The Tathāgatagarbha Directly Actualizes Karmic Retribution

The tathāgatagarbha can directly actualize the karmic retribution of sentient beings, without going through the mental deliberation (manasikāra) of the manas. The tathāgatagarbha directly actualizes karmic cause and effect, without the seven consciousnesses being in charge. The tathāgatagarbha directly causes the material body to grow, age, and decline, without the seven consciousnesses being in charge; the tathāgatagarbha directly manifests the material body and living environment corresponding to the karmic retribution, without the seven consciousnesses being in charge.

The karmic actions that sentient beings create in this life are all stored by the tathāgatagarbha, including every detail of body, speech, and mind, without leaving out the slightest bit; everything is recorded and stored in the form of karmic seeds. When the conditions ripen in later lives, the tathāgatagarbha outputs the karmic seeds, and sentient beings must act and receive retribution according to their own karmic seeds.

These karmic seeds all correspond to the manas, because the manas exists life after life without perishing, continuously carrying these karmas into future lives, until the retribution has been fully received and the karmic seeds disappear. The six consciousnesses, however, are newly born and do not carry karmic seeds, but they are influenced by the manas' perfuming and thus manifest various habitual tendencies and afflictions.