The Essence of the Eighth Consciousness Can Only Be Self-Realized Through Self-Awakening

The eighth consciousness is the true mind of reality, the true essence. When we speak of the eighth consciousness, it becomes an image within our minds. This image is not the true substance of the eighth consciousness itself, for the substance of the eighth consciousness neither enters our mouths nor reaches our minds. All images within the mind, including the functioning manifestations of the eighth consciousness, are illusory appearances, and moreover, they are illusions projected by the eighth consciousness itself. Discussion can never reach the true substance, just as insults can never reach the other person's five aggregates, nor can they reach the other person's mind.

When we discuss the eighth consciousness, we can only present the image of the eighth consciousness within our minds; we cannot show others the actual substance of the eighth consciousness. Even the Buddha cannot present the substance of the eighth consciousness to the world. Therefore, Chan meditation requires personal investigation to discover the location of one's own eighth consciousness substance. What the five aggregates and the seven consciousnesses can contact or manifest is neither the original, true appearance of the substance itself, nor is it the essential state.