Explanation of the Verses on the Eight Consciousnesses (II)

Original text:眼耳身三二地居。遍行别境善十一。中二大八贪瞋痴。

Explanation: First, let us explain the concepts. The universal (sarvatraga) mental factors refer to the five universal mental factors: attention (manaskāra), contact (sparśa), feeling (vedanā), perception (saṃjñā), and volition (cetanā). The object-specific (viniyata) mental factors refer to the five object-specific mental factors: desire (chanda), determination (adhimokṣa), mindfulness (smṛti), meditative concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā). There are eleven wholesome mental factors: faith (śraddhā), shame (hrī), embarrassment (apatrāpya), non-greed (alobha), non-hatred (adveṣa), non-delusion (amoha), tranquility (praśrabdhi), diligence (apramāda), equanimity (upekṣā), and non-harmfulness (ahiṃsā). There are twenty derivative afflictive mental factors. The minor derivative afflictions: rage (krodha), resentment (upanāha), concealment (mrakṣa), spite (pradāśa), jealousy (īrṣyā), stinginess (mātsarya), deceit (māyā), dissimulation (śāṭhya), harmfulness (vihiṃsā), and arrogance (mada). The middle derivative afflictions: shamelessness (āhrīkya) and lack of embarrassment (anapatrāpya). The major derivative afflictions: restlessness (auddhatya), torpor (styāna), lack of faith (āśraddhya), laziness (kausīdya), non-diligence (pramāda), forgetfulness (muṣitasmṛtitā), and non-discernment (asaṃprajanya). The root afflictions include greed, hatred, and delusion.

Among the five consciousnesses, the three consciousnesses of eye consciousness, ear consciousness, and body consciousness exist only in two realms: the desire realm and the first dhyāna of the form realm. In the realms above the second dhyāna, none of the five consciousnesses exist, including these three. The nose consciousness and tongue consciousness can only exist in the desire realm; in the realms above the first dhyāna of the form realm, they no longer exist, because the devas of the form realm do not use smell or taste, and instead take the bliss of dhyāna as their food.

The five consciousnesses possess the five universal mental factors and can contact the five sense objects; before and after contact, they can direct attention toward the five sense objects; after contact, they can receive the five sense objects, can perceive light and darkness, can perceive dazzling brightness and dim gloom—this is the mental factor of feeling; the mind will have the mark of the form sense object, with a mark of light or darkness—this is the mental factor of perception; there is discernment and confirmation—this is the mental factor of volition; after confirmation, together with the consciousness accompanied by the five senses, the form sense object is uploaded to the manas, and after the manas makes its decision, further instructions follow.

When eye consciousness encounters dazzling strong light, the eyes close rapidly. Is this the eye consciousness avoiding the strong light, the body consciousness avoiding the strong light, or the manas choosing to avoid the strong light? Eye consciousness only has the function of discerning form sense objects; it has no function of opening and closing. Opening and closing belongs to the activity of the body faculty; the eyelids are part of the body faculty and are governed by the body consciousness and the manas. Closing the eyes is a decision of the manas; after the decision, the body consciousness and the mind consciousness cooperate to close the eyes. It can be seen that it is the manas that directs the operation of the five consciousnesses, and even the consciousness accompanied by the five senses must turn according to the manas's intentions. Only the solitary consciousness has its own independent thoughts, and can influence the manas, offering suggestions and making requests to the manas.

This shows that the five consciousnesses have no autonomy; they are like tools, not even counting as robots—they operate in cooperation however the manas directs them, without their own thoughts and ideas, completely passively obedient. So what wholesome or unwholesome mental factors could such passive tools possibly have? First, the five consciousnesses do not have the eleven wholesome mental factors. First, the five consciousnesses have no mental factor of faith, because the object of faith is the mental sense object, the true principle; the five consciousnesses only correspond to the five sense objects, not to the mental sense object, let alone to matters and principles—how could there be talk of faith or lack of faith? Before birth, faith or disbelief is not involved; after birth, they are governed by the manas, discerning, identifying, and confirming among the five sense objects, with no faith or disbelief.

Next, the mental factors of shame and embarrassment—these are mental factors of self-reproach and regret that only the solitary consciousness can have. The five consciousnesses have no power of deliberation, nor any thoughts of their own—how could they have a mind of shame and embarrassment? Facing the objects of the five sense objects, how could they have thoughts of recollection, reminiscence, introspection, and self-examination, thereby giving rise to a mind of shame and embarrassment? This simply does not make sense.

Next, the mental factor of tranquility: the four consciousnesses of eye, ear, nose, and tongue have no tranquility; only the body consciousness can, together with the mind consciousness, feel tranquility. As for the mental factor of diligence, also called effort: the manas and the solitary consciousness have effort, but the five consciousnesses and the consciousness accompanied by the five senses do not. The eye consciousness and mind consciousness see forms and discern forms day and night without rest; on the surface this looks very diligent, but it is mechanical, automated behavior, an automated process like a robot, regulated by the program behind it. When the director behind is diligent, the robot must run without cease, without its own thoughts and will. Because the manas and the solitary consciousness are diligent, the five consciousnesses and the consciousness accompanied by the five senses have no choice but to continue day and night.

Next, the mental factor of equanimity: the intention to abandon some harmful behavior—this thought exists in the manas and the solitary consciousness; the five consciousnesses, which can only correspond to the five sense objects, do not have such thoughts; their single functions do not permit it, as it exceeds their preset operating range. Next, the mental factor of non-harmfulness: the five consciousnesses do not have it either, for the same reason as equanimity. Finally, the three mental factors of non-greed, non-hatred, and non-delusion: because the five consciousnesses do not correspond to the mental sense object and have no thoughts of greed, hatred, or delusion, they likewise have no thoughts of non-greed, non-hatred, or non-delusion. Greed is necessarily greed for dharmas; the five consciousnesses do not correspond to dharmas and have no functional authority to discern and contemplate dharmas, so greed and non-greed cannot arise; the same applies to hatred and delusion. Therefore, one must observe each consciousness individually to know the nature of each consciousness; one cannot lump all the consciousnesses together and speak of them as one—mistaking the combined nature for that of a single consciousness is a great error.

By the same reasoning, the five consciousnesses also have no afflictive mental factors whatsoever—whether major derivative afflictions, minor derivative afflictions, or root afflictions, they have none at all. The five consciousnesses are like marionettes, pulled by the strings of the manas, completely obeying the manas's will, striking wherever directed, with no autonomy whatsoever—how could they give rise to afflictions? What would they be afflicted about? The objects of affliction are all mental sense objects, which can only be pondered and considered by the solitary consciousness; the five consciousnesses cannot overstep their boundaries—the functions do not match, just as a key can only open a lock, cannot light a fire to cook, cannot simmer soup. When two robots quarrel with each other, sharp-tongued, neither yielding to the other, yet the tone and pitch of their speech are perfectly steady, without rise and fall, at a speed neither fast nor slow, without any emotion, as if reading from a script, without the slightest affliction, because this is controlled and determined by the program. The five consciousnesses are the same, without the slightest affliction, turning according to the will of the manas.

Next, the five object-specific mental factors. First, the mental factor of desire: intending, planning, wanting to achieve a goal, and so on—only a consciousness that corresponds to the mental sense object can have this function; the five consciousnesses cannot possibly have it before they arise, and after arising, they must completely obey the manas's instructions moment by moment—what plans of their own could they have? What opportunity would they have to give rise to such thoughts? Second, the mental factor of determination: the five consciousnesses can determine with certainty the objects of the five sense objects they discern, able to confirm quickly without hesitation; therefore the five consciousnesses have the mental factor of determination. Third, the mental factor of mindfulness: the five consciousnesses do not have it, due to the limitations of their functions—just as a robot can never have thoughts no matter what, everything is within the settings of the human-made program, with no autonomy. The five consciousnesses are also like AI, completely programmed, without their own thoughts or ideas. They are like a broom or a mop, completely directed and controlled, without any thoughts or ideas at all.

Fourth, the mental factor of meditative concentration: the five consciousnesses can remain fixed on a single sense object for a long time, discerning it, but this is determined by the manas; it is because the manas and the solitary consciousness have the power of meditative concentration that the stability of the five consciousnesses can be maintained. Fifth, the mental factor of wisdom: the five consciousnesses can identify the objects of the five sense objects completely correctly—this is wisdom; therefore they have the mental factor of wisdom. To summarize: the five consciousnesses have the mental factors of determination and wisdom, but not the other three. All the wholesome and unwholesome mental factors are fully possessed only by the manas and the solitary consciousness, which give rise to the wholesome or the unwholesome according to circumstances, or the indeterminate (avyākṛta)—the three natures turn according to the mind.