Selected Lectures on the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra

Supplementary Discussion on the Four Types of Form

 I. Non-manifest form (avijñapti-rūpa) is a type of form included in the mental sphere (dharmāyatana) that can manifest upon the five sense objects (visaya). It is distinct from manifest form (varna-rūpa), shape form (saṃsthāna-rūpa), and expressive form (vijñapti-rūpa), being the object discriminated by the mind consciousness. The mind consciousness requires manifest form, shape form, and expressive form to further analyze, compare, contemplate, and judge. Through discrimination by direct perception (pratyakṣa), inference (anumāna), and erroneous cognition (abhāva), it then arrives at a comprehensive conclusion. For example, regarding a flower, its non-manifest form encompasses properties such as the flower's beauty, opulence, elegance, fragrance, gracefulness, luxuriance, wilting, withering, and so forth. These properties of the flower are called non-manifest form. Manifest form refers to the flower's colors; shape form refers to the shape and size of the blossom, the shape of the leaves and branches, the thickness of the stems; expressive form refers to the swaying motion or stationary state of the blossoms, leaves, and branches.

For instance, concerning a person's non-manifest form, when facing a person, one can perceive their age, gender, temperament, demeanor, knowledge, cultivation, character, temper, and disposition through observing their attire, grooming, manner of walking, sitting, lying down, speech, and laughter. These are all called non-manifest form. These forms are not directly apparent on the surface; they are not objects of immediate direct perception by the visual consciousness. They are discriminated by the mind consciousness through contemplation, analysis, imagination, and judgment, mostly using inference and erroneous cognition. This form included in the mental sphere is called non-manifest form.

For example, the softness, cotton-like quality, warmth-retaining property manifested on a piece of cloth—these properties are called non-manifest form. The properties of every kind of object are called non-manifest form. For instance, when we hear a person's voice, there is non-manifest form present in the sound itself. The mind consciousness discriminates and contemplates: this voice sounds quite gentle, that voice sounds quite harsh; hearing this voice, one feels this person is knowledgeable and cultivated. These properties discerned through analysis, comparison, imagination, and thought are called non-manifest form. For example, the non-manifest form of a tree includes the tree's growth rings, species, ancientness, youthfulness, luxuriance, withering, straightness, etc., all inferred through analysis by consciousness.

II. The Distinctions and Order of Arising of the Four Types of Form

Apart from the manifest forms such as blue, yellow, red, white, light, shadow, brightness, darkness, clouds, smoke, dust, mist, and the void (ākāśa), which are discriminated by the visual consciousness, all others are discriminated by the mind consciousness. Manifest form arises when the ālaya-vijñāna directly apprehends the subtle particles formed by the four great elements (mahābhūta) seeds from the external form objects (rūpa-viṣaya). These are apprehended through the physical eye organ (indriya) and transmitted to the supramundane faculty (adhiṣṭhāna) at the back of the brain, where they manifest as similar internal form objects (adhyātmika-rūpa). Upon these formed internal form objects, the shapes of long, short, square, and round manifest in the internal form objects.

This shape of long, short, square, round must be discriminated and judged by the mind consciousness through comparison and analysis; this is called shape form. Shape form is not a substantial material entity. It relies upon the manifest form formed in the supramundane faculty. Based on this image of the realm of semblance with substance (sādhāraṇa-viṣaya) composed of the four great elements, the ālaya-vijñāna undergoes a process of reorganization, forming the form included in the mental sphere (dharmāyatana-rūpa), which is discriminated by the mind consciousness. This discrimination occurs later than the visual consciousness's discrimination of manifest form. This is because the manifest form of the internal form object is manifested first; the visual consciousness must arise first, followed by the manifestation of shape form, and only then does consciousness arise. Therefore, in the first moment of seeing form, the visual consciousness must first perceive the blue, yellow, red, white of the form object. Only in the second moment can it discriminate the long, short, square, round, and various postures of motion or stillness. Finally, it can discriminate the connotation and essential meaning of the form.

Expressive form refers to the state of motion or stillness of an object, such as the walking, standing, dwelling, lying down of a sentient being's body, welcoming, seeing off, bending, stretching, bowing, or looking up. This form is the mental object (dharma) manifested upon the internal form object formed in the supramundane faculty at the back of the brain. It is formed by the recombination of the manifest form composed of the four great elements, manifesting after the manifest form, and is the content discriminated by the mind consciousness. Therefore, when seeing and discriminating form, the visual consciousness must first arise and discriminate, followed by consciousness arising and discriminating, and then both discriminate simultaneously. Because the manifest form and expressive form appear in sequence, the contact between the sense faculty and the object has a sequence, and the corresponding consciousnesses arise in sequence; discrimination thus occurs in sequence.

To summarize, there must first exist the substantial form-body formed by the seeds of the four great elements—that is, manifest form exists first. Although this manifest form is the image of the external form object, it is also directly transformed by the ālaya-vijñāna apprehending the four great elements. Afterwards, through reorganization upon this transformed image, the mental object (dharma) is formed. Among these, long, short, square, round, tall, short, thick, thin, crooked, straight are called shape form. Expressive form refers to states of motion, states of stillness, and bodily postures, such as the walking, standing, dwelling, lying down of the physical body, bending over, sitting, standing, reclining—this is called expressive form. Inanimate objects also have expressive form. For example, the myriad postures of a flower or a pot of flowers, or the posture of a tree's trunk, branches, and leaves; when the wind blows and the branches sway, this belongs to expressive form. All of these are known only through comparison, analysis, contemplation, and inference by the mind consciousness; the visual consciousness cannot discriminate them.

There is an essential difference between this form object (rūpa-viṣaya) and the mental object (dharma) manifested upon it. The form object is the internal aspect (adhyātmika-bhāga) directly transformed by the ālaya-vijñāna apprehending the earth, water, fire, and wind from the external form object, manifesting directly in the supramundane faculty. The mental object is formed by a secondary transformation and recombination upon the basis of this image of the internal aspect, forming the form included in the mental sphere, called the mental object (dharma). This is a secondary transformation. The mental object arises dependent upon the earth, water, fire, and wind of the form object; it is discriminated by the mind consciousness, and the visual consciousness has no means to discriminate it.

Since the form object and the mental object are closely connected, when the eye sees form, the visual consciousness and mind consciousness become interdependent; neither can discriminate the form object alone. It is always the visual consciousness that first discriminates the color of the form-body, or what is called light and darkness, dust, smoke, mist, and the void at the periphery of form—this is discriminated by the visual consciousness. Then consciousness immediately follows and discriminates. First, the essential form is seen; afterwards, the mental object manifested upon the essential form is seen. Therefore, the mind consciousness discriminates after the visual consciousness; the two depend on each other and jointly discriminate the form object.

By the same principle, all five sense consciousnesses discriminate simultaneously with mind consciousness, but it is always the five consciousnesses that first discriminate form, sound, smell, taste, and touch, then consciousness discriminates the mental objects upon form, sound, smell, taste, and touch, and thereafter they discriminate simultaneously. Consciousness discriminates later, separated from the first-discriminating five consciousnesses by only one moment (kṣaṇa), thus connecting very rapidly. Unless our mind is extremely meticulous, we cannot perceive this; it seems as if the visual consciousness and mind consciousness discriminate simultaneously, or the auditory consciousness and mind consciousness discriminate simultaneously, but in reality, there is a sequential order. After three moments, there is no more interval: the first moment, the visual consciousness seed arises and discriminates; the second moment, the mind consciousness seed arises and discriminates; the third moment, both visual consciousness and mind consciousness seeds arise simultaneously and discriminate; thereafter, both visual consciousness and mind consciousness seeds always arise simultaneously.

The first to arise is definitely the visual consciousness first, the auditory consciousness first, the olfactory consciousness, gustatory consciousness, and tactile consciousness first—consciousness is always afterward. After all have arisen, the five consciousnesses and mind consciousness seeds then arise simultaneously and discriminate simultaneously. Thus, the five sense consciousnesses discriminate the substantial matter composed of the four great elements; they discriminate manifest form. Consciousness discriminates the mental objects—the form included in the mental sphere—manifested upon the substantial matter composed of the four great elements, namely shape form, expressive form, and non-manifest form. These are fundamentally distinct from the preceding form objects of form, sound, smell, taste, and touch.