How Does the Nature of Seeing, Hearing, Feeling, and Knowing in Sentient Beings Arise?

The eighth consciousness inherently contains the seeds of the seven great elements, and these seeds of the seven great elements constantly abide within the eighth consciousness; one of them is the seed of the consciousness element. When the eighth consciousness transmits the seeds of consciousness, the first seven consciousnesses are produced. After the tathāgatagarbha outputs the seeds of consciousness for the first seven consciousnesses, the first seven consciousnesses begin to operate. Among them, the operation of the seventh consciousness takes place in the form of mental factors (caittas). Among the mental factors of the seventh consciousness, there are the five universal mental factors and the five particular mental factors, and in the mental factors of the seventh consciousness of ordinary beings, there are also afflictive mental factors such as the defiled nature of greed, hatred, and delusion.

When the seventh consciousness becomes manifest, it operates in the form of mental factors; the prerequisite for its manifestation is that the eighth consciousness must transmit seeds of consciousness to Him, and the eighth consciousness transmits seeds of consciousness to the seventh consciousness moment by moment—in a single finger-snap it transmits eighty-one thousand arising-and-ceasing seeds (the number is merely a metaphor, indicating that the quantity of seeds output in one instant is extremely large). One seed arises and then ceases; another seed arises in its place, and then ceases again; arising and ceasing, ceasing and arising again—thus is formed the continuous, unbroken operation of the seventh consciousness since beginningless kalpas. The operation of the seventh consciousness takes place in the form of mental factors, and the five universal mental factors constantly accompany the seventh consciousness in its continuous functioning.

If the seventh consciousness wishes to discern the six sense objects, it gives rise to the volition mental factor (cetanā), and the eighth consciousness cooperates with Him to give birth to the six consciousnesses. The eye faculty turns toward form objects, the ear faculty turns toward sound objects, the nose faculty turns toward scent objects, the tongue faculty turns toward taste objects, the body faculty turns toward tangible objects, and the manas turns toward mental objects. When the six faculties and the six sense objects make contact, corresponding one to another, the eighth consciousness immediately transmits the seeds of consciousness of the six consciousnesses. The eye consciousness then begins to move; the seeds of the eye consciousness arise one by one, extremely rapidly, arising moment by moment, arising and then ceasing, arising and then ceasing again—thus is formed the discerning nature of the eye consciousness over a period of time. The discerning nature of the eye consciousness also operates in the form of mental factors, mainly operating through the five universal mental factors; of course, the eye consciousness also has some wholesome mental factors, some afflictive mental factors, and sometimes the five particular mental factors must also become manifest. The other consciousnesses are likewise.

When the eighth consciousness outputs seeds of consciousness for the sixth consciousness, the sixth consciousness is born; the seeds of consciousness are transmitted moment by moment, forming a continuous operation of the consciousness-mind, just as water flowing out drop by drop forms a stream. The consciousness-mind, like a stream of water, has momentum and can perform functions such as recognition, discernment, thinking, and judgment. If the sixth consciousness must discern many dharmas, its power of discrimination will inevitably weaken, and it cannot discern mental objects very clearly; the power of wisdom cannot arise—this is the result of the manas grasping everywhere. But if the manas reduces its grasping and lessens its attention, allowing the mind consciousness to discern only one kind of mental object, the sixth consciousness can make detailed discrimination on a single dharma; the eighth consciousness only channels the seeds of the consciousness-mind toward this one mental object, and in this way the discriminative power of the consciousness-mind becomes strong, the discernment is clear, the power of wisdom is strong, and wisdom can be born.

Then, these seeds of consciousness return one by one to the eighth consciousness, are again generated from the eighth consciousness, and return again—circulating and operating ceaselessly like a circulating water pump—and in this way the sixth consciousness continues discriminating without pause. The operation of the sixth consciousness also takes place in the form of mental factors: the five universal mental factors certainly accompany the operation of the mind consciousness, and there are also the other five particular mental factors, as well as wholesome and afflictive mental factors, and mental factors that are neither wholesome nor unwholesome—sometimes all these mental factors accompany the sixth consciousness in its functioning. Through the continuous operation of these mental factors, the seven consciousnesses can discern all realms of the world, and thus we have the nature of seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing, and can discern all the dharmas of this world.