The State of the Mind That Abides Nowhere

When the mind does not drift along with things and the mind abides nowhere, this means the mind consciousness has attained meditative concentration (samādhi) and does not abide in dharmas. The mind consciousness can discern the dharma-objects of the meditative state, knowing that it does not turn along with sense objects, knowing that it no longer pays attention to form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas. This knowing "knowing" is the knowing of the mind consciousness; it is the introspective nature (pratyavekṣā-lakṣaṇa) of the mind consciousness, the manifestation of the mind consciousness's self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana). Knowing that one's mind already abides nowhere—this knowing is certainly the mind consciousness, for "mind abiding nowhere" is a dharma-object realm; this realm corresponds to the manas and the mind consciousness, and is the content discerned by the mind consciousness; it does not correspond to the eighth consciousness, yet it also does not exist apart from the eighth consciousness.

The truly mind that abides nowhere, the mind that does not abide in the realms of the six sense objects, is the eighth consciousness. Because the eighth consciousness does not confront the six sense objects, it neither abides in the six sense objects nor discerns them. As long as the seven consciousnesses exist, they necessarily correspond to the six sense objects and must discern the six sense objects; they are certainly abiding within the six sense objects. Even when the mind consciousness is extremely faint, it can still know the dharma-objects of the meditative state; therefore, as long as there is knowing, there is the mind consciousness. Ordinary people can only correspond to the mind consciousness and cannot correspond to the eighth consciousness, because they lack the various bodhisattva prerequisites such as merit, meditative concentration, and prajñā wisdom; therefore they cannot find the eighth consciousness, nor can they observe the non-abiding mode of operation of the eighth consciousness.