The Three Modes of Cognition of the Seventh Consciousness (Manas)

Erroneous cognition (non-valid cognition) means that the result of the mind consciousness's discernment is mistaken and does not accord with facts; or does it mean that the manner of the mind consciousness's discernment can involve imagination, fantasy, conjecture, and prediction? It means that the manner of the mind consciousness's discernment can involve imagination, fantasy, conjecture, and prediction.

Then only the mind consciousness can have the mode of discernment of erroneous cognition. The five sense consciousnesses must discern through direct perception, the manas must discern through direct perception, and the eighth consciousness always discerns through direct perception; what they discern are all directly present states, because all dharmas are manifested by the eighth consciousness in the present moment, and for the eighth consciousness they are all dharmas existing right before it; therefore they are all states of direct perception.

Dharmas that are not states of direct perception cannot be taken as object by the seventh consciousness, the manas, and cannot be cognized by it. Therefore, if one wants the manas to accept and acknowledge a certain dharma, it must be a dharma of direct perception, grounded in fact, extremely real, with clear logic and an ascertainable order—this is why eliminating self-view in the manas is far more difficult than eliminating self-view in the mind consciousness. It cannot be settled by merely thinking it over and mulling it around; it requires deep and thorough contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), with the manas continuously weighing and selecting, until the reasons are sufficient and the principles are clear, presenting itself as fact—only then can the manas acknowledge it.

The five sense consciousnesses also discern the states of the five sense objects through direct perception. As for the five sense objects not currently present, the five sense consciousnesses cannot imagine and discern them, nor can they fantasize any states of the five sense objects.

As for any dharmas that the mind consciousness imagines, fantasizes, recollects, or anticipates, they must all be images presented by the eighth consciousness. One may say they arise out of nothing, yet they are all conjured up and upheld by the eighth consciousness. Therefore what the eighth consciousness discerns are all dharmas of direct perception; it need not discern any dharma through erroneous cognition or inference.

When anyone's mind consciousness discerns, all three valid cognitions are present: direct perception, inference, and erroneous cognition. Knowing through direct perception is knowing dharmas that exist right now in the present; dharmas not currently present are not known, without recourse to recollection, imagination, or comparison, and no processing is applied to the dharma—whatever it is in the present moment, that is exactly what it is.