How Various Consciousnesses Interact and Function Together

When the six sense faculties contact the six sense objects, the eighth consciousness produces the six consciousnesses, and then the six consciousnesses discern the six sense objects. First, there are the six sense faculties; afterward, there are the six sense objects; finally, there are the six consciousnesses. Thus, when the six sense faculties encounter the six sense objects, the perception of the sense objects does not occur immediately; there is an interval in between. For example, when the eye encounters a visible form, initially, one does not know what it is; only after a period of observation does one recognize what it is.

In this process, the seeds of eye consciousness flow out one by one. The first eye consciousness seed contacts the visible form, then ceases, returning to the eighth consciousness, unable to clearly discern what it is. The second eye consciousness seed again contacts the visible form, then ceases, returning to the eighth consciousness, still unable to clearly discern what it is. The third eye consciousness seed contacts the visible form, then ceases, returning to the eighth consciousness, discerning a little. The fourth eye consciousness seed contacts the visible form, then ceases, returning to the Tathagatagarbha, clearly discerning what the visible form is, and thus we differentiate this form. For those with vision problems, the observation time may be longer.

When the eye sees a form, it is not solely the eye faculty and eye consciousness at work; simultaneously, the mental faculty and mental consciousness are also functioning. The eye faculty contacts the visible form, while the mental faculty simultaneously contacts the mental objects (dharmas) associated with that visible form. The eighth consciousness separately produces the eye consciousness and mental consciousness to jointly discern the visible form. The eye consciousness discerns the coarse aspects of the visible form, known as manifest form, including colors like blue, yellow, red, white, brightness, darkness, and phenomena like morning mist in the sky, etc. The mental consciousness discerns the subtle aspects: manifest form, unmanifest form, shape, etc. The eye consciousness alone cannot discern; it must function simultaneously with the mental consciousness to know what the visible form is.

Therefore, when the eye sees a form, three consciousnesses participate: the eye consciousness, the mental consciousness, and the mental faculty. The eighth consciousness, the Tathagatagarbha, must also participate. Each has its own function and cannot substitute for the others. Consequently, when we perform any action, all eight consciousnesses work together; it is not a single consciousness. One cannot say that only one mind is at work. For example, while eating, the eye consciousness perceives the food and other things, the ear consciousness hears the sounds of eating and other sounds, the nose consciousness smells the aroma of the food and other scents, the tongue consciousness tastes the flavor of the food, the body consciousness feels sensations like fullness, hunger, thirst, cold, heat, etc., and the mental consciousness simultaneously discerns all of this, participating in all five sense objects.

The mental faculty constantly directs what to do next—whether to keep eating, what to eat, how much to eat, how to handle other matters, and so forth. As for the eighth consciousness, the last one, it need not be elaborated further. If, during every action, one can identify the functions of each consciousness, the mind becomes very refined. Knowing how each consciousness harmoniously operates gives rise to wisdom. Over time, one can locate the eighth consciousness, comprehend its functioning, and this is comprehending the mind (明心).