Can One See the Mind Through the Process of Elimination?

What is the process of elimination? For example, one establishes a target in one's mind, and within the range one has selected, one eliminates the objects that differ from the target; whatever remains is then established as the target in one's mind. Regardless of whether the selected range is comprehensive or not, as long as one confirms it oneself, one takes it to be so—seeing the mind and realizing the fruit is a very simple method indeed.

Even a dog, once trained, can use the process of elimination to find the object its master designates; other animals can learn it with some training too, because this does not require much brainpower, takes no effort, requires no roots of goodness or merit, requires no meditative concentration (samādhi), requires no observance of precepts, requires no diligent cultivation of the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment—even an illiterate person, under someone's hints, can "see the mind and realize the fruit." For example, the master spreads out three cards, A, B, and C, in front of the dog and asks it to point out which one is C. The dog first points to A; the master shakes his head and says no. So the dog points to B; the master shakes his head again and says no. Finally one card remains—without thinking, one knows the remaining one is C, so the dog naturally points to C, and the master says, "Correct this time." The dog is delighted, feeling itself quite capable, and even receives a bone as a reward from its master. 

Using the process of elimination to find the eighth consciousness works the same way. There are only eight consciousnesses in total; the six consciousnesses that perceive the six sense objects are certainly not the eighth consciousness, so six are eliminated at once, leaving only two: the manas and the eighth consciousness. Ordinary people really cannot observe the manas and do not know what it is; even if you tell them it is the one that constantly and everywhere makes the decisions, they still cannot find the manas. Finding the manas is extremely difficult, and as for observing the discerning nature of the manas, don't even think about it. So they eliminate the manas and stop looking for it, and search solely for the eighth consciousness. What is the eighth consciousness like? Quite a few people know that the eighth consciousness does not discern the six sense objects, so they search here and there, and finally find a thing that seems not to discern the six sense objects. They imagine that this thing seems to have a discerning nature, and what it discerns seems not to be the six sense objects. As for what exactly it discerns, they really cannot observe it, because only those who, after enlightenment, possess the wisdom of specific characteristics and the wisdom of the varieties of paths can observe the discerning nature of the eighth consciousness and know what the eighth consciousness actually discerns. Ordinary beings simply have no way to observe the discerning nature of the eighth consciousness, except by guessing and imagining based on theory. Finally they think it over: the eighth consciousness seems to discern the faculties, the body, and the material world, because the sūtras and śāstras all say so—so it must be this one, no mistake. Then they hurriedly and happily confirm it, feeling as if they no longer have any doubt, and have severed the three fetters. 

If such intelligence is not innate, then water must have gotten into the brain at some point after birth—such a person is inferior even to a child with a somewhat more developed brain; how could they be a bodhisattva wholeheartedly cultivating the bodhisattva path? Utterly naive. If they had encountered the patriarchs of the past, with the patriarchs' direct and honest minds, they would not have said a single word to them—they would have struck them with a big stick until their heads burst open. How dare they harm the Chan school? Kindergarten-level intelligence—there is no educating them. If I were not concerned with the rise and fall of the Chan school, I would not deign even to glance at such a person. But alas, seeing the mind in the Chan school is the most crucial point in the practice of the Buddha-dharma; it is the vital gate of life and death for sentient beings, the place of refuge and liberation for countless sentient beings in this life and future lives. If someone destroys this gate, sentient beings will never again be able to leap the dragon gate like the carp. 

Even the doctrinal followers of the Chan school are far more honorable than this process of elimination. The process of elimination does not even require much doctrinal understanding or much intelligence—it is like picking beans: just pick out the bad beans, and the rest are all good beans. How simple. Why cultivate the four foundations of mindfulness, the seven factors of enlightenment, the eightfold noble path, the four right efforts, the four bases of supernatural power, the five faculties and five powers? No need to receive or observe precepts, no need to cultivate meditative concentration—no meditative power of any kind is needed. A bean-picking job does not require so much trouble; all those conditions the Buddha spoke of are superfluous. Those of the highest spiritual faculties (indriya) need not abide by what the Buddha said.

The thirteen-year-old young monk Shenhui under the Sixth Patriarch was clever, intelligent, and deeply endowed with roots of goodness; with an ardent desire for the Dharma, he climbed mountains and crossed ridges, traveling a thousand li to find the Sixth Patriarch and seek the Way, yet the Sixth Patriarch only certified him as a doctrinal follower of the school. At that time the Chan tradition was so flourishing, and there were so many enlightened patriarchs and good spiritual friends, yet the monk Shenhui lived to the age of ninety-six and was still a doctrinal follower of the school. He wrote quite a few works, and spent his life battling and contending for the school against the gradual-cultivation faction of the monk Shenxiu of the Northern School. Who among people today has the Dharma-seeking spirit and the roots of goodness and merit of the monk Shenhui? Yet they dream of using the process of elimination to find the eighth consciousness and surpass the monk Shenhui. The eighth consciousness will not let you find it this way; by speculative methods you may indeed speculate it out, but that is like drawing a cake to satisfy hunger—it will never fill you up. In short, please recognize one fact: the Dharma-ending age is, after all, the Dharma-ending age. Do not indulge in wild fantasies; seeking truth from facts is wholesome, while fantasy is unwholesome.