The Relationship Between the Perceiving Aspect and the Great Seeds of Perception

The six consciousnesses and the seventh consciousness are both the perceiving division and the perceived division. The perceived division refers to the dharmas discerned by the consciousness and the mental faculty, while the consciousness and mental faculty constitute the perceiving division. The consciousness itself and the mental faculty are also part of the perceived division. All dharmas that are discerned belong to the perceived division, and the consciousness that actively discerns is the perceiving division.

The "seeing" within the seven great seeds of the Tathagatagarbha refers to the seed of seeing, not the perceiving division. The seed of seeing gives rise to the seeing nature of the Tathagatagarbha. When the seeing nature of the Tathagatagarbha functions together, the perceiving division of the seven consciousnesses manifests, enabling the perception of the dust realms of conventional dharmas, that is, the perception of appearances, which then leads to the discrimination of those dust realms. The perceiving division of the Tathagatagarbha operates through the functioning of the five universal mental factors: volition, contact, sensation, perception, and cognition, with the mental factor of perception being primary. This operation must occur in relation to all dharmas. Following this, the Tathagatagarbha discerns all dharmas. The perceiving division of the Tathagatagarbha is also inseparable from the seed of seeing; it is due to the functioning of the seeing nature endowed by the seed of seeing that the Buddha-nature becomes active, enabling the perceiving division of the Tathagatagarbha to perceive all dharmas.