The modes of activity of all eight consciousnesses can be observed through direct perception (pratyakṣa).

After realization and awakening, especially when one has attained the wisdom of the varieties of paths, one can directly perceive the modes of activity of the tathāgatagarbha and clearly distinguish them from the modes of activity of the seven consciousnesses, without falling into the seven consciousnesses and the five aggregates. It is like red beans and mung beans mixed together—one can immediately sort them out, as distinct as the clear and muddy waters of the Jing and Wei rivers, without the slightest ambiguity. Within the body of the five aggregates, no matter which dharma's operation one observes, one can immediately observe how the tathāgatagarbha operates and how the six consciousnesses operate; the operation of the seventh consciousness is relatively difficult to observe, but at a certain point it too should be observable. In the process of directly perceiving the modes of activity of the eight consciousnesses, the modes of activity of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses perhaps cannot be separated and are easily confused, but the mode of activity of the tathāgatagarbha should be quickly discernible, so that it is not confused with the sixth and seventh consciousnesses, leaving one unable to tell the true from the deluded.

Therefore, the tathāgatagarbha can be directly realized. Although the essence of the tathāgatagarbha cannot be seen, its modes of activity and its functions can be directly observed; through the characteristics and functions of the tathāgatagarbha, one can realize its invisible essence. The essence of the tathāgatagarbha is fundamentally different from the essence of worldly dharmas. The essence of worldly dharmas—the realms of the six sense objects—can be seen and discerned by the five sense consciousnesses, and the mind consciousness can discern them even more easily, but the tathāgatagarbha is not like this. Therefore, the modes of activity of the tathāgatagarbha are extremely subtle; when one's prajñā wisdom is insufficient, one simply cannot see or observe it. This is why so many people say that the tathāgatagarbha is merely a name, that its essence is empty and does not exist. Such a misunderstanding is enormous, and it creates great obstructions to one's own bodhisattva path and career, so that the attainment of buddhahood becomes indefinitely distant.