Chapter Thirteen   The Difference Between Consciousness and the Seventh Consciousness

1. The difference between the sixth consciousness and the seventh consciousness is this: The seventh consciousness is the consciousness that makes decisions and exercises control; it is also the foundational root upon which the consciousness relies for its arising. The consciousness that constantly governs and directs bodily, verbal, and mental actions every moment is the seventh consciousness. The one possessing many habits and tendencies is the mental faculty (manas). The one that makes decisions according to habitual tendencies is the mental faculty. Sometimes, when something suddenly happens, without any mental preparation and before the conscious mind can analyze or deliberate, the mental faculty makes a decision on how to handle it based on habit. When dealing with situations, what decides without time for thinking is the mental faculty; whereas what thinks things over repeatedly is our consciousness. Decisions made hastily without thinking often lead to regret afterward, because after the event, when consciousness reconsiders, it thinks that the matter should not have been handled that way. Therefore, the mental faculty is the consciousness that acts according to habits and tendencies, while the conscious mind is the consciousness of rational thought. These two consciousnesses are fundamentally distinct and cannot be conflated into one consciousness.

2. Regarding the content of a particular Dharma teaching, if the learning period is short and the amount of content encountered is small, a qualitative leap cannot be achieved. The Dharma principles learned initially are not easily recalled or integrated, because initial learning relies mainly on consciousness. Before grasping the essential points, consciousness is largely engaged in rote recitation and memorization, without reaching the mental faculty. Recited and memorized content is easily forgotten, as the Dharma is not yet one's own without realization. Only after the mental faculty comprehends it does it become hard to forget; it can be recalled anytime, anywhere, and spoken of readily. Therefore, things that are truly understood and realized do not require memorization or recitation; when needed, the principle becomes immediately clear and can be articulated. Reproduced recited or memorized content requires some time to surface; it cannot be presented immediately and needs recollection, which may not be comprehensive.

3. The process of the human consciousness initiating thought is actually carried out through "stirring thoughts" (mental activity), which then produces thoughts.

Stirring thoughts must begin with the mental faculty stirring thoughts first; only then do thoughts of consciousness emerge. Without the thought of the mental faculty, there is no thought of consciousness. In the practice of investigating the "hua-tou" (critical phrase), the ultimate aim is to fix the mental faculty onto the hua-tou, never forgetting it, constantly contemplating it, until finally the breakthrough (enlightenment) is achieved. Thoughts with specific content belong to consciousness. When the thoughts of consciousness have not yet arisen and lack specific content, they are entirely the thoughts of the mental faculty. Even when consciousness has thoughts, there are also the mental factors of volition, contact, feeling, and cognition (manas-vijñāna) from the mental faculty. Without these, consciousness would immediately vanish; consciousness cannot have thoughts alone. When the sense faculty contacts the sense object, consciousness manifests. Once the sense faculty ceases to contact the object, consciousness instantly disappears.

4. The eighth consciousness, the seventh consciousness, and the sixth consciousness all possess knowing (vijñāna), but the objects and content of their knowing differ. Detailed, specific knowing of objects necessarily belongs to consciousness. The eighth consciousness knows the mental activities and wishes of the mental faculty. The seventh consciousness knows the information discriminated and the choices made by consciousness. Both the eighth and seventh consciousnesses know the sense faculties and the body. The eighth consciousness knows seeds (bīja) and karmic conditions.

Consciousness also has the mental factor of volition (cetanā). After discriminating a person or event, it also makes choices, which involve affirmation and negation, rendering judgments, and giving rise to subsequent thoughts. The volition mental factor of the mental faculty is to make decisions and exercise control over what the six consciousnesses should do in the next instant. The choices of the mental faculty involve the cooperation of the Tathāgatagarbha (storehouse consciousness), and the six consciousnesses must take action. The choices of the conscious mind may not necessarily lead to action; they require the approval and decision of the mental faculty to be acted upon, which is still the function of the mental faculty's volition mental factor making the choice. Knowing whether one has thoughts or not is the introspective power of the conscious mind; it is the knowing of consciousness. The mental faculty does not analyze. When the mental faculty discriminates content and makes choices unknown to consciousness, it is called inexplicable or baffling.

In an emergency, consciousness discriminates briefly without time for analysis, thus it cannot influence the mental faculty. The mental faculty then makes decisions based on past experience, while consciousness merely quickly transmits the discriminated information to the mental faculty.

If the mental faculty has not severed the view of self (ātma-grāha), it cannot disappear or perish. Directing bodily activity is a function of the mental faculty. Consciousness may want to direct the body, but it must obtain the mental faculty's consent and decision before the six consciousnesses can act. Once the six consciousnesses are active, bodily, verbal, and mental actions manifest. If the six consciousnesses do not arise or function, bodily, verbal, and mental actions do not manifest.

5. Does Consciousness Possess Innate Self-View (Sahaja-ātma-dṛṣṭi)?

Does the sixth consciousness possess innate self-view? If the sixth consciousness, like the seventh consciousness, had the same cognition as in the previous life the moment the five aggregates (skandhas) are born, it would naturally also possess the same grasping nature as in the previous life, called innate self-view. If consciousness were born with innate self-view, without requiring later teaching and conditioning, then it would first have to know there is a set of five aggregates and know that it is "me"; it would have to know there is the eighteen elements (dhātus) and know that it is "me".

But does consciousness know about the five aggregates without being taught as soon as it is born? Is consciousness born knowing about the eighteen elements without teaching or learning? Does it recognize the functions of the five aggregates: form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness? Does it recognize the functions of the eighteen elements: the six sense faculties, six sense objects, and six consciousnesses? Can it distinguish between self and others? Does it have concepts of self and others? Does it have the notions of self, person, sentient being, and life span? Clearly, the consciousness of a newborn has none of these. If consciousness had cognition of all dharmas of the five aggregates and eighteen elements, it would possess self-view. Without cognition of these dharmas, consciousness has no self-view, nor does it have the mental activity of grasping, because without concepts and cognition, even if it wanted to grasp, it would lack the ability.

If consciousness were born with this knowledge, parents and relatives would save effort. They wouldn't need to teach the child who are parents, who are siblings, what is male and female, what belongs to me, what belongs to you, etc. The child would open its eyes and know everyone's differences, know its relationship with everyone, know which items belong to itself and which belong to others, and consequently would grasp onto itself and its possessions, grasp onto its living environment. Parents also wouldn't need to teach the child what is food, what is water, what are clothes, what is a bed, what is black, what is white, what is good, what is bad, what is a lamp, what is a shoe, etc., because the child's consciousness would know all this. The child would be born greedy and picky about these things; even all worldly life knowledge would not need to be taught by parents. The child's consciousness would be born knowing it and born with grasping and pickiness towards these life necessities, born knowing to protect everything it possesses, not letting others touch or take it.

But in fact, when the five aggregates are first born, consciousness knows nothing. It does not know about the five aggregates, does not know about itself, does not distinguish between foe and kin, has no words or any concepts, lacks the ability to discern good and evil, right and wrong, does not understand self-protection, does not understand protecting its possessions, understands nothing. Everything must rely on parents and adults patiently teaching and instilling knowledge; otherwise, it remains forever ignorant.

For example, for consciousness to grasp onto parents, it must first recognize parents, know they exist, and know their importance, then it can grasp onto parents. For consciousness to grasp onto gold, silver, and jewels, it must first recognize them, understand their value, then it can grasp onto them. If it doesn't recognize them, given gold and silver, it might bite and ruin them, not wear or store them. For consciousness to grasp onto beautiful scenery or the Venice Water Park, it must first recognize and understand the scenery and park, know how to appreciate them, then it can be said to grasp or not.

For example, if someone comes with a knife or stick to harm oneself, for consciousness to grasp onto its own life and avoid the weapon, it must first know that life exists and its importance, know the danger of the weapon, then it can avoid the weapon to protect its life. If consciousness does not know there is danger, does not know fear, it will not know to protect itself; any danger arrives, it is utterly unaware. For example, for consciousness to grasp onto cake or other food, it must first recognize cake, understand its sweetness, then it can grasp onto cake. Otherwise, if parents give the cake to a dog, consciousness would have no reaction, not a trace of grasping or greed. Because consciousness knows nothing at birth, if parents give the infant to others, abandon it, or sell it, the infant will have no reaction, because consciousness does not understand or know, thus it will not grasp onto itself, parents, family, etc. Since the infant knows nothing about the five aggregates and eighteen elements, it will have no liking, disliking, greed, or grasping. Therefore, when the five aggregates are first born, consciousness has no innate self-view. Not understanding, it does not grasp.

These dharmas require the infant's consciousness to learn bit by bit in subsequent life, gradually conditioned by the postnatal environment. Only as the child gradually grows does the grasping nature of consciousness slowly appear, then it protects its food, clothes, toys, etc. More complex things like power, status, fame, etc., are still unknown and thus cannot be grasped. Its innate greed and selfishness are conditioned by the mental faculty. All behaviors of consciousness are directed and controlled by the mental faculty. Consciousness itself has little thinking or analytical ability until it grows to a certain point, conditioned by the environment and the continuous conditioning by the mental faculty, only then can it gradually develop thinking and analytical abilities and begin to grasp onto some things.

If consciousness cannot distinguish directions, does not know good and evil, right and wrong, benefit and harm, what is there to grasp? A newborn infant has no concept or idea of "me," no thoughts, possesses nothing. The extremely simple activities of the five aggregates are entirely directed and controlled by the mental faculty; there is no mental thought activity. How then could it grasp? Grasping requires some thought activity, some ideas, some cognition; only then can grasping arise. Otherwise, it lacks the ability and conditions to grasp.

6. Does Consciousness Possess Innate Dharma-View (Sahaja-dharma-dṛṣṭi)?

The content of dharma-view is broader than that of self-view, its meaning deeper, subtler, and harder to understand. Consciousness, knowing no dharmas at birth, cannot grasp them. For example, for consciousness to grasp onto wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep, it must first recognize them and their importance, then grasping can arise, and it gains the ability to grasp. If consciousness does not know what wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep are, then there is no mental activity of grasping; grasping cannot be discussed. For consciousness to grasp onto power and status, onto a wealthy life, it must first understand what power and status are, how important they are, what their significance is, know how to enjoy life, then it can grasp these dharmas and give rise to greedy mental activity. If it is utterly ignorant of these dharmas, then it cannot and has no ability to grasp; grasping or not grasping cannot be discussed. Therefore, it is said that nascent consciousness has no dharma-view, does not understand grasping. Consciousness has no innate, inborn grasping of any kind, including self-view and dharma-view.

7. When asleep, because the mental faculty feels the quilt is heavy, it automatically turns over, but consciousness may not know at the time. Is there body consciousness and consciousness present then? Turning over is also a function of consciousness. The sense faculties themselves are passive receivers and transmitters. Without consciousness functioning upon the faculties, the faculties are like wood or stone. If the mental faculty wants to turn over, it must mobilize body consciousness and consciousness. When these two consciousnesses arise, they can make the body turn. When turning over, there is faint body consciousness and consciousness.

Why does the mental faculty decide to turn over? Because it discriminates that the quilt is heavy. The mental faculty contacts the mental object (dharmadhātu) of the quilt, knows it affects the body, so it causes body consciousness and consciousness to arise and discriminate. Body consciousness and consciousness feel the heaviness, so the mental faculty decides to turn over, and body consciousness and consciousness together turn the body. If the number of turnings is high, sleep quality is poor, and the body feels tired the next day because the six consciousnesses keep arising, and the body does not rest well. If turning over in sleep is not the function of the six consciousnesses, then when unconscious, if the mental faculty wants to move the body, it should be able to do so. Yet when unconscious, the body cannot move, even though the mental faculty always wants the body to move and itself to wake up, it cannot achieve it.

When turning over in the middle of the night, due to bodily fatigue and the weakness of consciousness, one may not necessarily introspect one's own actions and creations. The degree of strength or weakness of consciousness determines the strength of introspection. Therefore, some people know their state and what they did in the middle of the night, while others do not. When unaware, consciousness manifests less, sleep is deeper, sleep quality is better, but there is still rapid and faint discrimination by consciousness. When consciousness is very faint, one almost cannot sense the existence and operation of consciousness itself. At this time, the function of the mental faculty is prominent and obvious. The content directly discriminated by the mental faculty is often unknown to consciousness, and the mental faculty has no words to express it.

The mental faculty silently accommodates all dharmas, while consciousness does not. Therefore, the dharmas discriminated by the mental faculty will always be more numerous than those by consciousness, much deeper and subtler. Hence, the dharmas of the mental faculty are deeper, subtler, and more important than those of consciousness. Whether one becomes a Buddha or not depends entirely on the mental faculty. The operation of the mental faculty itself cannot be said to be simple or complex because the mental faculty's discriminative wisdom regarding the six sense objects (ṣaḍ-viṣaya) is poor. The mental faculty cannot introspectively analyze its own operation of contacting mental objects and discriminating them very well. Only when the mental object is too important, and it wants to discriminate but cannot discriminate clearly, does it summon consciousness to arise and discriminate.

8. Question: Are the five sense faculties and five sense objects always in contact, inherently so, regardless of whether the mental faculty pays attention or not? As long as they are in contact, does the eighth consciousness unconditionally give rise to the five consciousnesses? Does the mental faculty only pay attention to mental objects (dharmas), or does it pay attention to all six sense objects?

Answer: The physical sense faculties (indriya) are always in contact with the five sense objects. The Tathāgatagarbha always, relying on the five physical sense faculties, transmits and manifests the five sense objects into the subtle sense faculties (adhyātmika-indriya), giving rise to the internal five sense objects and mental objects. Thus, the internal five sense objects and mental objects constantly appear in the subtle sense faculties at the back of the brain. The five sense objects and the five subtle sense faculties are also always in contact. However, the five consciousnesses do not always arise; often there are no five consciousnesses to discriminate the internal five sense objects, and we are unaware of the five sense object realms. This means that the arising of the five consciousnesses is conditional. What are the conditions? The arising of eye consciousness has nine conditions; ear consciousness has eight; nose consciousness has seven; tongue consciousness has seven; body consciousness has seven. If the five consciousnesses arise, the five sense consciousnesses accompanied by mental consciousness (mano-vijñāna) necessarily arise. The five consciousnesses and mental consciousness jointly discriminate the five sense objects (including mental objects).

Therefore, the six consciousnesses sometimes arise, sometimes not. The most important prerequisite for their arising is certainly the mental faculty paying attention (manaskāra). If the mental faculty does not pay attention, consciousness certainly cannot arise, and thus the five consciousnesses naturally cannot arise either. The mental faculty paying attention thus becomes crucial. The mental faculty certainly pays attention to mental objects, so that consciousness can arise. But does the mental faculty pay attention to the internal five sense objects? If the mental faculty does not pay attention to the internal five sense objects, the Tathāgatagarbha will not comply and cooperate to give rise to the five consciousnesses, and thus consciousness will not arise either.

Some might ask: When sitting in meditation cultivating concentration (dhyāna), or even ordinarily when one does not want to discriminate the five or six sense objects at all, why do the six consciousnesses still arise to discriminate the six sense objects, and one cannot avoid it? This is because the mental faculty's tendency to grasp and roam (prapañca) is too strong; habits are hard to change, and consciousness's restraining power over it is not strong enough. At this time, consciousness is helpless. Only after taming the mental faculty, when its grasping tendency weakens, can the six consciousnesses become concentrated. Content one does not wish to discriminate then ceases to appear, enabling single-minded focus, achieving concentrated thought, or extinguishing perception and thought (vitarka-vicāra).

Based on this reasoning, the arising of the six consciousnesses and their discrimination of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and mental objects necessarily involves the operation of the mental faculty's attention (manaskāra) and volition (cetanā) mental factor; only then can the six consciousnesses arise. Otherwise, it is impossible for there to be six consciousnesses and their discriminatory activities. The six consciousnesses all obey the mental faculty's command; it is the mental faculty that decides which realm to discriminate. If the mental faculty does not decide to discriminate, if it does not want to know, there certainly will be no six consciousnesses to discriminate. There are no six consciousnesses that disobey the mental faculty's intention and decisions; this is absolutely impossible. Therefore, to summarize: The contact between the five physical sense faculties and the five sense objects does not require the mental faculty's attention. However, the discrimination of the five or six sense objects by the five or six consciousnesses certainly requires the mental faculty's attention.

9. Question: As the saying goes, "One mind cannot be used for two purposes" (yī xīn bù néng èr yòng), referring to consciousness, meaning consciousness cannot think about or perform two things simultaneously. But the mental faculty pervades all dharmas, or, before finishing grasping one dharma, it grasps another dharma. Because the interval is an instant, the time is extremely short, it can also be understood as simultaneously grasping multiple dharmas. Is this a good opportunity to distinguish consciousness from the mental faculty?

Answer: The worldly saying "one mind cannot be used for two purposes" means that if one mind is used for two or multiple purposes, the use will be poor, energy scattered, the mind coarse, discrimination unrefined and unclear, thinking unclear, unable to produce wisdom. Actually, the sixth consciousness (mental consciousness) can be used for two or three purposes. However, ordinary people have very poor concentration (samādhi) and wisdom (prajñā). With energy slightly dispersed, their discrimination of the six sense object realms becomes unclear, consideration of problems becomes unrefined and incomplete, manifesting as rough, careless, muddled, not knowing why, with relatively inferior wisdom.

When the conscious mind is untrained, to contemplate or consider something well, it must think single-mindedly; otherwise, it cannot consider clearly. When consciousness is trained and has good concentration, it can use one mind for multiple purposes, simultaneously engaging with several dharmas, and still do them well. For example, worldly sayings like "eyes see six ways, ears hear eight directions" (yǎn guān liù lù, ěr tīng bā fāng) describe this, though one cannot engage in very detailed thinking; overall arrangements can still be made. For instance, some people, when facing major events, often appear very calm. At such times, all their energy and ability are mobilized and brought into play; various matters are considered and arranged meticulously, the brain spins at high speed, working at astonishing speed. Ordinary people sometimes work similarly, but individuals' energy and abilities differ greatly; concentration and wisdom both vary.

The mental faculty can simultaneously grasp multiple dharmas, and can also grasp multiple dharmas instantaneously and continuously in succession. If it wants to grasp dharmas on the six sense objects, consciousness will necessarily follow and discriminate. Therefore, consciousness can also grasp multiple dharmas. Distinguishing consciousness from the mental faculty is still easier based on the nature of being in charge, making decisions; it's easier to distinguish based on habits, tendencies, and functions. When events happen suddenly, it's easier to distinguish the functions of consciousness and the mental faculty. It's easier to distinguish them based on shallow-level mental functions versus deep-level mental functions.

10. The six consciousnesses store seeds in the eighth consciousness through the mental faculty. All dharmas pass through the mental faculty. The mental faculty is the relay station and link connecting the six consciousnesses and the eighth consciousness; it silently accommodates all dharmas. The mental faculty is the basis and support for the purity or defilement of the six consciousnesses. If the mental faculty is defiled, it will direct the six consciousnesses to create defiled karma. If the mental faculty is pure, it will direct the six consciousnesses to create pure karma. On the other hand, all the content discriminated and created by the six consciousnesses is transmitted to the mental faculty as information, so that the mental faculty can discriminate, contemplate, and make decisions. Simultaneously, this information falls into the eighth consciousness and is stored as seeds. All activities of the mental faculty itself also fall into the eighth consciousness and are stored as seeds. Therefore, we should understand the initial and final point of application for learning the Buddha Dharma.

Only by understanding the Dharma of the Tathāgatagarbha can one comprehend the sutras and treatises. To understand the Dharma of the Tathāgatagarbha, one must realize the Tathāgatagarbha. To realize the Tathāgatagarbha, one must engage in Chan (Zen) investigation (gōng'àn / hua-tou practice). To engage in Chan investigation, one must cultivate the six pāramitās. If all the conditions for our awakening (kenshō) are complete, then the Buddha Dharma heard within a single month would be sufficient to awaken us many times over, and to sever the view of self (sakāya-dṛṣṭi) many times as well.

11. Question: Can it be understood this way: In the vast majority of cases, we use nominal designations (vyavahāra-prajñapti) to think about various problems, including worldly and supramundane dharmas. Although the mental faculty participates at this time, its participation is very shallow. Without training, it is difficult for consciousness to use direct experiential designations (artha-prajñapti) for thinking. Through training, such as cultivating concentration and attaining a certain level of samādhi, one can dispense with nominal designations and directly use experiential designations for thinking. At this time, consciousness and the mental faculty participate together, and the mental faculty can participate more deeply. Is the above statement correct?

Answer: The meaning of experiential designation (artha-prajñapti) is that the seven consciousnesses and their mental factors (caittas) can jointly bring forth and manifest various realms, enabling others to understand and comprehend. All seven consciousnesses have this function; it is not only the mental faculty that has it. Nominal designation (vyavahāra-prajñapti) uses words, terms, and sentences to express internal thoughts and realms, enabling others to understand and comprehend. This is a functional role possessed by consciousness; the mental faculty does not have it, nor do the five sense consciousnesses.

Nominal designation includes language and conceptual thinking (vitarka-vicāra). Conceptual thinking is also a characteristic of consciousness. Consciousness can comprehend the six sense object realms and then initiate perception, thought, and consideration regarding them. The mental faculty does not have this surface-level functional role. Its function is hidden, profound, subtle, and hard to detect, yet its effect is considerable. If the consciousness seeds (vijñāna-bīja) of the two consciousnesses (probably referring to manas and mano-vijñāna) are less diverted, less engaged in discriminating other mental objects, then their discriminative wisdom becomes even stronger, their power of function becomes considerable, capable of penetrating all dharmas. When concentration power increases, the function of experiential designation by the sixth and seventh consciousnesses becomes prominent. The function of the mental faculty stands out, is fully utilized and brought into play, its discriminative function becomes even stronger, potentially enabling thorough contemplation of all dharmas, with wisdom surging forth.

12. Question: Within our mind, there is a "knowing" that is an unchanging observer. Is this the mental faculty? Is it the same as the "knowing" in dreams? Why does it disappear when asleep? Is maintaining this clear, aware "knowing" Right Knowing (samyag-jñāna)?

Answer: This knowing within the mind is impermanent and changing. In many situations, it cannot know; therefore, it is the knowing nature of consciousness, which is subject to arising and ceasing, impermanent. In dreams, there is also this knowing, which is also the knowing of consciousness. However, simultaneously on all dharmas, there is also the knowing of the mental faculty. It's just that the mental faculty is hidden very deeply; it is difficult to discover its knowing nature.

Maintaining this knowing nature, clearly discerning the nature of the six sense objects, belongs to methods of cultivating concentration (śamatha), not to the path of seeing (darśana-mārga). If it is not the knowing of consciousness within the state of realizing the mind (明心, Ming Xin, seeing the nature of mind/Tathāgatagarbha), but knowing that falls within the five aggregates, then it is not Right Knowing. Because it does not know the eighth consciousness, does not know its operation, only knows dharmas subject to arising and ceasing, not knowing the unborn, unceasing dharma—this is the wrong knowing (mithyā-jñāna) of consciousness. True Right Knowing is the knowing nature of the eighth consciousness, the knowing nature of the Tathāgatagarbha. It does not fall within the five aggregates, twelve sense bases (āyatana), or eighteen elements (dhātu). It is without outflows (anāsrava), without ignorance (avidyā), without the impermanence and variability of arising and ceasing. This is the true Right, ultimate and complete Right. It does not arise and is never extinguished.