How to Practice Diligently to Attain Realization

All eight consciousnesses have the function of grasping the body; only the functions of each consciousness differ. If one or several consciousnesses are missing, the state of the physical body will be different. For example, without the body-grasping function of the five sense consciousnesses, a person can neither sit still nor stand steady; if the mind consciousness also does not grasp the body, one will fall asleep, and the body will slump over this way and that.

Many people claim that they have awakened, but in fact, in the dharma they have awakened to, it is still the combined functioning of the eight consciousnesses. If one cannot distinguish their respective functions, how can one claim to have realized the eighth consciousness? To take the functions of all the consciousnesses as those of the eighth consciousness is to put the wrong hat on the wrong head. Such awakening is very simple—anyone who knows that the tathāgatagarbha exists can "awaken" like this; it is not difficult. Even if one can distinguish the respective functions of the eight consciousnesses, if one's meditative concentration is insufficient and one relies on logical inference to deduce the function of the eighth consciousness, it is still not realization; it is merely intellectual understanding, without the benefit of merit, unable to eliminate the self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi), and unable to attain liberation.

With many matters, if you let a person know something too easily, it will not touch him or have any effect, and it will change nothing in him. Only by letting him explore step by step himself and search for the truth of the matter will he truly believe it and be genuinely moved. People only believe themselves, not ideas and views imposed on them from outside.

The manas is the same. It does not easily believe the ideas and views of the mind consciousness; it only believes what it has seen with its own eyes. Therefore, one has no choice but to let the manas, based on the information provided by the mind consciousness, investigate and deliberate on its own. Only the result it arrives at through its own deliberation will it truly believe, thereby cutting off doubt.

In the process of investigation, when the mind consciousness applies itself more, the manas applies itself less; when the mind consciousness applies itself less, the manas applies itself more. Only by letting the manas apply itself more can there be realization, but this requires rather deep dhyāna; otherwise the manas cannot apply itself, and only the mind consciousness is applying itself. At its best, the mind consciousness can do no more than reasoning and logical thinking, but even that cannot substitute for the manas's own deliberation and examination. One must learn to use the manas in order to give rise to true wisdom—the wisdom that plays the decisive role. When your meditative concentration is not yet good enough, do not contemplate the fundamental dharma, and do not investigate Chan, lest you end up with intellectual understanding without realization.