Further Questions about Nonrevealing Forms and Positive Potential

The Connection between Karmic Aftermath and Karmic Results

What connects the different kinds of karmic aftermath and the karmic results?

This is an issue that is much debated and each of the Indian Buddhist tenet systems has a different explanation. All the tenet systems assert that the karmic aftermath that are karmic potential, the network of positive potential, karmic tendencies, and constant karmic habits – although only the Mahayana tenet systems assert constant karmic habits – are imputation phenomena on a basis. They agree that the continuum of that basis is what maintains the continuum of the karmic aftermath until they finish giving rise to their karmic results, even into future lifetimes. They differ, however, as to what serves as that basis. Vaibhashika asserts it to be the five aggregates. Sautrantika and Svatantrika assert it to be mental consciousness. Chittamatra asserts it to be foundation consciousness, alayavijnana

Prasangika asserts it to be the conventional “me,” which itself is an imputation phenomenon on the five aggregates in every moment, including during death existence. This bypasses the issue of what type of consciousness serves as this basis, since those tenet systems that assert some type of consciousness as the basis assert that that consciousness is also the basis containing the defining characteristic mark of the self. Prasangika refutes that the self has any findable defining characteristic mark. 

Only Vaibhashika and Madhyamaka assert nonrevealing forms, and only Madhyamaka asserts that some of them, such as bodhisattva vows, continue into future lives. During this present lifetime, the bodhisattva vows continue with the continuum of the mental consciousness as part of the aggregate of forms. But what about during death existence?

As I might have mentioned before, on the plane of formless beings, the so-called “formless realm,” there is still extremely subtle form, just not the gross forms of the plane of desirable objects (the desire realm) and not the subtle forms of the plane of ethereal forms (the form realm). Nonrevealing forms are a type of these subtlest forms, since they are not made of gross or subtle elements, and they are present during death existence. Thus, there is continuity of the bodhisattva vows into one’s next rebirth.

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