The Unique Perceiving Function of the Eighth Consciousness

The differentiating nature of the eighth consciousness is profound, subtle, and difficult to comprehend. The eighth consciousness is capable of discerning karmic seeds, the physical body and the material world, and the mental activities of the seven consciousnesses. It is precisely due to its discerning nature that it can cooperate with the physical body and the material world, cooperate with the seven consciousnesses, and actualize karmic seeds. The discerning function of the eighth consciousness operates through the form of the five universal mental factors. These five universal mental factors accompany the operation of the eighth consciousness instant by instant. Firstly, the eighth consciousness must apply attention (manaskāra) to the karmic seeds and the physical body and material world, make contact (sparśa) with them, receive them (vedanā), discern and differentiate them (saṃjñā), and grasp the appearances (nimitta) of the karmic seeds, physical body, and material world – this is the function of the perception mental factor (saṃjñā). Then the volition mental factor (cetanā) functions, making choices and decisions. Finally, it begins to act, outputting the seven fundamental seeds and karmic seeds, and thus all phenomena begin to operate.

Only after differentiating can the eighth consciousness output seeds. For different karmic seeds and different physical bodies and material worlds, it delivers different seeds, transforming and creating different material phenomena (rūpa-dharma) and mental phenomena (citta-dharma). This is the result of its differentiation. For example, when the eighth consciousness transforms and creates the body of a fetus, it knows exactly where to create what tissues, what organs, what shapes, what colors, etc. This is the result of differentiation. Another example is the eighth consciousness upholding and altering the physical bodies of sentient beings; it can give rise to differentiation regarding the physical body, while simultaneously differentiating karmic seeds. Then, based on the karmic seeds and karmic conditions, it changes the physical body anytime, anywhere. The physical body thus constantly undergoes changes – it may improve, deteriorate, or die. None of this is fixed; all are changes produced by the eighth consciousness based on the karmic seeds.

The difference between the differentiation of the eighth consciousness and that of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses is that the eighth consciousness apprehends the appearances of all things without attachment, without emotion, without emotional coloring, without mental activities of liking or disliking. It operates entirely in a mode of equanimity (upekṣā), mechanically, according to its unique program, functioning spontaneously and naturally (dharmatā).

Because when the eighth consciousness discerns, there is no emotional coloring; when objects are reflected in the mind, it is like a mirror reflecting images. However, the five sense consciousnesses differ from the eighth consciousness. The eighth consciousness is completely like a mirror reflecting images – without liking or disliking, without craving or aversion, without mental activities, without afflictions (kleśa) or habitual tendencies of afflictions (vāsanā). When the five sense consciousnesses discern, objects appearing in the mind are not entirely like a mirror reflecting images. This is because the five sense consciousnesses, like the eye consciousness, possess the mental factor of greed (rāga), have coarse feelings of pleasure and pain (sukha-duḥkha-vedanā), and have liking and disliking. Therefore, the eye consciousness, towards pleasing colors, will continuously apply attention and contact, continuously discerning them – this is greed (rāga). Towards objects perceived as causing painful feelings, it will automatically choose to avoid them – this is aversion (dveṣa), the mental activity of the eye consciousness and the other five sense consciousnesses. The eighth consciousness, regardless of the object, neither craves nor dislikes, neither grasps nor avoids. It simply continues operating according to the program and laws it should follow, until the karmic seeds are fully actualized.