Clearly recognizing the nature of the eight consciousnesses makes it easy to realize Tathāgatagarbha.

To realize the tathāgatagarbha, one must identify the first seven consciousnesses and exclude them, so as not to confuse them with the tathāgatagarbha; then it becomes easier to realize the tathāgatagarbha. First, one must understand the nature of the mind consciousness, as well as the various modes in which the mind consciousness operates among the various dharmas. One must identify the mind consciousness as it appears in every kind of situation, and then one can fully realize the mind consciousness. The natures of the first five consciousnesses must also be clearly understood, and each of them must be identified one by one. Then one must understand the nature of the manas: the mind that makes decisions and acts as the master at every moment is the manas, and within any given matter, the mind that makes the choice is the manas. If one's mind can be somewhat more refined, one will be able to discover and find the manas.

In the end, only the tathāgatagarbha remains; when one finds it in the future, that is seeing the mind and enlightenment. We only need to sort out the eight consciousnesses and see what function each of them serves—which one is subject to arising and ceasing, and which one is unborn and unceasing. Then our minds will be clear about the natures and functions of these consciousnesses, and we will no longer be confused about the Buddha-dharma. Each of the eight consciousnesses must be sought out and observed personally by oneself.

In cultivating the Buddha-dharma, what we need to cultivate is the deluded mind of the seven consciousnesses; the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha, does not need to be cultivated by us, but it must be found. Once found, one can truly understand Him, observe His operation; understanding how He operates is called seeing the mind. After seeing the mind, as one's contemplative wisdom grows ever deeper, wisdom will increase more and more; when it reaches its limit, it is complete, and when it is complete, one becomes a Buddha. In the boundless kalpas of birth-and-death and saṃsāra, our ignorance is deep and heavy, so accomplishing these things is extremely difficult; but if we do not do them, it will be even more difficult, and the suffering of birth and death endured in the flow of birth and death will be endless, with no prospect of escape forever. Therefore, we need to be patient with all the difficult-to-understand Buddha-dharma, and press forward in the face of difficulty; then we will gradually achieve some accomplishment and ultimately realize unsurpassed bodhi.