What Does It Mean to Rely on Wisdom Rather Than on Consciousness?

When the Buddha was about to enter parinirvāṇa, He instructed His disciples that in studying and practicing the Buddhadharma, they must strictly follow the four reliances and four non-reliances: rely on the Dharma, not on persons; rely on wisdom, not on consciousness; rely on the meaning, not on the words; rely on the definitive meaning, not on the non-definitive meaning. Although there are only these four principles, they are extremely difficult to practice, and the vast majority of people cannot accomplish them.

Among them, relying on wisdom rather than on consciousness is something that neither ordinary people nor ordinary bodhisattvas can achieve. First of all, this wisdom is not something ordinary people can possess in full. This wisdom is transformed from the consciousness of ordinary beings and from the consciousness of pre-bhūmi bodhisattvas (pūrvabhūmika bodhisattva) at the stage of worthies who have seen the Path; it is the wisdom that comes after the transformation of consciousness into wisdom—the wonderful observing wisdom (prajñā) of the mind consciousness and the wisdom of equality of the manas. It is the wisdom of the seed-wisdom of Yogācāra, the profound great wisdom possessed by bhūmi-pratiṣṭhita bodhisattvas. The Buddha warned sentient beings: "Beware of trusting your own mind, for your mind is not to be trusted." Only after attaining the fruit of an arhat may one trust one's own mind.

At the time of His parinirvāṇa, He further instructed that one must rely on the Yogācāra seed-wisdom of bhūmi-pratiṣṭhita bodhisattvas, relying on the wonderful observing wisdom and the wisdom of equality. Viewed this way, the World-Honored One's two instructions echo and corroborate each other, consistent from beginning to end, encompassing the entire study and practice of both the Mahāyāna and the Hīnayāna.

Why did the World-Honored One emphasize this so strongly and demand this so strictly of His disciples? Because one who has attained the fruit of an arhat has severed all afflictions, has completely eliminated fundamental ignorance, and has liberation wisdom manifesting before him; his wisdom is no longer obscured or obstructed, and his views and concepts are equal to the thought of the Hīnayāna path of liberation. Only then is he free from errors and omissions, and only then may one rely on his views of liberation. As for bhūmi-pratiṣṭhita bodhisattvas who have accomplished the transformation of consciousness into wisdom, they have also severed the obstruction of afflictions, with only very subtle grasping at self not yet completely eliminated; they possess profound wonderful observing wisdom and wisdom of equality. Their Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna wisdom is extremely deep and sharp, their views are thorough and penetrating, and only their views on all Buddhadharma may be relied upon. As for everyone else, the Buddha said: "Beware of trusting your own mind," because they have the obstruction of afflictions and lack wisdom, and their errors and omissions are relatively serious.