Self-cognition and Self-validating Cognition

When the mind consciousness knows the state it is presently in, this is introspection, which is self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana). When it does not know the state it is presently in, it shows that the mind consciousness's power of introspection (pratyavekṣā-bala) is weak, the mind is coarse, wisdom is inferior, and there is no meditative concentration (samādhi). Many people, when afflictions manifest, still do not know that they have afflictions; when they are ignorant, they also do not know that they are ignorant. Such a mind consciousness is fundamentally unawakened, lacks the power of introspection, and its wisdom is too poor. Being able to know oneself thought after thought and to be self-aware at all times—this is the mind consciousness's self-validating cognition. Knowing is self-cognition (svasaṃvitti); self-knowing, knowing oneself, is self-validating cognition. Within self-validating cognition there are two knowings; within self-cognition there is one knowing.

When the mind consciousness knows the state it is in, being able to understand itself and know itself, that is self-validating cognition, also called self-awareness, that is, self-knowing, that is, the knowing of knowing. It is rare for people to have self-knowledge; self-validating cognition is precisely that clarity, that wisdom. Such a person is rational, has meditative concentration, and is easy to guide and transform.

So-called self-cognition means personally knowing the object-aspect (nimitta), realizing the object-aspect, knowing the object-aspect. There is a knowing—no matter what is known, it is self-cognition. When the object-aspect arises, one knows there is an object-aspect; the knowing is the perceiving-aspect (darśana-bhāga). With a perceiving-aspect and an object-aspect, when it is known, that is self-cognition. For example: looking is the perceiving-aspect, because there is not yet a result, whereas having seen is self-cognition, and within having seen there are the perceiving-aspect and the object-aspect. Hearing is the perceiving-aspect, not yet having a result; having heard is self-cognition, with a perceiving-aspect and an object-aspect. By analogy, whatever carries a result is self-cognition; whatever does not yet carry a result is the perceiving-aspect. That which introspects upon oneself and monitors all of one's actions and undertakings is self-validating cognition. A person whose mind has vigilance has self-validating cognition manifesting; without vigilance, there is not necessarily any self-validating cognition.

As for the eye consciousness's self-validating cognition: for example, when the eye consciousness sees sunlight and feels that the sunlight is too bright, too glaring to the eyes, the eye consciousness immediately closes the eyes and stops looking. After a while, because the manas craves the sun or for some other reason, it decides to look at the sunlight, and the eye consciousness has no choice but to slowly open its eyes. Why is it like this? The eye consciousness's perceiving-aspect, object-aspect, and self-cognition have already appeared—which one is the self-validating cognition? How will things develop subsequently? The eye consciousness has no choice but to look at the sunlight again, slowly opening its eyes, which shows that the eye consciousness knows the sunlight is glaring; perhaps it has not yet recovered, so it is unwilling to open its eyes and look. The eye consciousness knowing the feeling of suffering from having just looked at the sunlight is self-validating cognition. Because the eye consciousness has the feeling of suffering, it is unwilling to look at the sun again, but the eye consciousness must also obey the manas's command, so it has to slowly open its eyes.

Of course, in the process of looking at the sun there is also the mind consciousness's self-validating cognition. The eye consciousness's self-validating cognition cannot be separated from the mind consciousness; otherwise the five consciousnesses could not arise. If the mind consciousness does not know its own feelings, there is no self-validating cognition; if the mind consciousness can discern the mind consciousness's own feelings, then the mind consciousness has self-validating cognition. The eye consciousness knowing its own feelings is the eye consciousness's self-validating cognition; at this time the mind consciousness does not necessarily have self-validating cognition. The key is how the eye consciousness distinguishes and discerns its own feelings—this depends on whether the mind consciousness has wisdom.

The eye consciousness's feeling of suffering generally involves both the eye consciousness's knowing and the mind consciousness's knowing; the mind consciousness can know the eye consciousness's discomfort. But the mind consciousness's feeling of suffering can only be known by the mind consciousness, not by the eye consciousness. The knowing and feelings of the five consciousnesses and the sixth consciousness are also different. For example, feeling pain: the pain felt by the body consciousness is the pain of the physical body itself, while the pain felt by the mind consciousness is a kind of mental suffering. Sometimes the body consciousness feels intense pain, but the mind consciousness does not feel distressed—some people are even happy about it. Suspending one's head from a beam and pricking one's thigh with an awl is just such a case, and masochism is also such a case.