when the karmic seeds have not ripened, the mind consciousness of a future life will enjoy the retribution of merit and wisdom.

Likewise, a destiny of being born without merit and without wisdom is also brought along by the manas; the manas corresponds with the seeds of meager merit (alpa-puṇya), and the destiny is one of poverty and lowliness, of deep and heavy suffering, with the retribution borne by the mind consciousness. If in this life the mind consciousness again cooperates with the manas to commit unwholesome karma, then when the karmic seeds ripen, the present-life mind consciousness will receive the evil retribution; when the karmic seeds have not ripened, the mind consciousness of a future life will receive the evil retribution.