The Transformation of the Six and Seven Consciousnesses in the Causal Stage and the Fulfillment of the Five and Eight Consciousnesses in the Fruition Stage

This passage discusses the outcome of spiritual cultivation as the perfect luminosity of the Four Wisdoms. The four perfectly luminous wisdoms include the wisdom of the five consciousnesses, the wisdom of the mental consciousness, the wisdom of the mental faculty, and the wisdom of the eighth consciousness. "Perfectly luminous" means complete, perfect, luminous, and wondrous. When wisdom reaches the ultimate apex and can no longer increase, it signifies that there is no further need for cultivation. One attains the stage of non-learning regarding all dharmas, the highest position, which is Buddhahood.

Since Buddhahood is characterized by the perfect luminosity of the Four Wisdoms, it indicates that all four consciousness-minds can possess ultimate, perfect, luminous, and wondrous wisdom. It is only in the state of sentient beings that this wisdom is not perfect, luminous, and wondrous; it is tainted and obscured by ignorance. Although the eighth consciousness is without taint and without ignorance, why is it not perfectly luminous in the state of sentient beings, necessitating the transformation of consciousness into wisdom? This is because the karmic seeds of the first seven consciousnesses reside within the eighth consciousness, burdening it and preventing it from radiating its ultimate, perfectly harmonious, and unobstructed light. Alternatively, even if it can radiate perfect, unobstructed light, the ignorance of the seven consciousnesses obscures a portion of the eighth consciousness's unobstructed radiance, causing its function and efficacy to be blocked and imposing certain limitations. Once the ignorance of the seven consciousnesses is completely eradicated, this obscuration is eliminated, and the great luminosity of the eighth consciousness fully manifests.

Since the first seven consciousnesses in the state of sentient beings are tainted and obscured by ignorance, the cultivation over three great asamkhyeya kalpas must completely eradicate the ignorance of these seven consciousnesses. The first ignorance to be subdued is that of the mental consciousness, followed closely by the ignorance of the mental faculty. However, when eradicating ignorance, the ignorance of both the mental consciousness and the mental faculty is eliminated simultaneously. This is because the mental faculty is the co-existent basis of the mental consciousness, its master and director. If the mental faculty does not eradicate ignorance, even if the mental consciousness can eliminate it, under the directing influence of the mental faculty, ignorance will still arise, leading to the creation of ignorant karma.

After severing the view of self and realizing the mind, the mental consciousness and mental faculty overcome the initial ignorance, attaining the initial wisdom of non-arising (anutpattika-dharma-ksanti). However, at this stage, the ignorance of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses is still relatively heavy, wisdom is not yet profound, there remains considerable discriminative nature, and a significant degree of self-nature persists, which is insufficient for transforming consciousness into wisdom. Only after passing the solid barrier and entering the First Ground (Prathamabhūmi), upon eliminating a portion of the attachment to dharmas, does ignorance become thinner. At this point, the first transformation of consciousness into wisdom begins: discriminative nature towards worldly dharmas weakens, the nature of non-action strengthens, emptiness deepens, and wisdom becomes profound. However, because the five sense consciousnesses are relatively dull and great wisdom has not yet manifested, they cannot transform consciousness into wisdom. Meanwhile, the eighth consciousness still suffers obscuration from the ignorance of the seven consciousnesses, and its wisdom and function remain partially hindered.

As Bodhisattvas of the First Ground continue their cultivation to the Eighth Ground (Aṣṭamā Bhūmi), the ignorance eliminated by the sixth and seventh consciousnesses progressively increases, ignorance becomes increasingly subtle, and wisdom grows ever deeper and sharper, leading to the second transformation of consciousness into wisdom. When the sixth and seventh consciousnesses undergo the third transformation into wisdom, the five sense consciousnesses subsequently transform into wisdom. Once all seven consciousnesses are free from the obscuration of ignorance and all karmic seeds are purified, the eighth consciousness transforms into the Great Mirror Wisdom (Ādarśa-jñāna), illuminating all dharmas without the slightest obstruction, its wisdom perfectly luminous.