The World of Black Boxes (Part 6)

The inner manifestation shadows—all dharmas we come into contact with and cognize are inner manifestation shadows within the black box. The so-called inner manifestation refers to the shadow manifested by the eighth consciousness at the superior sense faculties based on the outer manifestation. For example, when we sit on a bed, we are sitting on the shadow of the outer bed, not truly sitting on the substantial outer bed itself. That relatively real bed composed of the four great elements—our physical body fundamentally cannot contact it; our body consciousness cannot touch the actual outer bed; only the eighth consciousness can contact the outer material five dusts. As for the outer five dusts, they are jointly manifested by the eighth consciousnesses of sentient beings with karmic connections; they do not belong to us alone—all sentient beings with karmic connections have a share in them.

Therefore, that outer bed might be sat on by others; others might even move it to their own homes. However, the bed others sit on is the inner manifestation shadow manifested by their own eighth consciousness based on the outer bed; it is not the relatively real outer bed. The body consciousnesses of all sentient beings like us can only contact the inner manifestation shadow of the bed. This shadow is an illusion, manifested individually by our own eighth consciousness based on the relatively real bed, for our exclusive enjoyment. No one else, no matter what, can enjoy it. Only this shadow constitutes private property; everything else is public property.

We feel that the bed we sit on is truly solid and real, and we genuinely believe we are sitting on it. In reality, it is merely a shadow; our body consciousness is contacting and perceiving a shadow. Since beginningless kalpas, sentient beings have been mistaking various shadows for reality, generating mental activity within them—discriminating, clinging, and deluded thinking. In truth, all sensations are a kind of illusion. We perceive the bed as very firm, or very soft, very comfortable—yet those sensations of softness and hardness are illusions. They are feelings arising after our body consciousness and mind consciousness discriminate against the shadow. It is like a monkey seeing the moon reflected in water, mistaking it for the real moon, reaching out to grasp it, only to catch nothing.

It is like a dog seeing its own reflection in a mirror, mistaking it for another dog, and thus barking loudly, trying to chase away the dog in the mirror. Since beginningless kalpas, we have been similarly foolish, no different from that dog or monkey. The Buddha once gave an analogy: sentient beings chasing after the objects of the six dusts are like a foolish dog chasing clods. If someone throws a clod, it immediately runs after it; when the wind rustles the grass, the foolish dog thinks something significant is happening, barks furiously towards the moving grass, unable even to distinguish a mere rustle caused by the wind. Therefore, the Buddha, out of compassion for us, descended to the human realm to teach us the Mahayana true reality Dharma, enabling us to depart from all false appearances and return to the true mind of emptiness.

Similarly, when we sit on a chair, it is the same—we are contacting a shadow, then generating false sensations. When we feel sunlight shining upon us, we are also contacting the shadow of the outer sunlight, then generating the false sensations of heat and warmth. All sensations are similarly false and unreal. In reality, we cannot contact the actual sunlight, nor can we contact the genuine outer breeze. What we contact are all the shadow appearances manifested by the eighth consciousness transforming sunlight and breeze; we never touch the real sunlight or breeze. Therefore, the feeling that the sunlight is warm and comforting, that the breeze feels refreshing—these sensations are all illusions, false feelings. What the six consciousnesses can discriminate are all shadow appearances, which then give rise to various feelings; these feelings are all illusions, and these illusions are certainly not real.