The Seven Consciousnesses All Possess the Mental Factor of Adhimokṣa

Accurate Comprehension (adhimokṣa) is the mental faculty that enables consciousness to perceive and understand the contacted dharmas truthfully, resulting in the most reasonable, precise, and correct understanding, free from misinterpretation, erroneous views, or misunderstanding. If one cannot achieve accurate comprehension due to misinterpretation, then one cannot make correct and flawless decisions. Consequently, one's actions and deeds will inevitably be mistaken, leading to severe consequences. If, while I am teaching the Dharma, you consistently fail to achieve accurate comprehension, then my teaching is in vain, your learning is in vain, yielding no result, and misunderstandings may even arise. If, when others speak to you, you cannot achieve accurate comprehension, you will distort their meaning and be unable to offer a reasonable and appropriate response. Then, two people cannot communicate properly, and the communication is useless. Thus, people cannot communicate or interact with each other and cannot coexist in the same space.

Among the seven consciousnesses, whichever consciousness lacks accurate comprehension cannot correctly interpret the corresponding dharmas and cannot make correct and appropriate decisions. The result is like that of a blind person who cannot walk—the conscious mind cannot function normally. Do the five sense-consciousnesses also possess accurate comprehension? Can the five sense-consciousnesses comprehend the Buddha Dharma? Do all sentient beings' consciousnesses possess accurate comprehension? Do all animals practice Buddhism? If the power of accurate comprehension in animals were entirely inferior to that in humans, how could they hunt for food accurately and timely? How could they survive? In reality, if you give your furry dog a look or an expression, it instantly understands and carries out the command without a second word; humans are even more so like this. The physical, verbal, and mental actions of all sentient beings are determined by the mental faculty (manas). Since it can make correct decisions, enabling the five aggregates (skandhas) to function normally, then the mental faculty must certainly possess this mental factor (caitasika) of accurate comprehension. Not only do the six consciousnesses have accurate comprehension, but the mental faculty possesses a more decisive understanding than the five sense-consciousnesses and is much more astute than they are.