From Mistaking a Rope for a Snake: The Problem of Sentient Beings' Mind-Consciousness

When a person sees a rope, what the eye consciousness perceives should be the color of the rope, which is the form dust (rūpa). Other aspects such as the rope's length, thickness, material, texture, etc., are forms included in the dharmāyatana, which are dharmas (mental objects) perceived by the five sense-accompanying mental consciousness. All these contain the seeds of the four great elements. What falls within the eye consciousness is the realm of direct perception (性境, svabhāva-viṣaya), while what falls within the five sense-accompanying mental consciousness is the realm of semblance of perceived substance (似带质境, tadākāra-ābhāsa). The two combine to fully differentiate the rope, leading to the conclusion that a normal, ordinary person should reach, making them a normal, ordinary person. Subsequently, their handling of the rope should also be that of a normal person.

If this person, due to certain reasons, experiences mental confusion, they might mistake the rope for a snake. The eye consciousness may still see the rope's color—the form dust remains unchanged. However, the mental consciousness, perceiving the dharmas (mental objects) of the rope, forcibly differentiates the image and appearance of a snake, thereby altering the dharmas. This altered dharmas is called the image-only realm (独影境, pratibimba-viṣaya), where the mental consciousness discriminates alone, without the eye consciousness participating in the discrimination. The more and greater the alteration of the dharmas, the more severe the confusion of the mental consciousness becomes. The less it carries the substance (质) of the rope, the less it conforms to reality, and the more wildly agitated the mind becomes. Conversely, the more it carries the substance of the rope, the closer it is to reality, and the closer the mind is to normalcy.

During the process of seeing the rope, the dharmas of the rope and the image-only realm may coexist, but they wax and wane relative to each other. If it is entirely the image-only realm, the rope is completely perceived as a snake; the person is utterly confused and might flee in terror. If only part of the dharmas is altered into the image-only realm of a snake, the person, though frightened and trembling, will harbor doubts and not fully believe it. They will remain fearful while carefully observing and discriminating again. When they see clearly that it is indeed a rope, the image-only realm completely reverts to dharmas, 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 dharmas will completely transform into the image-only realm, and the person might immediately run away.

As ordinary beings in the Saha World, those with confused consciousness are everywhere, exhibiting varying degrees of mental derangement; almost none are entirely normal. Why is this so? The afflictions (kleśa) of greed, hatred, and delusion, along with karmic obstacles (karmāvaraṇa), cause the mind to be agitated and unstable. Cognitive errors are ubiquitous. People cannot judge the people, events, and objects they encounter normally and correctly. They do not recognize the true facts but only acknowledge the image-only realm generated by wrong views, whether it has substance or not, or basis or not.

Those with better psychological quality and more normal mental states have calmer, more peaceful, and tranquil minds, with smaller reactions and fewer disturbances. Conversely, the more turbulent the mind becomes, the greater its influence—or destructive power—on the surrounding environment. Such individuals are more likely to cause disturbances in the people and events around them, leading to instability within a group. Phenomena of collective mental derangement in entire groups are not uncommon and will become increasingly frequent in the future. This is mainly caused by the derangement of a dominant figure, which permeates and influences the entire group, causing everyone within it to experience mental confusion and psychological disturbance. When the problems within a group become more numerous and severe, emerging one after another, it will lead to a situation where "you can't wrap fire in paper" (the truth cannot be concealed). Such a group is not far from destruction.

As long as you are not an eighth-ground bodhisattva (aṣṭamabhūmi) nor a first-ground bodhisattva (prathamabhūmi), then everyone can be influenced by conditioning (vāsanā) and can condition others. What kind of conditioning one should receive and what one should be conditioned into is a choice that belongs to each individual; this right is one's own and cannot be taken away by others. Therefore, choice involves wisdom, as well as issues of karmic force (karma) and merit (puṇya). If one makes correct and error-free choices, it indicates that one possesses wisdom, has minor karmic obstacles, and possesses merit. Some types of conditioning have an influence that spans not just one lifetime but potentially many lifetimes, even life after life, manifesting as habitual tendencies formed by the conditioning. Choosing one's environment and the people, events, and objects one interacts with is also extremely important.