The Correspondence Between Manas and Karmic Seeds

The number of the seven great seeds is fixed and unchanging, though countless. The Tathagatagarbha utilizes these numerous fixed seeds to manifest all dharmas. When dharmas cease, all seeds return to the Tathagatagarbha, only to be born again within other dharmas, manifesting other dharmas. Seeds, in relation to dharmas, arise and cease instantaneously; all dharmas are subject to instantaneous arising, cessation, and change. They are not permanent or unchanging, hence they are impermanent.

The manas (intellect) corresponds with karmic seeds, but the wisdom of the manas does not need to manifest into the seeds to access it. Wisdom is always associated with the manas, meaning the manas constantly possesses wisdom. For instance, once we learn to cook, whenever the conditions for cooking arise in this lifetime, we can cook. This skill always resides within the manas. The dharmas that the manas has perfumed always exist within the mind; it always understands them. Thus, its wisdom is always carried with it; there is no need to specifically fetch seeds from the Tathagatagarbha, yet it remains constantly corresponding with the seeds.