How to Observe the Four Aspects of the Seventh Consciousness

The dharmas of the seventh consciousness generally belong to the category of Vijñapti-mātra wisdom-seeds. The principles are extremely profound and abstruse, requiring one to become a Bodhisattva on the Bhūmis who has transformed the sixth and seventh consciousnesses into wisdom before being able to directly perceive the mental factors and the four parts of the root consciousness (manas). This is difficult.

To observe the seeing-part, object-part, self-confirming part, and auto-confirming part of the seventh consciousness, one must first realize the seventh consciousness itself before being able to directly observe it. Without the wisdom born from the transformation of consciousness into wisdom, most understanding arises from analytical inference rather than pratyakṣa (direct perception) observation. At this stage, the primary focus is the cultivation and study of these Dharma principles. Only Bodhisattvas on the Bhūmis primarily engage in direct observation. One must know which dharmas correspond to the seventh consciousness, where it resides, and how it functions before being able to observe its four parts. The auto-confirming part of the manas is its capacity for self-reflection, which is even more difficult to observe. Without the wisdom-seeds of Vijñapti-mātra, do not even contemplate it.

Observing the eighth consciousness also requires first realizing the eighth consciousness. Only after attaining the enlightenment of realizing the mind and gaining distinctive wisdom can one directly observe the functioning of the eighth consciousness and perceive its four parts. Without realizing the eighth consciousness, one's understanding of it remains merely analogous and cannot be truly observed.