How to Diligently Practice to Attain Enlightenment

All eight consciousnesses have the function of sustaining the body, though their respective roles differ. If even one or several consciousnesses are lacking, the state of the physical body will change. For example, without the body-sustaining function of the five sense consciousnesses, a person becomes unable to sit or stand steadily. If the mental consciousness does not sustain the body, one will fall asleep, and the physical body will sway and collapse.

Many people claim to have attained realization. Yet, even in the dharmas they claim to realize, it is still the combined operation of the eight consciousnesses. If they cannot distinguish the individual functions of each consciousness, how can one claim to have realized the eighth consciousness? Attributing the functions of all consciousnesses to the eighth consciousness is like putting Zhang's hat on Li's head—a case of mistaken identity. Such "realization" is very simple; anyone who knows about Tathāgatagarbha can attain it—it is not difficult. Even if one can distinguish the respective functions of the eight consciousnesses, if meditative concentration is insufficient and one relies solely on logical reasoning to infer the function of the eighth consciousness, it still is not genuine realization. It remains merely intellectual understanding, lacking meritorious beneficial effects. It cannot eradicate the view of self and cannot lead to liberation.

Many things, if easily revealed to a person, will not deeply affect them, will serve no real purpose, and will change nothing about them. Only by allowing them to explore step by step and seek the truth for themselves will they truly come to believe it and be genuinely moved. People trust themselves; they do not trust ideas or concepts imposed upon them from outside.

Manas (the seventh consciousness) is likewise. It does not easily believe the ideas of the mental consciousness; it only trusts what it has seen for itself. Therefore, it becomes necessary to let manas, based on the information provided by the mental consciousness, investigate and deliberate on its own. Only the results it arrives at through its own deliberation will it truly believe, thereby resolving doubt.

During the process of investigation, if the mental consciousness exerts more effort, manas exerts less; if the mental consciousness exerts less effort, manas exerts more. Only by letting manas exert more effort can genuine realization be attained. However, this requires a fairly deep level of meditative concentration (dhyāna); otherwise, manas cannot exert effort, and only the mental consciousness will be active. At best, the function of the mental consciousness involves reasoning and logical thinking, but this cannot replace the inherent deliberation and investigation of manas itself. One must learn to employ manas to give rise to true wisdom—the wisdom that plays a decisive role. When one's meditative concentration is not yet sufficiently developed, one should not contemplate the fundamental dharma nor engage in Chan (Zen) investigation, lest one gains only intellectual understanding without realization.