Is the Indestructible Remaining After Death Tathatā?

Question: Some say that at the moment of approaching death, when the five aggregates (including the physical body and deluded mind: namely feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness) illusorily cease, and before the intermediate state body arises, what remains is the True Suchness. This is said to be the original face before one’s parents were born. In fact, it could also be rephrased as contemplating "What is it after death?" or "What is the face after death?" Is this view correct?

Answer: This view is certainly incorrect. After death, before the intermediate state body arises, it is not True Suchness, but a combined entity of the seventh and eighth consciousnesses. The manas (mind faculty) absolutely cannot cease to exist unless one is a fourth-stage Arhat. At this time, realization is impossible because there is no consciousness (mano-vijñāna). Manas alone is not powerful enough to realize independently; both consciousness and manas must investigate together. Furthermore, there must be no obstruction from karmic obstacles for there to be even a slight hope of realization.

Before the intermediate state body is born, the seventh consciousness and Tathagatagarbha exist. One should not consider this state to be only True Suchness. When the true and the false are combined, one must not mistake the false for the true; the combination of true and false is not True Suchness. This kind of realization is speculative and imagined, no different from non-realization. Before the intermediate state body is born, only the seventh consciousness and Tathagatagarbha exist. At this time, realization is impossible because manas alone cannot recognize Tathagatagarbha; it cannot even concretely discern the six dusts (objects of sense), let alone the extremely subtle Tathagatagarbha. Even when the intermediate state body appears and consciousness arises, realization is still very difficult because consciousness is extremely faint and its discriminative power is very low—how could it realize? Moreover, the intermediate state body at this time is in an extremely unique period, precisely the moment of alternation between life and death. Karmic obstacles fully manifest and take control of the five-aggregate body. With the destination of the next life unclear and the mind in extreme panic, how could one maintain the calmness necessary to realize the Way under such circumstances?

For those who have not severed the view of self, after death and before the intermediate state body arises, manas is in great panic. It fears the disappearance and annihilation of the self and will desperately seek a way out. How could it have any mind to attend to matters of True Suchness or not? At this time, the self-attachment of manas is still very strong—how could it recognize the void interval after the cessation of the five aggregates and six consciousnesses as True Suchness? It is utterly impossible. This is even less conducive to realization than the void interval between the ceasing of the previous thought and the arising of the next thought, because at least in that interval, there is still the knowing of clear, calm consciousness within a state of concentration. While alive, one can investigate the face after death, but it is still quite difficult because after death, true and false remain combined—it is not solely the true. It is easier to contemplate the gongan (koan), "Who is dragging the corpse?" As for seeking realization after death, whether or not one receives guidance, it is extremely difficult to succeed. Therefore, do not place hope in the afterlife; one should devote oneself wholeheartedly to diligent practice while alive.