Karmic condition is the condition that assists the arising of dharmas.

Question: When doing the high jump, one wants to jump one meter, yet only manages to jump a few dozen centimeters. Is it the manas that decides to jump only a few dozen centimeters, or is it that the tathāgatagarbha, in accordance with karmic seeds and karmic conditions, can only cooperate in jumping a few dozen centimeters?

Answer: The manas has the aspiration to jump higher than one meter, but if the karmic conditions are not complete, if the condition and capacity of the physical body cannot reach the goal, or if this fame is not destined to be obtained in this life, the tathāgatagarbha can only accord with conditions and cannot fulfill the manas's aspiration. It is like someone who right now wants to become a Buddha, but the karmic conditions are not complete, the merit is insufficient, and there are no corresponding wholesome karmic seeds; the tathāgatagarbha is also powerless—after all, even a clever wife cannot cook a meal without rice.