The Direct Perception Wisdom of Mahāyāna Bodhisattvas

The concept of direct perception (pratyakṣa), at its most ultimate explanation, should mean having genuine wisdom that can observe the truth of facts, that can see the substance behind surface phenomena, that is not deluded by false and illusory appearances, that does not rely on guessing and conjecture, and that can know the substantive essence of a matter without deliberating back and forth to compare. The wisdom of direct perception of Mahāyāna bodhisattvas is inconceivable: upon seeing the arising of a dharma, one can observe how this dharma is brought into operation—from inside to outside, from the great to the small, everything is fashioned by the eighth consciousness using seeds; it is the function and operation of the eighth consciousness, and in its entirety it is the eighth consciousness. Only this wisdom is true contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) wisdom of direct perception; even the wisdom of seeing one's true mind and enlightenment does not fully belong to the wisdom of direct perception.