The Busiest in the Worldly and Otherworldly Realms

All dharmas, whether mundane or supramundane, are manifested and sustained by the eighth consciousness. The eighth consciousness participates in all dharmas, pervading all dharmas, all aggregates, sense bases, and realms, and existing throughout all times and places. Undoubtedly, the eighth consciousness is the busiest among all, whether in the mundane or supramundane realms. Yet it never feels busy, because its mode of operation is non-active, programmatic, and naturally thus. It maintains a mind of equanimity toward all dharmas, neither feeling suffering nor pleasure, having no sensation or perception toward any dharma, being completely mindless. Therefore, it never feels weary.

Within the mundane dharmas, the next busiest is the seventh consciousness. Relying on the eighth consciousness, the seventh consciousness cognizes all dharmas manifested by the eighth consciousness and silently accommodates all dharmas. Thus, the operation of the seventh consciousness is present in all dharmas. Although the seventh consciousness can impose the nature of parikalpita (imagined nature) upon all dharmas, universally reckoning and clinging to all dharmas, it too experiences neutral feeling (upeksa) and never feels busy or weary. Otherwise, it would rest. If it rested, the eighth consciousness would cease to function, and all dharmas would come to a halt—a situation that has never occurred. The exception is the seventh consciousness of Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas; their seventh consciousness has grown weary of the dharmas of the Triple Realm, no longer cherishing or clinging to mundane dharmas, and thus they choose to enter Nirvana, causing the five aggregates to vanish and all dharmas to cease. Therefore, the seventh consciousness remains busy even during sleep, death, unconsciousness, or meditative absorption. Compared to the sixth consciousness, the seventh consciousness is far busier.

Although the seventh consciousness is extremely busy with mundane dharmas and never rests, there are many tasks of the eighth consciousness in which the seventh consciousness cannot participate. For example, the eighth consciousness participates in manifesting the dharmas of the Triple Realm and the universe as the vessel-world. The seventh consciousness merely plays a propelling role; it neither knows nor understands how the four great elements are transmitted as seeds, nor how the body, sense faculties, and the realm of objects are manifested, and it cannot participate in this manifestation. The eighth consciousness discerns karmic seeds and transmits them—activities the seventh consciousness cannot participate in. The eighth consciousness transmits the seven great seeds—something the seventh consciousness is neither aware of nor can participate in. Thus, the eighth consciousness is the busiest of all, yet it does not tire, feels nothing, pays no cost, and remains unaware of the extent of its contributions. In truth, the seventh consciousness also never knows it is busy nor feels fatigued; otherwise, it could reduce its clinging to dharmas and choose to rest and cease. However, the seventh consciousness can perceive the fatigue of the six consciousnesses and the body. Mistaking the body and the six consciousnesses for itself, it decides to let them rest.

The next busiest is the sixth consciousness (mano-vijnana), but the sixth consciousness undergoes cessation relatively frequently, and it is absent from the operation of many dharmas. The sixth consciousness operates only on the mental objects (dharmas) within the six dusts (objects of sense). The independent mental consciousness (mano-vijnana) not only busies itself alone with the exclusively mental realm (the realm of mental images), but the sense-accompanied mental consciousness must also work alongside the five sense consciousnesses. Additionally, it must act as an assistant and advisor to the seventh consciousness, responsible for relaying information. It is like in a military unit: staff officers (analogous to the sixth consciousness) are busy gathering intelligence, analyzing the military situation and the positions of both allies and enemies, and finally presenting all collected and analyzed intelligence to the commanding officer (analogous to the seventh consciousness, manas), who decides whether to engage in battle and how to fight. Of course, the commanding officer is also busy directing throughout this process, albeit in a different form of busyness. The specific task of gathering intelligence falls to the five sense consciousnesses; they are like orderlies or sentries, responsible for standing guard, keeping watch, and conducting reconnaissance. The sixth consciousness is responsible for analysis and synthesis, providing appropriate recommendations to the commanding officer. Because the work performed by the six consciousnesses is relatively concrete, they can experience suffering, pleasure, and fatigue, requiring intermittent rest. However, the eighth consciousness never rests. No matter what circumstances arise, even if the seventh consciousness chooses to abandon the Triple Realm, the eighth consciousness does not cease along with it.