Inference Is Not Direct Perception

The Buddha knows and perceives all dharmas with direct perception—what something is and what it is not, He knows it in the very moment, without any need for inference at all. Only when one cannot know something through direct perception does one resort to inference, which shows that the wisdom-power of the manas and the mind consciousness is insufficient, and one must rely on inference to obtain accurate information. The Buddha, however, possesses the unsurpassed wisdom that is perfect and complete in both merit and wisdom, and there is no dharma that He does not know through direct perception.

The bodhisattvas at the causal stage, as well as all sentient beings, do not have perfect wisdom; there are still dharmas that they cannot know and realize through direct perception. Therefore, they are sometimes compelled to use inference as a method. The more they use it, the more it reveals deficiencies in their wisdom. Those with sufficient wisdom know in the very moment, without any obstruction. Therefore, it is said that in the process of investigation and verification, if one uses the method of inference, it shows that this person lacks the wisdom of direct perception and has no choice but to adopt a secondary method, an imperfect method, to obtain information. Moreover, inference is similar to guessing and conjecturing; when one's power of observation and judgment is insufficient, one can only conjecture and guess, making judgments in a manner that cannot be certain. The conclusions drawn are then not based on direct perception and cannot be entirely correct; even if entirely correct, it would be mere coincidence and happenstance.

Those with the wisdom of direct observation express their views with great certainty; those with insufficient wisdom express themselves with half-affirmative statements; those without wisdom express themselves with interrogative sentences, showing a lack of confidence. Those who use inference lack confidence; when others raise doubts and challenges, their minds will waver and falter, lacking firmness. This shows that they have no assurance about the source from which they obtain their information.

In short, in the process of cultivating and realizing the Buddha-dharma, inference is only an auxiliary means, to be used only when there is no alternative; afterward, one should use the method of investigation to verify the correctness of the inference. This is because inference employs the mind consciousness, whereas genuine investigation and verification employ the manas. The manas is the master; the conclusions He reaches are naturally weighty and resounding, forceful and unshakable, and no one can do anything about them. Conclusions reached by the mind consciousness are not like this—He does not take charge, and must wait for the one who takes charge to approve before the gavel can fall and the matter be settled; therefore, the mind will feel unsettled and anxious. At the final, crucial stage of cultivating and realizing the Buddha-dharma, it is better, wiser, and more ultimate to use the mind consciousness sparingly or not at all. This is the conduct of a great man, not something that those of small faculties and small capacity can compare with.