What Determines Whether One Rebirths in a Wholesome Realm or the Three Evil Destinies at the End of Life?

Some people say: when a person dies, the tathāgatagarbha naturally guides them into a wholesome destination. But if the tathāgatagarbha could naturally guide beings into wholesome destinies, then why is it that, since beginningless kalpas, all sentient beings have spent far more time in the three evil destinies than in the three wholesome destinies? On what basis would the tathāgatagarbha guide the manas of sentient beings into wholesome destinies? Some say that as long as one has been cultivated with wholesome dharmas, the tathāgatagarbha can guide one into a wholesome destination. But there are very many people who have been cultivated with wholesome dharmas, very many who have been cultivated with the Buddha's teachings, and very many who have been cultivated with correct Dharma principles—so how many of them can be guaranteed not to fall into the three evil destinies at the time of death and be led by the tathāgatagarbha into the three wholesome destinies?

On what basis does the tathāgatagarbha guide the manas into wholesome destinies? It relies on the seeds of wholesome karma stored within the tathāgatagarbha. But within the tathāgatagarbha there are also countless seeds of unwholesome karma, left behind from the creation of unwholesome karma since beginningless kalpas—karmic seeds that have not yet manifested to this day. On exactly which karmic seeds will the tathāgatagarbha base itself to guide the manas into rebirth? This question is extremely important and extremely crucial. The Buddha, in the sūtras, set out six conditions that beings must fulfill to be guaranteed not to fall into the three evil destinies after death: first, the elimination of self-view and the severing of the three fetters as taught in the Āgamas; second, seeing one's true mind and awakening to one's nature as taught in the Mahāyāna sūtras; third, the meditative concentration (samādhi) of recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) with a single-minded, undisturbed mind at the time of death as taught in the Amitābha Sūtra; fourth, the conditions of having cultivated the third of the sixteen contemplations or above as taught in the Contemplation of the Immeasurable Life Sūtra, together with the causal conditions required for rebirth through the nine grades; fifth, the conditions for rebirth taught in other Pure Land sūtras; sixth, the seeds of wholesome karma that non-Buddhists must possess to be reborn in the heavens after death.

These conditions show that it is not the case that merely having been cultivated with wholesome dharmas and the Buddha's teachings guarantees one will not fall into the three evil destinies and will be reborn in the three wholesome destinies. Rather, it depends on whether the force of the wholesome karma created in this lifetime is greater or the force of the unwholesome karma is greater, and on whether the seeds of major unwholesome karma from beginningless kalpas past have been eliminated, or whether the causal conditions for the manifestation of the seeds of major unwholesome karma are complete. At the time of death, which is stronger—the force of the wholesome karmic seeds or the force of the unwholesome karmic seeds? The stronger force pulls first, and the tathāgatagarbha draws sentient beings along according to the stronger karma. Where one goes after death is determined by the contest between the force of wholesome karma and the force of unwholesome karma, or by the power of one's vows—not by the tathāgatagarbha. The tathāgatagarbha merely follows the force of the karmic seeds; He fundamentally has no intention of guiding the destination of sentient beings.

Countless people have had the opportunity to be cultivated with the correct Dharma and wholesome dharmas, yet their afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion remain fully intact—not eliminated in the slightest, nor even subdued. This clearly shows that the force of their afflictive karma is still very strong, and at the time of death they are naturally drawn by their afflictions and unwholesome karma toward the three evil destinies. In fact, it is evident that among those who study Buddhism, eighty to ninety percent or more still fall into the three evil destinies at death to undergo unwholesome retribution. Although countless people have been cultivated with wholesome dharmas, in the process of that cultivation they have also created unwholesome karma by slandering the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. The force of this unwholesome karma is enormous, and all the cultivation of wholesome karma cannot withstand the power of the unwholesome karma of slandering the Three Jewels. Therefore, at the time of death, the tathāgatagarbha naturally guides the manas into the three evil destinies in accordance with the seed-force of the slandering karma. Even if one has not created any particularly major unwholesome karma in this life, if the karmic conditions of unwholesome karma from beginningless kalpas past have ripened, and the force of the wholesome karma from cultivating wholesome dharmas in this life is not strong enough—the conditions not being ripe, insufficient to alter the conditions and force of the unwholesome karma—then the tathāgatagarbha will guide the manas into the three evil destinies according to the powerful seed-force of the unwholesome karma.

If the force of one's cultivation of wholesome dharmas in this life is not yet strong enough but is comparatively weak and feeble—so that only the mind consciousness understands and comprehends the wholesome dharmas, without the cultivation reaching the manas so that the manas realizes the wholesome dharmas—then this cultivation of wholesome dharmas cannot be stored in the tathāgatagarbha as powerful seeds. Lacking strong force, it cannot play much of a role, is insufficient to counter the force of afflictive karma, and cannot change the destiny of falling into the three evil destinies in future lives. All bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the five aggregates (pañcaskandha) body are stored as seeds in the tathāgatagarbha. Although countless people have been cultivated with wholesome dharmas, their bodily, verbal, and mental actions have not changed, and they still create unwholesome karma of greed, hatred, and delusion. Thus what is stored in the tathāgatagarbha are seeds of the afflictive karma of greed, hatred, and delusion. At the time of death, the force of this afflictive karma is very great, and it will draw the manas into the three evil destinies, preventing rebirth in the three wholesome destinies.

Who is the master that directs and creates the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the five aggregates body? Of course it is the manas that directs and creates them. If the wholesome dharmas that sentient beings cultivate in this life do not enter the mind of the manas, and the manas does not personally realize the Buddha's teachings so as to eliminate ignorance and afflictions, then the manas remains unwholesome and will not direct the creation of wholesome karma; seeds of wholesome karma will not be stored in the substance of the tathāgatagarbha mind. How, then, could the tathāgatagarbha guide the manas to be reborn in wholesome destinies? In summary, no matter who has been cultivated with wholesome dharmas, if that cultivation does not permeate and transform the manas to accomplishment, cannot change the afflicted and defiled nature of the manas, and does not change the mental conduct of the manas, then the manas will continue to direct the creation of defiled karma. The seeds of defiled karma will be stored in the substance of the tathāgatagarbha mind, causing the tathāgatagarbha to bring forth the unwholesome karmic retribution of future lives, and such a person will not be able to go to a wholesome destiny at death to receive wholesome retribution.