The Wisdom of the Abiding of Dharmas Can Know the Past and the Future: Is This Direct Perception, Inference, or Non-Valid Cognition?

With the knowledge of the abiding of dharma, one can attain liberation. Therefore, the knowledge of the abiding of dharma is the wisdom of directly realizing the twelve links of dependent origination through valid direct cognition; even if one can know the past and the future, there is no inference. The wisdom known through inference is very shallow. Wisdom that can only be known by relying on some particular dharma is unreliable and not ultimate; once the dharma it depends upon does not appear, the inferential knowledge disappears. Within inferential knowledge, there is no process of the manas personally investigating, so the manas cannot personally realize it, and the mind consciousness also cannot know independently.

Of reasoning, part belongs to inference and part belongs to erroneous cognition (non-valid cognition). Even if the reasoning is correct, it is still not valid direct cognition, because the manas does not know it. As for the knowing of the manas, if it knows, it knows; if it does not know, it does not know—the dividing line appears very quickly, manifesting in the very moment, without requiring the mind consciousness to slowly deliberate and investigate.

Some people say: since one cannot see the past and the future, and the dharmas of the past and future cannot be made manifest before one, knowledge of the dharmas of the past and future should be inferential knowledge. This is an incorrect claim. What is called "manifest before one" does not necessarily have to appear before one's eyes. Wisdom is not initiated by the eye consciousness; it is initiated jointly by the mind consciousness and the manas. The mind consciousness and the manas can completely realize and verify the dharmas of the past and future. In particular, the manas is not hindered by time and space at all; following the tathāgatagarbha, it can know all dharmas. The dharmas of past lives can be recalled the moment one intends to recall them, and the dharmas of future lives can be known the moment one intends to know them—dream states and meditative states demonstrate this point. Therefore, what the manas does not know cannot be wisdom of valid direct cognition. When the mind consciousness knows through valid direct cognition, the manas does not necessarily know through valid direct cognition, and the mind consciousness's knowing will be ignored and nullified according to different conditions and causes.