Observing the Consciousness Issues of Sentient Beings Through Mistaking a Rope for a Snake

When a person sees a rope, what the visual consciousness perceives should be the color of the rope—the form dust—while other aspects such as the rope's length, thickness, material, texture, etc., are forms included in the dharma realm, which are dharma dust perceived by the five concomitant consciousnesses, all containing the seeds of the four great elements. What falls within the visual consciousness is the directly perceived realm, while what falls within the five concomitant consciousnesses is the quasi-substantial realm. The two combine to fully discern the rope, leading to the conclusion that a normal worldly person should reach, thus qualifying as a normal worldly person. Subsequent handling of the rope should also follow the manner of a normal person.

If this person, due to certain reasons, experiences mental confusion, they might mistake the rope for a snake. The visual consciousness may still perceive the rope's color—the form dust remains unchanged—but the consciousness perceives the dharma dust of the rope and forcibly differentiates it into the image and appearance of a snake, thereby altering the dharma dust. This altered dharma dust is called the exclusive mental image, where consciousness alone discerns it, without the visual consciousness jointly discerning it. The more and greater the alteration of the dharma dust, the more severe the confusion of consciousness becomes. The less it retains the substance of the rope, the less it aligns with reality, and the more frantic the mind becomes. The more it retains the substance of the rope, the closer it is to reality, and the more normal the mind becomes.

During the process of perceiving the rope, the dharma dust of the rope and the exclusive mental image may coexist, but one diminishes as the other grows. If it is entirely an exclusive mental image, the rope is completely mistaken for a snake, and the person, fully confused, might flee in terror. If only part of the dharma dust is altered into the exclusive mental image of a snake, the person, though fearful and trembling, may harbor doubts and not fully believe it. Thus, while afraid, they might carefully observe and discern again. When they see that it is indeed a rope, the exclusive mental image completely reverts to dharma dust, the fear vanishes, and they can face the rope normally. However, if the influence of psychological suggestion is strong, and upon careful observation, they confirm it is a snake, the dharma dust may completely transform into an exclusive mental image, and the person might run away immediately.

As ordinary beings in the Saha world, those with confused consciousness are everywhere, all suffering from varying degrees of mental confusion; almost none are entirely normal. Why is this so? The afflictions and karmic obstacles of greed, hatred, and delusion cause the mind to be agitated and unstable. Cognitive errors abound, preventing normal and correct judgments about the people, events, and objects encountered. They do not recognize the truth of reality but only acknowledge the exclusive mental images generated by erroneous views, whether substantial or insubstantial, grounded or ungrounded.

Those with better psychological resilience and more stable mental states have calmer, more peaceful minds, with smaller reactions and less turbulence. Conversely, the more turbulent the mind, the greater its influence—or destructive power—on the surrounding environment, and the more it can trigger disorder in surrounding people and events, leading to instability within a group. Phenomena of collective mental confusion are not uncommon and will become increasingly frequent. This is mainly due to the confusion of a dominant figure influencing and permeating the entire group, causing everyone within it to experience mental confusion and psychological disturbance. When the problems within a group grow increasingly numerous and severe, issues will emerge incessantly, leading to a situation where the truth cannot be concealed, and the group will be on the brink of destruction.

As long as you are not an eighth-ground Bodhisattva nor a first-ground Bodhisattva, then everyone is susceptible to influence and can influence others. What kind of influence one should receive and what one should become influenced into—everyone has the right to choose. This right belongs to oneself and cannot be taken away by others. Therefore, choice involves wisdom as well as issues of karmic force and merit. If one makes a correct and error-free choice, it demonstrates wisdom, minor karmic obstacles, and the presence of merit. Some influences are not limited to a single lifetime; they may persist for many lifetimes or even across endless rebirths, manifesting as ingrained habits formed by the influence. Choosing one’s environment and the people, events, and objects one encounters is profoundly important—indeed, critically so.