The Discernment and Non-discernment of the Eighth Consciousness

Since the eighth consciousness does not engage in discrimination, how does it discern the mental activities of sentient beings? The eighth consciousness itself both discriminates and does not discriminate, depending on what it discriminates and what it does not discriminate. There are dharmas it can discriminate and dharmas it cannot. Its non-discrimination lies in the fact that, within the myriad dharmas of the triple realm, it cannot discriminate the specific content and objects of the six sense objects (six dusts) and the myriad dharmas, which are the content and objects discriminated by the deluded mind of the six consciousnesses. The eighth consciousness does not discriminate the six sense objects (forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, and mental objects), does not discriminate worldly dharmas, and does not discriminate various nominal concepts. Because of this non-discriminating nature, it does not know what the six sense objects are, nor does it know their desirability or undesirability. Therefore, the eighth consciousness gives rise to no mental thoughts whatsoever when facing the six sense objects; it can be mindless towards objects, its mind-ground is extremely pure, without defilement, and without the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion. 

On the other hand, the eighth consciousness also has a discriminating nature. What it discriminates is the mental activities of sentient beings, the karmic seeds of sentient beings, the six sense faculties of sentient beings, the universe and the vessel world, and the eighteen elements of sentient beings. Discernment of the mental activities of sentient beings refers to the mental factors (caitasika) of the seven consciousnesses. When it projects the seed-consciousness of the seven consciousnesses, the seven consciousnesses are formed, the mental factors of the seven consciousnesses begin to operate, and all mental activities are produced. The entire process of the operation of the mental factors of the seven consciousnesses, as well as the content discriminated by the seven consciousnesses, are all known to it.

The eighth consciousness, based on the attention (manasikāra) and the mental factor of volition (cetanā) of the seven consciousnesses, cooperates with them to produce the myriad dharmas. When the seven consciousnesses operate, that is when karmic actions are created. Simultaneously with the creation of karmic actions, the karmic seeds are stored in the eighth consciousness at all times. Because the seed-consciousness arises and then returns to the eighth consciousness, whatever karmic actions the seven consciousnesses create are all known to the eighth consciousness, and the karmic actions are stored as seeds. Therefore, there is nothing we do that the eighth consciousness does not know or record.

The eighth consciousness can also discern the body faculty (kāyendriya) of sentient beings. The body faculty includes the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty – these five faculties. Because these five faculties, plus the mental faculty (manas), are personally held by the eighth consciousness, the appearance of the body faculty is manifested by the eighth consciousness according to karmic seeds at all times. Whatever condition arises in the body faculty, or whatever condition should arise, the eighth consciousness knows. This is because the conditions that should arise, are arising, or have arisen are all inseparable from cause and effect, meaning they are inseparable from the eighth consciousness's holding and manifestation. The various conditions arising and about to arise in the body faculty are discerned by the seventh consciousness based on the seeing aspect (dṛṣṭi) of the eighth consciousness. The seven consciousnesses then give rise to thoughts of protecting the body faculty, and the eighth consciousness, according to the karmic seeds, cooperates with the mind of the seven consciousnesses to alter and maintain the five sense faculties and the body.

The eighth consciousness discerns the universe and the vessel world (bhājana-loka). The universe and vessel world are jointly manifested and held by the eighth consciousnesses of sentient beings sharing collective karma. The eighth consciousness can directly condition the vessel world and continuously participates in manifesting it; thus, the formation, abiding, decay, and emptiness of the universe and vessel world occur. What state the vessel world was in before, what state it is in now, and what state it should be in the future – the eighth consciousness can discern all these based on karmic seeds. After it discerns this, the mental faculty, the seventh consciousness, relying on this, can know what events are about to occur. Some sensitive sentient beings may perceive or foresee this inwardly and consider taking countermeasures in advance.

The eighth consciousness discerns the eighteen elements (dhātus). The six sense faculties and the six consciousnesses have already been discussed; there is also the six sense objects (six dusts). Although the eighth consciousness cannot discern the specific content of the six sense objects, the six sense objects are, after all, personally manifested and held by the eighth consciousness. Since it can discern the seeds, it can discern what the six sense objects were like before, what state they are in now, and what they should become in the future, based on the seeds and records. It manifests the six sense objects based on seeds. Although it can manifest the six sense objects, it does not know the specific forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, or mental objects; it only knows that it manifests and what state it manifests them into – it does not know the content – and then it holds the six sense objects it has manifested.

Thus, the entire world is under its sole control. On the surface, the mental faculty seems to be able to act as the master, but the one who can truly master all dharmas is this master. Although this master seems capable of mastering all dharmas, in reality, it has no mind of mastery. It is mindless towards all dharmas, completely compliant with the mental faculty, compliant with the karmic seeds, and manifests everything according to the appearance that the world should have, as it truly is, without the slightest assertion or opinion of its own, because it has no self-nature and does not assert autonomy.

Analyzing it this way, we should understand what the eighth consciousness can discriminate and what it cannot, and know whether it truly has a discriminating nature or not. After realizing the eighth consciousness, when various wisdoms arise, one can gradually observe it from various aspects. Before realizing the eighth consciousness, one cannot observe it, and many of its functions and characteristics remain unknown, preventing our wisdom from growing step by step. Therefore, realizing the eighth consciousness is extremely important; it should be the preliminary goal of our practice.

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