How Can One Observe the Four Aspects of the Seventh Consciousness?

The dharma of the seventh consciousness generally falls within the scope of the seed-wisdom (bīja-jñāna) of Yogācāra; the principles are extremely profound. One must cultivate until the sixth and seventh consciousnesses are transformed into wisdom as a bhūmi bodhisattva before one can directly contemplate, through contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), the mental factors (caittas) and the four aspects of the manas. This is very difficult.

To observe the perceiving-aspect (darśana-bhāga), object-aspect (nimitta), self-cognition (svasaṃvitti), and self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana) of the seventh consciousness, one must first realize the seventh consciousness, and only then can one directly observe Him. Without the wisdom of transforming consciousness into wisdom, most of it is analysis and inference, and one cannot observe directly. At this stage, one mainly familiarizes oneself with these dharma principles; only bhūmi bodhisattvas take direct observation as their primary practice. One must know which dharmas the seventh consciousness corresponds to, where He is, and how He operates, before one can observe His four aspects. The self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana) of the manas is the manas's power of introspection (pratyavekṣā-bala), which is even harder to observe—without the seed-wisdom of Yogācāra, don't even think about it.

Observing the eighth consciousness also requires first realizing the eighth consciousness. Only after seeing the mind, attaining enlightenment, and possessing the wisdom of specific characteristics can one directly observe the operation of the eighth consciousness and observe His four aspects. Without realizing the eighth consciousness, one's understanding of the eighth consciousness is merely a semblance of understanding, and one cannot observe it.