The Three Valid Cognitions of the Mind Consciousness in Meditative Concentration

The mind consciousness in meditative concentration (samādhi) takes its objects through three types of cognition. If it takes the feelings of the physical body as its object, it is direct perception/valid direct cognition (pratyakṣa). If it engages in visualization and contemplative thinking, there is erroneous cognition/non-valid cognition (non-valid cognition), there is also inference, and there is also direct perception. For example, visualizing oneself at one's present location transforming into a certain form and flying to another land, or imagining various states of realm—these all belong to erroneous cognition. For instance, in the contemplation of the sun in the Contemplation of the Buddha of Infinite Life Sūtra (Amitāyus Contemplation Sūtra), at the beginning it is erroneous cognition; but when contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) reaches accomplishment, the setting sun appears spontaneously without being visualized, and the mind consciousness's discernment is then direct perception.
If one compares the physical body with how it was before, or compares the wholesome and unwholesome, the beautiful and ugly of the states of realm, that is inference. If one deliberates and arrives at a correct and realistic conclusion, that is direct perception. The discernment of the mind consciousness in concentration at the level of the second dhyāna and above is entirely direct perception, because there is no deliberative thinking and no visualization—there is only the pure discernment of the mental sense-object of the meditative state; it merely perceives without being able to express it, not knowing its own discerning nature. The deeper the level of concentration, the more its discernment is direct perception. If, within concentration, images from past lives appear, the mind consciousness also discerns them through direct perception; if realms of future lives manifest, the mind consciousness likewise discerns them through direct perception.