What Is Meant by Relying on Wisdom Rather than on Consciousness

When the Buddha was about to enter parinirvāṇa, He instructed His disciples that in studying and practicing the Dharma, they must strictly follow the four reliances and four non-reliances: rely on the Dharma, not on persons; rely on wisdom, not on consciousness; rely on the meaning, not on the words; rely on the definitive teachings, not on the non-definitive teachings. Although there are only these four principles, they are extremely difficult to carry out, and most people cannot do so.

Among them, relying on wisdom rather than on consciousness is something that neither ordinary people nor ordinary bodhisattvas can accomplish. First of all, this wisdom is not something ordinary people can possess in full. This wisdom is transformed from the consciousness of ordinary beings and from the consciousness of pre-bhūmi bodhisattvas (pūrvabhūmika bodhisattva) at the stage of virtuous seats who have seen the Path; it is the wisdom that comes after the transformation of consciousness into wisdom (āśraya-parāvṛtti)—the mind consciousness's wonderful observational wisdom (prajñā) and the manas's wisdom of equality (samatā-jñāna). It is the wisdom of the seed-wisdom of Yogācāra, the profound great wisdom possessed by bhūmi-pratiṣṭhita bodhisattvas. The Buddha warned sentient beings, "Beware of trusting your own mind, for your mind is not to be trusted," and only after attaining arhatship may one trust one's own mind. At the time of His parinirvāṇa, He further instructed that one must rely on the Yogācāra seed-wisdom of bhūmi-pratiṣṭhita bodhisattvas, relying on the wonderful observational wisdom and the wisdom of equality. Viewed this way, the World-Honored One's two instructions echo and corroborate each other, consistent from beginning to end, encompassing the entire study and practice of both the Greater and Lesser Vehicles.

Why did the World-Honored One emphasize this so strongly and demand this so strictly of His disciples? Because one who has attained arhatship has severed all afflictions, exhausted fundamental ignorance, and realized the wisdom of liberation; with wisdom no longer obstructed, the views and concepts of the Lesser Vehicle's path of liberation are free of error and omission, and only then may one rely upon that liberation-based view. As for bhūmi-pratiṣṭhita bodhisattvas who have accomplished the transformation of the basis (āśraya-parāvṛtti), they have also severed the obstruction of afflictions, with only very subtle grasping at self not yet exhausted; they possess profound wonderful observational wisdom and the wisdom of equality. Their wisdom of the Greater and Lesser Vehicles is extremely deep and sharp, and their views are thoroughly penetrating; only their views on all Buddha-dharmas may be relied upon. As for everyone else, the Buddha said, "Do not trust your own mind," because they have the obstruction of afflictions, lack wisdom, and have relatively serious errors and omissions.