法苑珠林 14.65

14.65

It was also asked: "That which is evoked through the unseen realm is common among the worldly. When the spirit departs and the form decays, how can it return again, sometimes after seven days or many days, no different from being alive?" It was answered: "A person is endowed with seven consciousnesses, and each consciousness has its spirit. The mental consciousness is the master. Though the master has departed first, the remaining spirits guard and protect [the body]; it is not to be wondered at. Just as among the five precepts each precept has five spirits, the five precepts have twenty-five spirits. When one precept is broken, five spirits depart while the remainder still stay. It is like when a fully ordained monk receives the precepts: the precepts have two hundred and fifty spirits, and within each and every precept, two hundred and fifty [spirits] are evoked to guard the bhikṣu. If he violates one major precept, only two hundred and fifty spirits depart, while the rest constantly follow him."