Dharma
Master Jingjie
In the view of Yogacara, when you do not repent a negative deed, it means you rejoice in it. There is no third alternative. Ordinary beings are not able to remain neutral in the middle.
Thus, from the perspective of Yogacara, if you do not repent your behavior, it means you approve of it. If you say, "I didn't repent, but I don’t approve of it either," that is wrong. If you do not repent, then you are complying with it.
In Yogacara, there are only two situations: you either purify and eliminate karmic seed, or you strengthen it.
This means that no one remains in the original condition without changing. The phrase "staying constant" does not apply to ordinary beings, only to holy beings (who have realisation). Holy beings have realised their mind to be unborn and unceasing, so they can stay constant.
We are not qualified to "stay the same." You are either improving or you are regressing, because your life is a flowing stream of thoughts which arises and ceases, so how is it possible to stay constant?
Therefore, from the perspective of Yogacara, if you do not repent and purify, it means that you are indulging in the behavior. “Not repenting” and “rejoicing” mean the same thing. Therefore, the power of the negative karma is augmented…
At first, you create the karma, but in the end, the karma will be the one compelling you to create further karma. A karmic seed will activate further ripenings. Originally, you were the one who created it, but later it influences you to do that same type of action again…
Therefore, a kind of mutually reinforcing cycle is generated. This seed will not cease until you repent and counteract it. It slowly snowballs and accumulates strength. This is the first point.
Once the karmic seed has been created, even if the conditions that allow it to
surface are absent and it doesn’t continue (to influence your behavior), then
it is instead stored latently within your mind (until conditions allow it to
arise again.)
