What Method Enables the Authentic Realization of the Ālaya-vijñāna?

The Vimalakīrti Sutra states: "The Dharma cannot be perceived through seeing, hearing, sensing, or knowing. If one attempts to perceive it through seeing, hearing, sensing, or knowing, that is merely the functioning of seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing; it is not seeking the Dharma." What does this mean? The original meaning indicates that the eighth consciousness, this Dharma, cannot be directly apprehended or known through the faculties of seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing. If you attempt to perceive it using these faculties, then you are merely engaging the functions of seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing; you will not perceive the eighth consciousness. Using seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing to understand the eighth consciousness is not the method for seeking the eighth consciousness; it is not the way to verify the eighth consciousness.

In the original text, the term "Dharma" refers to the fundamental essence, the source of sentient beings, which is the eighth consciousness. This Dharma is fundamentally distinct from all other dharmas; it determines all dharmas. Since beginningless time, sentient beings have been lost, constantly chasing after illusory dharmas and superficial branches, unaware of the fundamental source. Only upon knowing of the fundamental source do they understand to seek it, to return to the source, to return to the original purity.

How then can one trace back to the fundamental source? Those who do not know how to seek will use the functions of seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing to search. The vast majority of people do this, and the end result is that they may not even catch a glimpse of the shadow of the eighth consciousness. Even if they see a shadow, it is useless; they still cannot return to the source. What are seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing? They are the functional activities of the six consciousnesses: eye-seeing, ear-hearing, nose-smelling, tongue-tasting, body-touching, and mind-knowing. These are the modes of discrimination by the six consciousnesses towards the objects of the six sense fields. Using the methods of discriminating the six sense fields to seek and perceive the eighth consciousness is misguided, because the eighth consciousness possesses very obvious and vast differences from the objects of the six sense fields. Perceiving the eighth consciousness should not be the same as perceiving the objects of the six sense fields. Therefore, the Vimalakīrti Sutra states: "If one attempts to perceive it through seeing, hearing, sensing, or knowing, that is merely the functioning of seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing; it is not seeking the Dharma." Ponder this sentence well; it is especially important. If the method is wrong, the goal cannot be reached, and the objective cannot be achieved.

The meaning in the scripture clearly states: Perceiving the eighth consciousness is not the functional activity of the six consciousnesses' seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing. Then what function is it? Who perceives the eighth consciousness? Here, the functional activity of the mental consciousness (the sixth consciousness) is explicitly negated; it is not using perception like that of the mental consciousness. What functional activities does the mental consciousness possess? Reasoning, thinking, analyzing, imagining, organizing, inducing, summarizing, comparing, etc. This means that using these functions to perceive the eighth consciousness will never reveal the substance of the eighth consciousness. If one truly believes they have perceived it, what they perceive can only be a counterfeit. If someone uses the mental consciousness to search for and find the eighth consciousness, and then believes they have realized the mind, attained enlightenment, or verified the Way, that is a profound misunderstanding, which the great being Vimalakīrti does not permit. If it is something the great being does not permit, yet one insists on holding to it, then the consequences must be borne by oneself, provided one can bear them.

Therefore, ultimately, the realization methods of the patriarchs are genuine and true, neither deceiving oneself nor deceiving others; at the very least, they do not disgrace the Buddhist teachings, and one's conscience is clear. As the saying goes, if the master, the fundamental mind (the seventh consciousness, manas), does not realize, what use are the actions of the mental consciousness, a mere subordinate tool? If the master has not spoken authoritatively, nothing said is of any use. Therefore, to verify any Dharma, including worldly dharmas, the master, the fundamental mind, must personally verify it, must see it with its own "eyes," before it can be called direct verification. Only then does it have transformative function and benefit; only then can it transform all illusory dharmas; only then can it be utterly complete and ultimate; only then is it true and real.