The Profound Yogācāra Meaning of the Diamond Sutra (Part 19)

The Buddha said that Bodhisattva Mahāsattvas should subdue their minds in this way. The mind that can be subdued must be the delusive mind. The true mind never gives rise to thoughts; it has no perceptions or ideas, does not cling to the three realms or the six dusts, and does not create physical, verbal, or mental actions. It is pure and free from afflictions, therefore there is no need to subdue it. However, the delusive mind—comprising the eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, mind-consciousness, and the mental faculty—constantly clings to the six dusts and all phenomena. It gives rise to thoughts and mental activities, harboring immeasurable perceptions, opinions, and views. The view of self and attachment to self, as well as the view of phenomena and attachment to phenomena, are extremely intense. Physical, verbal, and mental actions correspond with greed, hatred, and delusion. Thus, it is necessary to subdue this mind, eradicate ignorance, and give rise to the virtuous function of wisdom.

To subdue the delusive mind of the seven consciousnesses, one must understand the functions and roles of these seven consciousnesses. The eye-consciousness perceives forms, distinguishing colors such as blue, yellow, red, white, as well as length, shape, size, and so forth. Simultaneously, the mind-consciousness discerns subtle aspects—good or bad, beautiful or ugly, charm, temperament, and the like. Within this process, feelings of pleasure, displeasure, or neutrality arise, such as liking or disliking, leading to the emergence of physical, verbal, and mental actions. The ear-consciousness hears sounds, distinguishing their pitch, distance, direction, and so on. Simultaneously, the mind-consciousness discerns categories, meanings, and other aspects, giving rise to mental activities such as craving or aversion. This results in feelings of pleasure, displeasure, or neutrality, which in turn lead to the emergence of physical, verbal, and mental actions. The nose-consciousness smells scents, distinguishing fragrant from foul and their directions. Simultaneously, the mind-consciousness discerns the types and degrees of scents, giving rise to mental activities such as liking or disliking. This results in feelings of pleasure, displeasure, or neutrality, leading to the emergence of physical, verbal, and mental actions.