True Enlightenment and Deluded Awareness

Consciousness is divided into true perception and false perception. False perception refers to the first seven consciousnesses, while true perception is the eighth consciousness. For ordinary beings, the eighth consciousness lacks the function of introspecting itself, hence it is said to lack the self-verifying division. The self-verifying division is the capacity to prove one's own existence, to perceive one's own existence and functioning. The mind capable of perceiving its own existence is a mind possessing self-nature; it is the mind that recognizes itself, capable of self-verifying its own existence.

The mental consciousness (the sixth consciousness) can observe mental objects, perceive phenomena, observe the five sensory consciousnesses and the seventh consciousness, and after enlightenment, it can observe the eighth consciousness. The mental consciousness can also observe itself; therefore, it possesses not only self-verifying division but also the self-verifying division. It can be aware that it is perceiving mental objects and phenomena, be aware of its own operational state, and be aware of its own mental activities. In contrast, the true perception of the eighth consciousness lacks self-nature; it is a mind without self-nature. It never considers itself to be real, does not perceive its own existence, does not act as a controller, and does not observe the six sensory objects. Therefore, within the six sensory objects, the eighth consciousness lacks both self-verifying division and the self-verifying division. Because it is unaware of the six sensory objects, it does not generate thoughts or mental activities towards phenomena; it has no thoughts, no views, is pure and undefiled, free from afflictions and habits, and free from ignorance.

After realizing the mind and attaining enlightenment, as wisdom increases, one will observe that both the seventh and eighth consciousnesses also possess the self-verifying division, yet they do not introspect themselves within the realm of the six sensory objects. The general principle of studying Mahayana Buddhism is that the eighth consciousness, the Tathagatagarbha, is not a worldly mind within the five aggregates and eighteen elements; it is a mind without self-nature. It does not recognize the existence of a self or what belongs to the self. In contrast, the seven consciousnesses all possess self-nature; they are always speaking of "I" this and "I" that, always speaking of "me" and "mine," all possessing the notion of self and what belongs to self.

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