Is Karmic Obstruction Eliminated by Consciousness or by Manas?

Karmic obstacles are the hindrances of ignorance, which are the obstructions to one's own mind resulting from the evil karma created by the force of ignorance. They obstruct the mind from attaining virtuous retributions, virtuous fruits, and virtuous karma, prevent virtuous dharmas from maturing, and further obstruct the wisdom-based cognition of all dharmas. Ignorance initially arises in the mental faculty (manas), with its root lying in the ignorance of the mental faculty. The ignorance of the mental consciousness (mano-vijñana) originally stems from the mental faculty. Due to the influence and propulsion of the mental faculty's ignorance, the mental consciousness also becomes tainted by the environment. Once the ignorance of the mental faculty is eradicated, the mental consciousness ceases to be tainted by the environment, and without the defilement of the mental faculty's ignorance, the mental consciousness thus becomes purified. The ultimate purification of the mental consciousness results from the purification of the mental faculty. If the mental faculty is impure, it will inevitably impel and cause the mental consciousness to engage in impure actions. Once defiled karmic seeds are formed, they give rise to karmic obstacles in future lives. Therefore, all karmic obstacles are eliminated after the mental faculty is purified, because the mental faculty is the instigator—the one who ties the bell must untie it.

When the merit and virtue of the mental faculty increase, concentration power strengthens, wisdom expands, and ignorance is partially eliminated, one's inherent nature will transform accordingly, hindrances of nature will be partially removed, and the obscurations to virtuous dharmas, virtuous karma, virtuous fruits, virtuous retributions, and virtuous conditions will be partially lifted. The hindrances encountered in learning Buddhism will thus be partially alleviated. The extent to which the ignorance of the mental faculty is eliminated determines the degree of purification of the mind, the reduction of karmic obstacles, and the increase of virtuous karma.

Upon attaining the fruit of severing the view of self (srotāpanna) and realizing the true nature of mind (seeing one's Buddha-nature), meditative concentration and wisdom greatly increase, and the inherent nature simultaneously undergoes a fundamental transformation. The mind becomes purified, attaining the purity of the Dharma-eye, and hindrances of nature are partially eliminated. Consequently, the karma leading to the three evil realms is eradicated accordingly, signifying that one no longer needs to undergo suffering in the three evil realms. The remaining karma will be experienced within the human realm. Each time sentient beings attain a certain samadhi, a portion of their karmic obstacles is eliminated. This includes the fruits of the Hinayana path—the second, third, and fourth fruits (sakṛdāgāmin, anāgāmin, arhat)—as well as the various critical stages of the Mahayana path, including entering the stages (bhumis), such as the first, second, and third grounds. As wisdom grows, thoughts and views change, the mind transforms, and hindrances of nature are eliminated, the corresponding karma is likewise eliminated. Repentance can also eliminate karmic obstacles from past lives, because when the inner mental faculty recognizes its own ignorance, delusion, and afflictions, resolves to correct them, and the mind changes, the corresponding karmic obstacles are eliminated, or at least partially eliminated.

Karma is divided into immutable karma and mutable karma. Immutable karma cannot be altered and must be experienced to be resolved. However, mutable karma can be transformed; it does not necessarily require retribution to be resolved. It can be partially eliminated through repentance, with the remaining portion being experienced. Even immutable karma can be transformed under special circumstances. Special circumstances refer to when sentient beings possess powerful mental strength, profound wisdom, strong meditative concentration, earnest repentance, and undergo a profound reversal of their inherent nature—then the karma can be transformed. If all karma were immutable and required retribution to be resolved, not a single person in the world could attain Buddhahood. This is because the karma of sentient beings is far too vast and heavy to be fully exhausted through retribution alone. Furthermore, if karma were immutable, repentance by sentient beings would be useless and incapable of eliminating karma.