The Categorical Essence of the Solitary Shadow Realm

The image-only state corresponding to the solitary consciousness is divided into the non-substantial image-only state and the substantial image-only state. The non-substantial image-only state is a realm conjured by the consciousness's deluded thoughts, possessing no reality whatsoever; it does not exist in reality or before one's eyes, like flowers in the sky or horns on a rabbit, bearing not the slightest trace of the four-elements seeds. It is subject to very few constraints, which is why some people greatly enjoy indulging in baseless fantasies, letting their minds wander freely. This provides a good outlet for their spirits, alleviating mental fatigue and preventing boredom and confusion. Examples include recalling the past and imagining the future, letting thoughts roam as freely as the sea and sky, boundless and unfettered. Such fantasized image-only states, because they do not consume the four-elements seeds and may not require meditative concentration, have a relatively minor impact on the brain. Therefore, they arise quite frequently and possess little binding force.

The substantial image-only state is a realm separately discriminated by consciousness that has some connection to the five dusts, bearing a slight substantial quality of the four elements related to the five dusts. Consciousness exercises imagination based on the five-dust realm, or misinterprets it. For example, seeing a rope as a snake: the rope is a sensory object in the immediate state (of direct perception). Consciousness should, based on this immediate state, distinctly perceive the rope's form and assign it the name "rope." However, consciousness misinterprets it, judging the rope to be a snake, projecting the image and name of a snake, even to the point of crying out in fright. The snake is the image-only state. The five sense consciousnesses do not participate in its discrimination and perception; the snake form does not appear separate from the sensory object realm of form. Therefore, it is a substantial image-only state.

Another example: seeing a flower, consciousness then processes and imagines it, picturing its appearance before it bloomed, imagining how it will look after it blooms, or imagining it growing larger or smaller, changing color and variety, or imagining extra branches and leaves, or conjuring up many more identical flowers to form a bouquet. Yet another example: seeing a book, consciousness simultaneously associates it with another book, or thinks of another cover design, or recalls another name for the book, and so on.

Therefore, the realms we encounter, the realms that appear in our minds, the thoughts and contemplations within our hearts—how can there be any real dharma, how can there be any truly unchanging nature? They are purely the products of the mind's ignorance and restlessness, creating all sorts of unnecessary matters, adding complication and chaos, preventing stillness and tranquility. Due to ignorance, sentient beings do not know the joy of tranquility. They seek out trouble where there is none, stirring up trouble without cause, endlessly and boundlessly, in the utmost foolishness.