No Ignorance and No Extinction of Ignorance

When the Heart Sutra says there is no ignorance and also no ending of ignorance, it means that the eighth consciousness has no ignorance; therefore the eighth consciousness need not cultivate, need not eradicate ignorance, need not sever afflictions, need not attain liberation, nor even attain buddhahood. The seven consciousnesses and the five aggregates cannot be like this: the seven consciousnesses and the five aggregates have ignorance, so they need to cultivate in order to eradicate ignorance; when ignorance is completely eradicated, there is great purity and freedom, and liberation is attained. In eradicating ignorance, one needs to cultivate, needs to keep the precepts, needs meditative concentration (samādhi), needs to study prajñā wisdom, needs to investigate Chan and awaken to the Path, needs to sever afflictions, needs to realize realization, and needs to attain buddhahood.