The Significant Difference Between Conceptual Understanding and Actual Realization

This knowing is primarily the knowing of consciousness, with the knowing of the manas (mental faculty) underlying it. The knowing attained through enlightenment is wisdom-based knowing, distinct from the knowing prior to enlightenment. Before enlightenment, consciousness speculates about the Tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature), while the manas remains unaware of the true reality of the Dharma realm, clinging to the five aggregates as the self; neither consciousness possesses wisdom. After enlightenment, consciousness realizes the Tathāgatagarbha, and the manas comes to know the true reality of the Dharma realm. This wisdom is then extraordinary; afflictions gradually fall away, ignorance gradually diminishes, self-attachment becomes increasingly lighter, and ultimately, the transformation of consciousness into wisdom is achieved. Therefore, true enlightenment necessarily involves the enlightenment of the manas as well. Otherwise, the manas lacks the wisdom of enlightenment, cannot eradicate afflictions, and cannot transform consciousness into wisdom.

After enlightenment, it is only through realization that one truly knows; words cannot express it exhaustively. It is like a person tasting honey—the sweetness is known only to oneself. No matter how one describes it to others, they can only understand conceptually and cannot genuinely experience it, because it is not personally tasted or directly perceived. Thus, the intellectual understanding derived from consciousness speculating about the Tathāgatagarbha and the actual realization attained by the manas directly realizing the Tathāgatagarbha differ vastly in wisdom and benefit. The subsequent spiritual practice is as different as heaven and earth.