Self-Cognizing Part and Self-Cognizing Part of Self-Cognizing

Consciousness knowing the state it is currently in constitutes reflection, which is the self-witnessing consciousness. When one does not know the state they are currently in, it indicates that the reflective power of consciousness is weak, the mental state is coarse, and wisdom is inferior; thus, there is no meditative stability. Many people are unaware when afflictions manifest; they do not know they are afflicted. When ignorant, they do not know they are ignorant. Such a conscious mind lacks fundamental awakening, possesses no reflective power, and its wisdom is exceedingly poor. To be constantly self-aware moment by moment, continuously self-conscious, is the self-witnessing consciousness of consciousness. Knowing is the self-cognizing consciousness; knowing oneself, being self-aware, is the self-witnessing consciousness. The self-witnessing consciousness contains two kinds of knowing, while the self-cognizing consciousness contains one.

Consciousness knowing the state it is in, being able to understand and recognize itself, is the self-witnessing consciousness, also called self-awareness, or knowing oneself, which is the knowing of knowing. It is rare for people to have self-knowledge. The self-witnessing consciousness is clarity, it is wisdom. Such individuals possess rationality and meditative stability, and are easily guided.

The so-called self-cognizing consciousness means directly cognizing the perceived aspect, realizing the perceived aspect, knowing the perceived aspect. Whenever there is knowing, regardless of what is known, it is the self-cognizing consciousness. When the perceived aspect arises, knowing that there is a perceived aspect—the knowing is the perceiving aspect; having the perceiving aspect and the perceived aspect, and knowing this, constitutes the self-cognizing consciousness. For example: "looking" is the perceiving aspect, as there is no result yet, whereas "seeing" is the self-cognizing consciousness; within "seeing" there are the perceiving aspect and the perceived aspect. "Listening" is the perceiving aspect, with no result yet; "hearing" is the self-cognizing consciousness, involving the perceiving aspect and the perceived aspect. By analogy, that which has a result is the self-cognizing consciousness; that which does not yet have a result is the perceiving aspect. Reflecting upon oneself, monitoring all one's actions and activities, is the self-witnessing consciousness. A mind with alertness is the manifestation of the self-witnessing consciousness; without alertness, the self-witnessing consciousness may not necessarily be present.

The self-witnessing consciousness of eye-consciousness: for instance, when eye-consciousness sees sunlight and feels it is too bright, too glaring, the eye-consciousness immediately closes the eyes and does not look. After a while, the mental faculty (manas) craves the sun or for some other reason decides to look at the sunlight, so the eye-consciousness reluctantly and slowly opens the eyes. Why is this? The perceiving aspect, perceived aspect, and self-cognizing consciousness of eye-consciousness have already arisen. Which one is the self-witnessing consciousness? How will it develop subsequently? The eye-consciousness reluctantly looks at the sunlight again, slowly opening the eyes, indicating that the eye-consciousness knows the sunlight is glaring; it may not yet have recovered and is unwilling to open the eyes to look. The eye-consciousness knowing the painful feeling experienced when previously looking at the sunlight is the self-witnessing consciousness. Because of the painful feeling, the eye-consciousness is unwilling to look at the sun again, but it must obey the command of the mental faculty, so it slowly opens the eyes.

Certainly, during the process of looking at the sun, the self-witnessing consciousness of mental consciousness is also present. The self-witnessing consciousness of eye-consciousness cannot be separated from mental consciousness; otherwise, the five consciousnesses cannot arise. If mental consciousness does not cognize its own feelings, there is no self-witnessing consciousness. If mental consciousness can discern its own feelings, then mental consciousness possesses the self-witnessing consciousness. Eye-consciousness knowing its own feelings is the self-witnessing consciousness of eye-consciousness; mental consciousness may not necessarily have the self-witnessing consciousness at this time. The key lies in how eye-consciousness distinguishes and discerns its own feelings, which depends on whether mental consciousness has wisdom.

The painful feeling of eye-consciousness is generally known by both eye-consciousness and mental consciousness; mental consciousness can know the discomfort of eye-consciousness. However, the painful feeling of mental consciousness is known only by mental consciousness; eye-consciousness cannot know it. The knowing and sensations of the five consciousnesses and the sixth consciousness (mental consciousness) are also distinct. For example, feeling pain: the pain sensed by body-consciousness is the physical pain of the body itself, while the pain sensed by mental consciousness is an internal feeling of suffering. Sometimes body-consciousness feels intense pain, but mental consciousness does not feel distressed; some people even feel happy. The situation of "hanging one's head from a beam and pricking one's thigh with an awl" (a story of extreme diligence) is like this, and self-mutilation is also this kind of situation.