The Conditioned Arising of the Eight Consciousnesses

The eight consciousnesses are all discerning minds, each capable of discernment and each possessing the mental factor of deliberation. The eye-consciousness discerns forms and possesses the functions of discrimination, cognition, and selection. The ear-consciousness discerns sounds and possesses the functions of discrimination, cognition, and selection. The nose-consciousness discerns olfactory objects and possesses the functions of discrimination, cognition, and selection. The tongue-consciousness discerns tastes and possesses the functions of discrimination, cognition, and selection. The body-consciousness discerns tactile objects and possesses the functions of discrimination, cognition, and selection. The mental consciousness discerns mental objects and possesses the functions of discrimination, cognition, and selection. The mental faculty (manas) discerns the collective sphere of the six sense objects and the seeing of the eighth consciousness, possessing the functions of discrimination, cognition, and deliberation. The eighth consciousness discerns the physical body, the material world, karmic seeds, and the activities of the seven consciousnesses, possessing the functions of discrimination and selection. Thereafter, all dharmas begin to move and operate, undergoing birth, abiding, change, and extinction, while the five aggregates blaze forth.