Which Consciousness Is It That Thinks of Neither Good nor Evil?

Question: The five universal mental factors should be present in all eight consciousnesses, so why is it that [the tathāgatagarbha] still does not think of good or evil?

Answer: Although all eight consciousnesses possess the five universal mental factors—attention (manaskāra), contact (sparśa), feeling (vedanā), perception (saṃjñā), and volition (cetanā)—each consciousness does not apply attention, contact, feeling, perception, and volition to all dharmas; it is selective. The object-aspects (nimitta) of each consciousness differ greatly, and each consciousness only applies attention, contact, feeling, perception, and volition to the object-aspect that corresponds to itself, and will not apply them to non-corresponding object-aspects. Moreover, the six consciousnesses arise and cease ceaselessly; once they have ceased, they no longer have the five universal mental factors toward any dharma.

"Not thinking of good and not thinking of evil" means that the eighth consciousness has never deliberated (manasikāra) on the dharma-marks of good and evil, whereas the sixth consciousness and the seventh consciousness always deliberate on the dharma-marks of good and evil. If one cultivates practice to a certain degree, the sixth and seventh consciousnesses will also cease to deliberate on the dharma-marks of good and evil, and will instead see the true suchness nature (tathatā) of the dharma-marks of good and evil.