The False Self and the True Self Cannot Be Equated

I do not study Buddhism, I do not cultivate, I do not keep precepts, I do not cultivate meditation, I do not develop wisdom, I do not seek liberation—I am free and at ease, spontaneous and natural. What does this "I" refer to? It refers to the eighth consciousness. Can the subject "I" here be replaced with the seventh consciousness? Can the seventh consciousness and the five aggregates also, like the eighth consciousness, not study Buddhism, not cultivate, not keep precepts, not cultivate meditation, not develop wisdom, not seek liberation, and be spontaneous and natural? No, they cannot. Can these two "I"s be swapped with each other? No, they cannot.

Some people say that since one should study the eighth consciousness, rely on the eighth consciousness, and transform the basis as the eighth consciousness, one should be just like the eighth consciousness. Is this statement correct? Saying it is incorrect is not entirely incorrect, and saying it is correct is not entirely correct. One must have rigorous logical thinking: in which respects one should learn from the eighth consciousness, and in which respects one should not learn from the eighth consciousness; when one should learn from the eighth consciousness, and when one should not study the eighth consciousness. After attaining buddhahood, the seventh consciousness becomes the same as the eighth consciousness—no longer studying Buddhism, keeping precepts, cultivating meditation, developing wisdom, seeking liberation, or seeking buddhahood. Before attaining buddhahood, during the stage of being an ordinary sentient being, one must study Buddhism, keep precepts, cultivate meditation, develop wisdom, seek liberation, and seek buddhahood.

Before attaining buddhahood, one should learn from the purity of the eighth consciousness as it operates within the body of the five aggregates—its nature free of greed, hatred, and delusion. After attaining buddhahood, the seventh consciousness is as pure as the eighth consciousness, so there is no longer any need to learn the purity of the eighth consciousness, because a Buddha is one beyond training (aśaikṣa).

These two "I"s—the seventh consciousness and the eighth consciousness—can sometimes be swapped with each other, and sometimes cannot. Only by understanding these two "I"s clearly can one cultivate well; if they are lumped together indiscriminately, then one cannot cultivate, nor can one attain accomplishment.