How Can One Truly Realize the Eighth Consciousness?

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: 法不可见闻觉知，若行见闻觉知，是则见闻觉知，非求法也。What does this sentence mean? The original meaning is that the dharma of the eighth consciousness is not something that can be seen and realized by means of seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing. If you use the methods of seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing to understand Him, then what is seen can only be your own seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing, and you will not see the eighth consciousness. Using the methods of seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing to know the eighth consciousness is not the method for realizing the eighth consciousness; it is impossible to realize the Path this way.

The dharma in the original text refers to the fundamental essence and source of sentient beings, the eighth consciousness. This dharma is essentially different from all other dharmas; this dharma determines all dharmas. For beginningless kalpas, sentient beings have all been lost, and that is why they constantly chase after false dharmas and branches and leaves, not knowing to seek the source. Only after knowing that there is a source will one know how to seek the source, return to the source, and revert to simplicity and truth. How can one trace back to the source? Those who do not know how to seek will use the functions of seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing to search; the vast majority of people are like this, and in the end they may not even see a shadow of the eighth consciousness. Even if they see the shadow, it is of no use; they still cannot return to the source.

What are seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing? Seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing are the functions of the six consciousnesses: the eye sees, the ear hears, the nose smells, the tongue tastes, the body touches, and the mind knows. This is the way the six consciousnesses discern the objects of the six sense objects. Using the mode of discerning the six sense objects to seek and discern the eighth consciousness is mismatched, because the eighth consciousness differs from the six sense objects in very obvious and enormous ways. Seeing the eighth consciousness should not use the same method as seeing the six sense objects. Therefore, the Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: 若行见闻觉知，是则见闻觉知，非求法也。Savor this sentence carefully; it is especially important. When the methods and means are wrong, the goal cannot be achieved and the objective cannot be realized.

The meaning of the sūtra text clearly says: seeing the eighth consciousness is not the function of seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing of the six consciousnesses. Then what function is it? Who sees the eighth consciousness? Here the functions of the mind consciousness are clearly negated; it is not seeing in the way the mind consciousness does. What functions does the mind consciousness have? Reasoning, thinking, analyzing, imagining, organizing, summarizing, concluding, comparing, and so on. That is to say, using these functions to see the eighth consciousness, one simply cannot see the substance of the eighth consciousness; if one truly believes one has seen it, what is seen can only be a shadow and a substitute. If someone uses the conscious mind to search out the eighth consciousness and believes that they have seen the mind, become enlightened, and realized the Path, that is an enormous misunderstanding, and the Great Master Vimalakīrti does not permit it. If it is something the Great Master does not permit, yet one insists on it anyway, then one bears the consequences oneself—as long as one can bear them.

Therefore, in the final analysis, it is still the patriarchs' method of realization that is true and not false—neither deceiving themselves nor deceiving others; at the very least it does not disgrace Buddhism, and their conscience can be at ease. As the saying goes, if the master, the manas, does not realize enlightenment, what use can the actions of the mind consciousness, as an auxiliary tool, possibly be? If the master has not opened His mouth to speak, everything said does not count. Therefore, to realize any dharma, including worldly dharmas, the master, the manas, must personally realize it; only what is seen with one's own eyes is called personal realization. Only then can there be functional enjoyment, only then can all illusory dharmas be transformed, only then can it be thorough and ultimate, and only then is it true and not false.