How to Correctly Understand the Aggregate of Consciousness (Part 2)

Original text from the Scripture of Upholding the World: A wise person correctly observes, discerns, and comprehends. The aggregate of consciousness is not truly an aggregate. Ordinary people perceive the characteristic of the aggregate of consciousness in what is not the aggregate of consciousness. Through perception, contemplation, discrimination, recollection, and conceptualization, they correspond with inverted views, are bound by falsehood, and forcefully designate it as the aggregate of consciousness. They cling to this as the aggregate of consciousness. Relying on what is cognized, relying on consciousness, and through various manifestations of cognitive functions, they give rise to the aggregate of consciousness. Such a person discriminates in various ways, clinging to internal consciousness (which cognizes internal objects), clinging to external consciousness (which cognizes external objects), clinging to both internal and external consciousness, clinging to distant consciousness (past and future), clinging to near consciousness (present). Due to the characteristic of consciousness, they discriminate and give rise to the aggregate of consciousness.

Explanation: A wise person should correctly observe, discern, and comprehend that the so-called aggregate of consciousness inherently lacks the nature and characteristic of an independently existing aggregate. There is no true aggregate of consciousness; it is merely designated as such. Yet ordinary people perceive the characteristic of the aggregate of consciousness in phenomena that are not the aggregate of consciousness. Through their own perception, contemplation, recollection, conceptualization, and discrimination, they correspond with an inverted mind, are bound by false appearances, and forcefully designate it as the aggregate of consciousness. Ordinary people cling to false appearances as the aggregate of consciousness. Relying on the false nature of cognition, relying on the aggregate of consciousness, and through various manifestations of the cognitive function of thinking, they give rise to the characteristic of the aggregate of consciousness.

Ordinary people discriminate in various ways, clinging to internal consciousness (which cognizes objects within the body), clinging to external consciousness (which cognizes objects outside the body), clinging to both internal and external consciousness, clinging to distant consciousness (past and future), clinging to near consciousness (present). Because they falsely perceive the characteristics of the conscious mind, and discriminate the false characteristics of the conscious mind, they grasp these false characteristics as the aggregate of consciousness.

Original text: Such a person, through recollection, conceptualization, and discrimination, designates it as mind, mentation, or consciousness, forcefully naming it mind, mentation, or consciousness. Knowing thus, various mental characteristics arise. This is the ordinary person's clinging to the aggregate of consciousness. Bound by the aggregate of consciousness, due to the combination of mind, mentation, and consciousness, various aggregates of consciousness arise. Discriminating false phenomena, due to perceiving a unified characteristic, due to perceiving a definite characteristic, they are able to grasp this as mind, mentation, or consciousness, and are able to discriminate and cling to it.

Explanation: Ordinary people, relying on recollection, conceptualization, and discrimination, say this is mind, this is mentation, this is consciousness. They borrow the characteristics of the conscious mind and forcefully name it mind, mentation, or consciousness. After discriminating in this way, various characteristics of the conscious mind arise within them. Because ordinary people cling to the aggregate of consciousness, they are bound by it. Mind, mentation, and consciousness combine, only then does the aggregate of consciousness manifest. Thus, the characteristic of the aggregate of consciousness arises within the mind. Because the aggregate of consciousness falsely discriminates various phenomena, because they falsely perceive the combined characteristic of the aggregate of consciousness, and because their minds firmly believe the aggregate of consciousness has characteristics, ordinary people grasp it as mind, mentation, or consciousness, and further discriminate and cling to it.

Original text: Such a person relies on the aggregate of consciousness. Due to deeply clinging to consciousness, they also grasp the past aggregate of consciousness, clinging and believing it exists. They also grasp the future aggregate of consciousness, clinging and believing it exists. They also grasp the present aggregate of consciousness, clinging and believing it exists. All ordinary people, within the phenomena of seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing, reckon they attain the aggregate of consciousness, clinging and believing it exists. Such a person clings to the phenomena of seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing, is bound by the aggregate of consciousness, and treasures what they know. Because mind, mentation, and consciousness combine and bind the mind, they rush about coming and going. So-called from this world to the next, from that world to this world—all are due to being bound by the aggregate of consciousness. Thus, they cannot truly know the aggregate of consciousness.

Explanation: Ordinary people rely on the aggregate of consciousness. Due to deeply clinging to the aggregate of consciousness, they also grasp the past aggregate of consciousness. Because they cling to the aggregate of consciousness, believing it truly exists, they then grasp the future aggregate of consciousness. Because they cling to the aggregate of consciousness, believing it truly exists, they also grasp the present aggregate of consciousness.

Because they cling to the aggregate of consciousness, believing it is a truly existent phenomenon, all ordinary people, within all phenomena involving seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing, reckon and grasp them as the functional activities of the aggregate of consciousness. Because they cling to and reckon the aggregate of consciousness as existent, ordinary people cling to the phenomena of seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing. They are bound by the aggregate of consciousness, treasuring and cherishing the phenomena of knowing and perceiving. Because mind, mentation, and consciousness combine to collectively bind their minds, ordinary people continuously revolve in the cycle of birth and death within the six realms, being born and dying, dying and being reborn, from this world to the next, from the previous life to this life. All of this is due to being bound by the aggregate of consciousness. Thus, they cannot truly know the aggregate of consciousness or see through it.