The Individual Functions of the Three Transforming Consciousnesses

Of all the mental sense-objects (dharmas) that the mind consciousness takes as its object, none can be directly manifested by the mind consciousness itself; they are all manifested by the tathāgatagarbha. Do the dharmas that the mind consciousness takes as its object require the manas as an intermediary in order to function? Certainly, without the manas no dharma would appear. If the manas does not engage with a dharma, there is no reason for the mind consciousness to arise, and the mind consciousness cannot arise to discern that dharma. The sūtra says that consciousness arises from the conjunction of the manas and dharmas as conditions.

There is a special case cited: the manas engages with a cup, and the mind consciousness arises, mistaking the cup for a pen holder. Some say that this pen holder is something the manas does not engage with, but rather something manifested by the mind consciousness and engaged with by it alone. Let us consider: does the dharma "pen holder" actually exist? No. A pen holder is like a tortoise's hair or a hare's horns. A tortoise has no hair; what does not exist is said to be empty—what consciousness would be needed to manifest it? If it were manifested by means of the seeds of the four great elements, then it would be said to be manifested by the tathāgatagarbha. If it were manifested by the tathāgatagarbha using the seeds of the four great elements, then a tortoise's hair would be a truly existent dharma, visible to everyone with the naked eye. Yet not even a Buddha can see a tortoise's hair or a hare's horns; only what is not a truly existent dharma cannot be seen.

Since it is not manifested by the tathāgatagarbha and is not a truly existent dharma, the mind consciousness is even less capable of manifesting it—He possesses no seeds of it whatsoever and has no standing to manifest any dharma. By the same reasoning, the manas and the five sense consciousnesses likewise have no standing whatsoever to manifest any dharma. Taking a rope for a snake, or mistaking a cup for a pen holder, is merely misrecognition—nothing more than diseased eyes beholding sky-flowers. Who could manifest flowers that do not exist? The case of the snake's shadow in the wine cup seen as a bow is the same: there is no snake; a snake does not exist. As for a dharma that does not exist, there is no question of who gave birth to or manifested it—it is merely misrecognition. It is like mistaking Zhang San for Li Si: since there is no such person as Li Si, who would manifest Li Si? What capacity would there be to manifest Li Si? If Li Si were manifested by means of seeds, Li Si would be truly existent; if Li Si is not manifested by means of seeds, there is no Li Si—it is nothing more than diseased eyes beholding sky-flowers. And what point is there in then debating whether Li Si is genuine or fake, his age, or whether he is male or female?

Where a dharma is without the manas, there is no mind consciousness and no fanciful imaginings of the mind consciousness; all are dharmas provided by the tathāgatagarbha under the manas's direction, and the manas necessarily engages with them. But once the mind consciousness has arisen, it must inevitably perform its proper function; otherwise, the so-called third transforming consciousness would be meaningless. The second transforming consciousness is responsible for directing the tathāgatagarbha in manifestation; the third transforming consciousness is responsible for displaying images and discerning, for thinking, analyzing, and processing. The transformative agency (parināma) is not direct manifestation—in substance, it is all manifested by the tathāgatagarbha. It is only that the manas and the six consciousnesses can assist and display, and can guide the tathāgatagarbha in its manifestation. The mental application (manaskāra) of the mind consciousness can influence the mental application of the manas, and the mental application of the manas can guide the mental application of the tathāgatagarbha; therefore, only when the three conjoin can dharmas be brought forth. When the mind consciousness engages in inference, the manas knows of it and, assenting to the inference, resolves to manifest the deliberated (manana) mental sense-object, and the tathāgatagarbha complies. The tathāgatagarbha does not heed the mind consciousness's decisions; He only heeds the decisions of the manas.