Black Box World (49)

Buddha possesses the Five Eyes and Six Supernatural Powers. The Buddha perceives the six dusts (objects of sense) and can fully discern the inner manifestational realm without relying on the six consciousnesses, nor needing the superior sense bases. The Buddha's solitary immaculate consciousness alone can completely replace the first seven consciousnesses to perceive all dharmas. Even the Buddha's first five consciousnesses can independently perceive all dharmas. This is because each of the Buddha's eight consciousnesses possesses the twenty-one mental factors: the five universal mental factors (attention, contact, sensation, perception, volition); the five particular mental factors (aspiration, conviction, mindfulness, concentration, wisdom); and the eleven wholesome mental factors (faith, shame, remorse, non-greed, non-hatred, non-delusion, diligence, pliancy, heedfulness, equanimity, non-harming). Thus, the Buddha's immaculate consciousness, like the wisdom of sublime observation, possesses aspiration, conviction, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom, enabling it to perceive and observe the realms of the six dusts. The same applies to the first five consciousnesses and the seventh consciousness. Therefore, all eight consciousnesses of the Buddha are fully endowed with perfect wisdom and virtuous capabilities.

Glaring maliciously at others, looking at people with a wicked eye, squinting at others, or viewing them with contempt—these are all unwholesome mental factors associated with the eye consciousness. However, upon reaching the Buddha stage, the Buddha's first five consciousnesses are also wholesome. Moreover, the first five consciousnesses possess wisdom and can perceive all dharmas. These states are utterly beyond our imagination. Since the Buddha can directly perceive the outer manifestational realm, the Buddha's outer manifestational realm must be entirely sublime and perfect. Yet, the Buddha can also perceive the unsublime and imperfect realms according to the minds of sentient beings. For the Buddha, there is fundamentally nothing imperfect. Therefore, the Sahā World is a supremely splendid Buddha-land for Śākyamuni Buddha, completely different from the world perceived by sentient beings with defiled minds. This explains the passage found in the Vimalakīrti Sūtra.