The Three Transformative Consciousnesses

Question: Some say that among the eight consciousnesses, the operation mainly involves the sixth, seventh, and eighth consciousnesses, and the first five consciousnesses can be disregarded. Is this view appropriate?

Answer: There are three consciousnesses of transformative agency (parināma). The first transformative consciousness is the tathāgatagarbha, which manifests dharmas in accordance with karmic seeds and the manas' mental factor of deliberation (manasikāra); the second transformative consciousness is the manas, which is the driving force behind the arising of all dharmas; the third transformative consciousness is the six consciousnesses, because the mind consciousness, together with the five sense consciousnesses, discerns the six sense objects and completes bodily, verbal, and mental actions—that is, the six consciousnesses jointly participate in manifesting the realms of the six sense objects. Among the six consciousnesses, the mind consciousness plays the leading role, being able to plan and devise strategies, assisting the manas in making decisions, and indirectly propelling the arising of dharmas. Therefore, at certain times, the five sense consciousnesses can be disregarded, and the solitary consciousness (mano-vijñāna-eka-citta) alone suffices; but at other times, they cannot be disregarded.