The Perceiving-Aspect, Self-Cognition, and Self-Validating Cognition of the Sixth and Seventh Consciousnesses

The manas has a self-cognition (svasaṃvitti), which can discern dharmas; when there is an image within the mind, that is the self-cognition (svasaṃvitti). The manas can know what dharmas it has come to know—this is the self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana). There are times when the manas is full of self-confidence, and this is the self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana). When the manas stubbornly clings to its own views, this is the self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana). A die-hard old stubborn person, utterly obstinate, unwilling to change his own views and opinions, believing himself to be right—within this there is the self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana); otherwise he would not be stubborn, would not be obstinate. In the state of dreamless sleep, the manas still contacts and discerns dharmas, can know the six sense objects, can observe the six sense objects, while the mind consciousness does not know what the manas is actually doing.

The self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana) is the mind consciousness's introspection of itself. In the meditative concentration of the second dhyāna, there is mind consciousness, and the mind consciousness's perceiving-aspect (darśana-bhāga), self-cognition (svasaṃvitti), and self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana) all exist, only very subtly; when wisdom is insufficient, one does not understand the condition of one's own perceiving-aspect (darśana-bhāga), object-aspect (nimitta), self-cognition (svasaṃvitti), and self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana). Learn more knowledge about meditative concentration, then enter samādhi and experience it, and you will be able to understand more.

The manas has a perceiving-aspect (darśana-bhāga), object-aspect (nimitta), self-cognition (svasaṃvitti), and self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana); before the sixth and seventh consciousnesses achieve the transformation of consciousness into wisdom, one cannot distinguish these contents and cannot observe them. For pre-bhūmi bodhisattvas (pūrvabhūmika bodhisattva), the manas seems to have no self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana) and cannot introspect itself, whereas post-bhūmi bodhisattvas (bhūmika bodhisattva) can observe that the manas has a self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana). Some profound dharmas the Buddha would not even speak to pre-bhūmi bodhisattvas (pūrvabhūmika bodhisattva), fearing that the bodhisattvas would not understand and would give rise to misunderstandings.

In the state of dreamless sleep, investigation must be done while the mind consciousness is alert; the mind consciousness must have wisdom in order to investigate it out. During dreamless sleep, the manas has knowing—knowing the realms of the six sense objects, knowing the body faculty, knowing itself. Relying on the tathāgatagarbha's function of seeing all dharmas, it has its own function of seeing all dharmas; when there is no wisdom, it takes the dharmas seen by the tathāgatagarbha as the dharmas seen by itself, and thus gives rise to grasping and clinging, believing that all dharmas belong to itself; it also deliberates (manasikāra) on "me, me, me," constantly maintaining and protecting the self, and can also weigh various advantages and disadvantages, gains and losses. When various conditions arise in the body, He will weigh whether it is necessary to wake up and deal with them; He can make judgments, make decisions, and has His own views and opinions, mostly based on experience.

The "self" of the manas is all-encompassing: it takes the five consciousnesses as self, takes the mind consciousness as self, takes the eighth consciousness as self, takes its own functions as self, takes the five faculties as self, takes the realms of the six sense objects as belonging to itself, and even takes dharmas beyond the six sense objects as belonging to itself, with unceasing clinging and grasping (upādāna), unceasing deliberation (manasikāra).

When the mind consciousness thinks about and investigates any dharma, it never operates alone; there is always the manas's cooperative function. When the mind consciousness observes, thinks about, and investigates the manas, searching for the manas, the manas also searches for itself together with the mind consciousness; thus the manas can also investigate itself, and in the end can observe itself.

When the mind consciousness finally realizes the existence of the manas and observes the manas's operations, the manas can also, together with the mind consciousness, realize its own existence, and can also, together with the mind consciousness, discern itself. In the material universe (the vessel-world), there is no mind consciousness, yet scientists can figure out some things about the universe; scientists can also explore events on Earth from thousands or tens of thousands of years ago. In future lives there will be no present mind consciousness, yet scientists can predict the future. Within the operations of the tathāgatagarbha there is no mind consciousness, yet the mind consciousness can observe the deep and subtle operations of the tathāgatagarbha. Then the operations of the manas, of course, the mind consciousness can also observe and know; when the mind consciousness achieves the transformation of consciousness into wisdom, it can accomplish anything. Otherwise, how could one become a Buddha?