Direct Perception and Discernment of the Six Consciousnesses (I)

What we usually refer to as the realm of direct perception (pratyakṣa) means the various realms that are happening right now, at this very moment, in the present. Direct-perception discernment means that the six consciousnesses can observe, discern, and personally verify the actual existence of certain dharmas in the six sense-objects as they are presently manifest, without comparative thinking, comparison, imagination, inference, or other mental activities; what is discerned is the true fact. The first five consciousnesses discern the five sense-objects entirely through direct perception, discerning the five sense-objects that currently exist, that are happening and operating right now. The sixth consciousness has the discernment of three valid cognitions: inference, erroneous cognition, and direct perception; yet the sixth consciousness can also discern through direct perception the realms that currently exist. In many situations, however, the discernment of the sixth consciousness is inferential or erroneous. When the six consciousnesses discern realms through direct perception, they discern the present moment, the realms that exist right before them, without comparison, imagination, or investigation; the result of such discernment completely accords with the facts—this is called direct-perception discernment.

When the mind consciousness discerns a realm present before it—for example, while observing the mountains, rivers, and the great earth before one's eyes—at this time the eye consciousness discerns through direct perception the visible colors of the mountains, rivers, and the great earth, such as the hues of the landscape and the colors of the land; upon seeing forms, this is the scene that first enters the eyes. The mind consciousness, on the other hand, discerns the shapes, expressive features, and non-expressive features of the mountains, rivers, and the great earth. For example, the size, height, and shape of mountains, the length, width, and depth of rivers—these are shapes. The contours of mountains, the momentum of rivers, the state of the flowing water, and so on are expressive features. The loftiness, steepness, bareness, and uprightness of mountains; the surging, depth, and tranquility of water—these are non-expressive features. All these realms exist presently; what can be observed and identified by the mind consciousness in the present is the realm of direct perception. Without comparison, without fantasy, the discernment is real; therefore both the mind consciousness and the eye consciousness are discerning through direct perception. The mind consciousness also has inferential and erroneous discernment. Some realms can only be discerned clearly and understood through comparison, imagination, and thinking—this is the inferential discernment of the mind consciousness. Of course, there may also occur situations of mistaken discernment, mistaken judgment, and mistaken thinking; such erroneous discernment necessarily belongs to erroneous cognition.

When thinking and judgment are mistaken, compounded by insufficient experience and wisdom, the conclusions drawn by inference are often erroneous conclusions. When the conclusion does not accord with the facts, it is not discernment in accordance with reality; discernment not in accordance with reality is erroneous cognition, because such discernment does not match the actual situation. Among ignorant sentient beings, the probability of erroneous cognition is relatively high; among the solitary mental consciousness, the probability of erroneous cognition is also relatively high; and among people with abnormal nerves and minds, the probability of erroneous cognition is even greater. For example, a person is wolfing down some kind of food, eating as if it were very delicious. The person beside him thinks: this food he is eating must be very tasty—otherwise how could he eat it with such relish—not realizing at all that the person has been hungry for a long time, so anything he eats seems delicious. This person then joins in and eats it too, but after the first bite and a moment of chewing, he immediately spits it out; he senses a moldy taste in the food and feels nauseated. This is an erroneous discernment of inference, a mistaken judgment caused by insufficient experience. Examples like this are extremely numerous, beyond count.