Direct Perception and Discernment of the Six Consciousnesses (II)

When the mind consciousness and the eye consciousness discern objects together, the mind consciousness may engage in direct perception (valid direct cognition), in inference, or possibly in erroneous cognition (non-valid cognition). For example, regarding the height of a mountain, the mind consciousness sometimes cannot judge it immediately; it must compare it with other objects as references before it can judge it accurately—this is inference. When the mind consciousness judges or deliberates incorrectly, that is erroneous cognition. When mountains, rivers, and the great earth are right before one's eyes, generally one does not need the mind consciousness to know them through imagination, deliberation, or comparison; they can be discerned directly without error. At such a time, the mind consciousness is engaging in direct perception of a directly perceived object. If one sees white clouds drifting over a distant mountain top, and the great mountain silhouetted against the drifting clouds seems to be moving, and the mind consciousness judges that the mountain is moving, then the mind consciousness is engaging in erroneous cognition—a case of mistaken judgment.

When the mind consciousness is engaged in direct perception of the mental sense-objects appearing upon the five sense-objects, the first five consciousnesses definitely exist and are simultaneously engaged in direct perception of the five sense-objects; otherwise, the mind consciousness could not discern the directly perceived states of the mental sense-objects manifesting upon the first five sense-objects. But even when the directly perceived state genuinely exists right before one, the mind consciousness may still engage in inference or erroneous cognition—sometimes accurate, sometimes inaccurate. Inaccurate discernment is entirely erroneous cognition, a mistaken discernment.