The Collaborative Operation of Eye Consciousness and Mental Consciousness (1)

When the eye faculty contacts the form dust, this form dust is the internal form dust within the subtle sense organ at the back of the head. At this moment, the eye consciousness arises first to discern it. This is because the Tathāgatagarbha first manifests the apparent colors of the form dust at the subtle sense organ of the eye. These apparent colors correspond to the eye consciousness and are also what the eye consciousness discerns. Therefore, when the faculty and dust contact each other, the eye consciousness arises first. After the eye consciousness arises, it discerns the apparent colors of the internal form dust. Simultaneously, the Tathāgatagarbha, based on the already manifested apparent colors, further manifests contours, signs, and non-manifest signs upon the foundation of the apparent colors. These three types of forms are called dharmas as objects, or dharmāyatana-embraced forms.

Dharmāyatana-embraced forms correspond to the mental faculty and the mind consciousness; they are the objects discerned by the mind consciousness and belong to the dharmas as objects. When the dharmas as objects contact the mental faculty, the Tathāgatagarbha gives rise to the mind consciousness, and the mind consciousness then discerns the dharmāyatana-embraced forms. Therefore, when we see a form, in the first instant, the eye consciousness first contacts the apparent colors on the internal form dust and discerns the apparent colors first. In the second instant, the mind consciousness contacts the contours, signs, and non-manifest signs on the internal form dust and discerns the dharmāyatana-embraced forms. Then, in the third instant, the eye consciousness continues to arise, and the mind consciousness also arises continuously. Thus, in the third instant, the eye consciousness and the mind consciousness simultaneously discern the internal form dust. The eye consciousness and the mind consciousness must work in unison to completely discern the entirety of the internal form dust.

On a single form dust, the apparent colors, contours, signs, and non-manifest colors manifest simultaneously to form a complete appearance of the form dust. The eye consciousness and the mind consciousness must work in unison, jointly discerning this internal form dust, in order to know its apparent colors, contours, signs, and non-manifest signs, thereby discerning the form dust completely and with utter clarity. Neither the first instant nor the second instant can discern the form dust clearly, nor can they clearly perceive what the form dust is. It is only by the third instant that a little becomes discernible, because in the third instant, the eye consciousness and the mind consciousness jointly discern the complete form dust.

The form dust discerned by each consciousness seed is compared with the form dust discerned previously. Only when more of the form dust has been discerned can the preceding and subsequent discernments of the form dust be connected. Only then can the mind consciousness and the eye consciousness know what the complete image of this form appearance is. Consciousness seeds flow out one by one, discerning the form dust bit by bit. The form discerned by the later eye consciousness seeds must be connected and compared with that discerned by the earlier eye consciousness seeds. Only after being connected can they know what the form appearance is.

The mind consciousness, when beginning to discern, is not yet very clear. It cannot recall or compare the form dust, nor can it analyze or judge. The first instant passes extremely quickly; the discernment is incomplete and cannot be compared, thus it is vague. The second instant also passes extremely quickly; there is still nothing to compare, thus it remains vague and unclear. Only in the third instant is a little discerned, and a general content is known. After the third instant, there is finally content that can be compared; the images of the form dust can then be connected from front to back, and a little content can be vaguely discerned, knowing what the form dust is. Moreover, since the third instant is discerned jointly by the eye consciousness and the mind consciousness, the complete appearance of the form dust can be discerned. Only then can this form manifest a complete shape, and only then is an extremely subtle, general appearance of the form dust known. In the subsequent fourth, fifth, and sixth instants, the eye consciousness and the mind consciousness continue to jointly discern the internal form dust. The discernment becomes somewhat clearer; the longer the discernment continues, the clearer and more penetrating it becomes.