The Innate Self-Grasping of Persons and Phenomena in Manas

The so-called "innate" refers to that which is brought along with the five aggregates from birth, arising together with the five aggregates, carried over from past lives; it is not newly learned or newly arisen, nor is it acquired later through conditioning. Innate self-grasping at persons refers to the view of a self in persons that arises together with the five aggregates, which is the habitual tendency of grasping carried over from past lives into the present life. Innate self-grasping at phenomena refers to the view of a self in phenomena that arises together with the five aggregates, which is the habitual tendency of grasping carried over from past lives into the present life.

The seventh consciousness is the continuous consciousness; since beginningless kalpas, it has never been interrupted or ceased. Each time a new set of five aggregates is born, the seventh consciousness does not need to be newly born; it remains the same one continued from the previous life. Therefore, its habitual tendencies, inertia, and intrinsic nature remain identical to those of the previous life, without any change; all its cognitions are identical to those of the previous life, without any change. What does the seventh consciousness cognize? The seventh consciousness cognizes the five aggregates, knowing that the five aggregates are the self; it cognizes the eighteen elements, knowing that the eighteen elements are the self and what belongs to the self; the seventh consciousness relies on the eighth consciousness to cognize all phenomena, knowing that all phenomena are the self and all belong to the self. Because the seventh consciousness has such cognitions, and yet does not know that none of these phenomena are the self, that they are all false phenomena manifested by the eighth consciousness, it therefore clings to the phenomena of the five aggregates and eighteen elements, and clings to all phenomena manifested by the eighth consciousness.

The mental faculty (the seventh consciousness) of the previous life grasped the five aggregates and eighteen elements as the self; at the very moment of birth in the present life, even while in the womb, it still grasps the five aggregates and eighteen elements as the self. The mental faculty of the previous life grasped all phenomena as the self; at the very moment of birth in the present life, it still grasps in this way. Therefore, it is said that the mental faculty's self-grasping at persons and self-grasping at phenomena are innate to the five aggregates from birth; they do not require present learning or present conditioning, nor do they rely on any phenomena other than the eighth consciousness to possess these graspings. That is to say, they can exist independently without relying on the six consciousnesses or the environment, and they can manifest actively at every moment.