Can Proponents of the Six Consciousnesses Attain the Fruits of Realization?

Six-consciousness theorists only acknowledge the existence of the five sense consciousnesses and the sixth consciousness, refusing to admit the existence of the seventh and eighth consciousnesses; in essence, this belongs to the theory of annihilatory emptiness (uccheda-śūnyatā). If one does not acknowledge the existence of the seventh consciousness, which is the consciousness that makes decisions within oneself, then one cannot engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) upon the decision-making nature of the seventh consciousness, nor upon its nature as one of the six faculties. How could one understand that there is a dharma which is both a faculty and a consciousness? Because of this lack of understanding, one will deny the existence of the manas. Then the eighteen dhātus will be missing one element, the self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi) cannot be completely eliminated, and it will be impossible to realize the fruits of the path.

The Theravāda tradition is a six-consciousness theory. The Āgama sūtras taught by the Buddha touch upon the seventh and eighth consciousnesses. He spoke of all sentient beings having "self as island" (attadīpa), having the abiding of dharma, and having a reliance for sentient beings—this refers to the eighth consciousness. He also spoke of the manas, which is one of the six faculties and one of the eighteen dhātus. It is only that those in the sectarian schools of Theravāda cannot understand the true meaning expounded in the Āgama sūtras; they can only comprehend the six consciousnesses, and so they acknowledge only the six consciousnesses, becoming six-consciousness theorists. If one does not acknowledge the existence of a principal consciousness that transmigrates through saṃsāra, and moreover denies it, this is tantamount to slandering the Dharma; and slandering the Dharma is tantamount to slandering the Buddha. Those who slander the Buddha and the Dharma cannot realize the fruits of the path.

Once sentient beings slander the Buddha and the Dharma, not only will the three refuges and five precepts fail to be established, the bhikṣu and bhikṣuṇī precepts will also fail to be established, and the bodhisattva precepts even more so. A true bodhisattva, upon hearing sounds of slander against the Buddha and the Dharma, feels as if three hundred spears were piercing his heart—how could he still personally slander the Mahāyāna Dharma and the bodhisattva storehouse with his own mouth? Therefore, a true bodhisattva would never be willing to dwell and cultivate together with individuals or groups that slander the Buddha and the Dharma, let alone go so far as to praise and promote the Dharma teachings of such individuals or groups. A true bodhisattva would not do this; those who do this cannot become true bodhisattvas. True bodhisattvas all strive to protect and uphold the Three Jewels and Buddhism as a whole, paying attention to the overall developmental trends and changes within Buddhism, and concerning themselves with whether they themselves and sentient beings can attain liberation; they do not care only about some personal benefit of their own.