Is Consciousness Buddha-Nature?

Consciousness possesses the function of awareness, but it cannot be directly referred to as enlightened nature. This is because enlightened nature represents the mind's essence of awakening, generally referring to the eighth consciousness's innate absence of ignorance. At times, it also denotes the sixth and seventh consciousnesses endowed with great wisdom upon enlightenment. When wisdom is absent and awakening has not occurred, it cannot be called enlightened nature. It can be said that consciousness possesses the faculty of knowing, capable of perceiving various objects among the dust of dharmas.