Can Proponents of the Six-Consciousness Theory Attain the Fruit?

Proponents of the six-consciousnesses theory only acknowledge the existence of the five consciousnesses and the sixth consciousness, refusing to acknowledge the seventh and eighth consciousnesses; in essence, this belongs to the theory of annihilatory emptiness (uccheda-śūnyatā). If one does not acknowledge the existence of the seventh consciousness as the consciousness that makes decisions within oneself, then one cannot engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on the decision-making nature of the seventh consciousness, nor on its nature as a faculty—one of the six faculties—and one will not understand how there can be a dharma that is both a faculty and a consciousness. Because of this lack of understanding, one will deny the existence of the manas, and then the eighteen dhātus will be missing one dhātu; the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) cannot be completely eradicated, and it will be impossible to realize the fruits of the path.

The Theravāda Buddhadharma is precisely the six-consciousnesses theory. The Āgama sūtras taught by the Buddha touch upon the seventh and eighth consciousnesses; He taught that all sentient beings have "a self as their island" (attadīpa), have "a dwelling in the Dharma," and have "a refuge among sentient beings"—this refers to the eighth consciousness. He also taught the manas, which is one of the six faculties and one of the eighteen dhātus. It is only that those people of the Theravāda sectarian schools cannot understand the true meaning expounded in the Āgama sūtras; they can only understand the six consciousnesses, and so they only acknowledge the six consciousnesses, becoming proponents of the six-consciousnesses theory. If one does not acknowledge a principal consciousness of transmigration and moreover denies it, this is tantamount to slandering the Dharma; and slandering the Dharma is tantamount to slandering the Buddha. Those who slander the Buddha and the Dharma cannot realize the fruits of the path.

Once sentient beings slander the Buddha and the Dharma, not only will the three refuges and five precepts fail to be accomplished, the bhikṣu and bhikṣuṇī precepts will also fail to be accomplished, and the bodhisattva precepts even more so. A true bodhisattva, upon hearing sounds of slander against the Buddha and the Dharma, feels as if three hundred spears were piercing his heart—how could he still personally slander the Mahāyāna Buddhadharma and the bodhisattva piṭaka with his own mouth? Therefore, a true bodhisattva could never be willing to dwell and cultivate together with persons or groups that slander the Buddha and the Dharma, let alone go so far as to praise and promote the Dharma teachings of persons or groups that slander the Buddha and the Dharma. A true bodhisattva would not do this; those who do this cannot become true bodhisattvas. True bodhisattvas all strive to protect and uphold the Three Jewels and Buddhism, paying attention to the overall developmental trends and changes of Buddhism, and attending to whether they themselves and sentient beings can attain liberation; they will not care only about some personal benefit of their own.