Store Consciousness - Verse Fifteen

When delusion is overcome, understanding is there,
and store consciousness is no longer subject to afflictions.
Store consciousness becomes Great Mirror Wisdom,
reflecting the cosmos in all directions.
Its name is now Pure Consciousness.

Where do we come from? What happens after we die? While studying this verse we take a look at how we are 'born' and how we 'die'. We know that there is no birth and no death. Nothing can be created nor destroyed. There is transformation, not annihilation. There no self separate from the five aggregates. Not truly realizing this is ignorance.

In samsara everything is conditioned. Conditioned means a result of various causes and conditions. Birth too is a conditioned phenomena. If we are to be born as a human we need a mother, a father, volitional actions and the right conditions.

Since nothing is created or destroyed completely, our form and energy remain even after death. Behind every action, there is an intent, sometimes a habit. This thought or habit is a form of energy and is stored in the store consciousness. When we die, since energy cannot be destroyed, this is released and called volition action or karmic formation. When this is released in the presence of ignorance - the belief that there is a separate self, it leads to rebirth in the conditioned realm.

When a woman conceives, conditions for the physical manifestation of the child is created. The 'volition actions' comes into contact with the seed in the womb leading to the arising of the store consciousness. When store consciousness is present, the mind consciousness and body manifest, leading to the manifestation of the sense consciousnesses. Now the baby can touch, there is contact. Feelings arise. The baby likes or dislikes what comes into contact with her senses. She experiences movement and sound etc. and wants more of these experiences. She grasps on to these experiences. Attracted by light, noticing the possibility that there could more of such experiences 'outside' her home in the womb, the baby begins her attempt to come out into our world - 'coming to be'. This leads to what we call birth.

Birth is followed by aging and death. Energy cannot be destroyed. Energy is released. Unless ignorance is shattered, release of volitional energy creates the cause for rebirth. When conditions are right she will manifest again.

Imagine a chain of eleven pearls - volitional actions, consciousness, mind and body, sense consciousnesses, contact, feelings, coming to be, birth, aging and death - on the string of ignorance. Each one is a link. They are collectively called the twelve links of interdependent co-arising. If you cut off ignorance, these eleven links will fall.

This ignorance is referred to as delusion in this verse. The delusion that we have a separate self. When this delusion is overcome, we are free from the cycle of conditioned existence.

(Based on the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh.)

#विज्ञप्तिमात्र #Vijñaptimātra #VijñaptimatraBuddhism #ThichNhatHanh #Vasubandhu #50Verses #50VersesOnVijñaptimātra #Vimshatika #Trimshika #VimshatikaKarika #TrimshikaKarika #Asanga #Yogacāra #Yogacara #ManifestationOnly #Vigyaptimatra #Xuanzang #India #Linji #Rinzai #Zen #Bodhidharma #Hinduism #Buddhism #Buddha #Mahayana  #Prajñapāramitā #Vijnaptimatra #IndianBuddhism #IndianPhilosophy #UttarPradesh #StoreConsciousness #Alayavijñana #Manas