Direct Perception and Discrimination of the Six Consciousnesses (2)

When the mind consciousness discerns objects together with the eye consciousness, the mind consciousness may engage in direct perception, in inference, or possibly in non-valid cognition. For example, regarding the height of a mountain, the mind consciousness sometimes cannot judge it immediately; it must make comparisons with other objects as references before it can judge it accurately—this is discernment by inference. When the mind consciousness makes erroneous judgments and deliberations, that is non-valid cognition. When mountains, rivers, and the great earth are right before one's eyes, generally speaking, there is no need for the mind consciousness to know them through imagination, deliberation, or comparison; they can be discerned directly without error—at this time the mind consciousness is engaging in direct perception of a directly perceived realm. If one sees white clouds drifting above a distant mountain peak, and the great mountain set off against the drifting clouds seems to be moving, and the mind consciousness judges that it is the great mountain that is moving, then the mind consciousness at that moment is engaging in non-valid cognition, which constitutes a misjudgment.

When the mind consciousness is engaged in directly perceiving the mental sense-object realms manifest upon the five sense-objects, the first five consciousnesses definitely exist and are simultaneously directly perceiving the five sense-objects; otherwise, the mind consciousness would not be able to discern the directly perceived realms of the mental sense-objects manifested upon the first five sense-objects. But even when facing a directly perceived realm that truly exists in the present, the mind consciousness may still engage in discernment by inference or in non-valid cognition—sometimes accurate, sometimes inaccurate. Inaccurate discernment is entirely discernment by non-valid cognition, which is erroneous discernment.