The Discrimination of the Three Modes of Cognition by Mind Consciousness in Samādhi

The mind consciousness in meditative concentration engages three types of cognition: if it cognizes the feelings of the physical body, it is direct perception; if it engages in visualization and contemplation, there is non-valid cognition, as well as inference, and also direct perception. For example, visualizing oneself at one's current location transforming into a certain form and flying to another place, imagining various states—these all belong to non-valid cognition. For example, in the contemplation of the sun in the Contemplation Sutra (Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra), at the beginning it is non-valid cognition, but when the contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) is accomplished, the setting sun automatically appears without being visualized, and the cognition of the mind consciousness is direct perception.
If one compares the differences and changes in the physical body from before, or compares the wholesomeness and unwholesomeness, beauty and ugliness of states, that is inference; if one deliberates and arrives at a correct and realistic conclusion, that is direct perception. What the mind consciousness in the concentration of the second dhyāna and above cognizes is entirely direct perception, because there is no deliberation and no visualization—only the simple cognition of the mental sense-objects (dharma-viṣaya) of the meditative state, merely cognizing without being aware of it, not knowing one's own cognitive nature. The deeper the level of concentration, the more its cognition is direct perception. If, within concentration, images from past lives appear, the mind consciousness also cognizes them through direct perception; if states of future lives manifest, the mind consciousness also cognizes them through direct perception.