The Concepts of Direct Perception and Non-Valid Cognition

Direct perception (pratyakṣa): "Direct" means present, current, before one's eyes, actual, real, and in accordance with principle and Dharma in both matters and principles; "perception" means estimation, measurement, and gauging. Direct perception is the estimation, measurement, and gauging of the dharma that is one's object which accords with facts and accords with truth. When seeing a dharma, one sees and knows it at that very moment, and can make a judgment immediately, without the mind consciousness needing to imagine, fantasize, or compare, and without needing deliberate processing.

Non-valid cognition (non-pramāṇa), in contrast to direct perception, is not one's own realm of wisdom; one cannot cognize correctly in accordance with principle and Dharma, and errors arise in discernment; only through the mind consciousness's deliberation, analysis, imagination, fantasy, recollection, and so forth can one come to know. Non-valid cognition has another meaning: an erroneous estimation, consideration, weighing, or measurement, where the conclusion drawn is wrong and does not accord with facts.

In reality, the only cognition that fully accords with facts is that of the eighth consciousness (Ālayavijñāna), as well as that of the seven consciousnesses after buddhahood. Before attaining buddhahood, because ignorance still remains, the seven consciousnesses have non-valid cognition to varying degrees; the closer one approaches the Buddha's wisdom, the less non-valid cognition there is and the more the realm of direct perception increases; the more of an ordinary being one is, the more one relies on non-valid cognition, with no or little direct perception. Even when one sees the mountains and rivers before one's eyes as mountains and rivers, it is still not direct perception but non-valid cognition, because one sees only the false appearance and not the substance behind the appearance.