The Perceptual Faculties of the Eighth Consciousness Are Truly Remarkable

Some say the eighth consciousness is established by sentient beings—if we establish it, it exists; if we do not, it does not. Yet in reality, the eighth consciousness does not require our establishment at all; it inherently exists. No one can overturn it, no matter how they try. It is eternally indestructible; no force can annihilate it. Regardless of whether sentient beings acknowledge it or not, it is always silently at work, dedicating all dharmas to sentient beings, like an ox serving a child—it only tills the land, never seeking harvest.

The eighth consciousness is the most upright eye in the world. It can see all dharmas yet sees nothing; it can know all dharmas yet knows nothing; it can hear all dharmas yet hears nothing; it can perceive all dharmas yet perceives nothing. It neither sees nor does not see, neither knows nor does not know, neither hears nor does not hear, neither perceives nor does not perceive. The eighth consciousness "knows nothing" because it does not engage with the six dust realms, does not discriminate the six dust realms, makes no specific discernment regarding any dharma, and is utterly devoid of perception, observation, conceptual thought, knowledge, views, opinions, or perspectives.

Yet, the eighth consciousness is also omniscient, sees all, hears all, and perceives all. Why is this? Because the eighth consciousness can discriminate karmic seeds. When the eighth consciousness discriminates karmic seeds, it discriminates all dharmas. Simultaneously, the Buddha-nature, which operates based on the eighth consciousness, functions in all dharmas and possesses the nature of seeing in all dharmas. Thus, it can perceive all dharmas and observe all dharmas. This perception and observation are fundamentally distinct from the perception and observation of the seventh consciousness, and its seeing-nature is also entirely different from that of the seventh consciousness—sentient beings often find it difficult to distinguish between them.

After discriminating karmic seeds, the eighth consciousness must manifest all dharmas based on those seeds. If it did not know all dharmas, it would be unable to manifest them, or would manifest them chaotically, leading to phenomena such as cause and effect not aligning, effects without causes, or causes without effects. Yet the causality of sentient beings has never been the slightest bit disordered. This demonstrates that the eighth consciousness can accurately discriminate karmic seeds and correctly manifest all dharmas based on them, thereby actualizing the law of causality. In truth, because the eighth consciousness knows all dharmas, it can manifest all dharmas. Its way of knowing is twofold: first, knowing karmic seeds; second, knowing causes and conditions. On the other hand, it possesses the functional nature of seeing, enabling it to perceive all dharmas and thus cooperate with the arising and transformation of all dharmas. Overall, the seeing, hearing, perception, and knowing nature of the eighth consciousness is exceedingly sublime and unique, distinct from that of the seventh consciousness, making it difficult for us to comprehend.