Manifestations of the Eight Consciousnesses in the Realm of the Six Dusts

The six dust realms are manifested by the eighth consciousness. The four great seeds of the eighth consciousness are constantly arising and returning upon the six dust realms moment after moment. The eighth consciousness ceaselessly upholds and maintains the six dusts moment after moment, never separating from them for an instant. With such intimate contact, how could the eighth consciousness fail to cognize the six dust realms? If the eighth consciousness did not cognize the six dust realms, how could it alter them moment by moment, and how could it cause the six dusts to continuously manifest various changes?

The eighth consciousness cognizes the six dust realms just as a computer cognizes a program, or as a robot cognizes instructions—it cognizes without discriminating. Cognition is knowing; discrimination is knowing the specifics of how. The eighth consciousness cognizes the six dust realms but does not know directions like east, west, south, north, or center. It does not know the good or evil, beautiful or ugly, right or wrong, straight or crooked within the six dusts. It does not know what the six dusts are. Therefore, the eighth consciousness faces the six dusts unmoving, without generating mental activity or thoughts, without emotions, without sensation, without mental formations, and without creating karmic actions. Since it has no karmic actions, it also has no karmic results. Because the eighth consciousness is as unfeeling as wood, it is characterized by neutral feeling. Because it has neutral feeling, its mind-ground is pure, free from desires, free from seeking, inactive, devoid of any vows or volitional actions. Hence, it is said to be an unconditioned dharma.

What is the manifestation of the seventh consciousness when facing the six dust realms? Grasping, craving, aversion, hatred, and so forth. From the seventh consciousness's response to the six dust realms, it is evident that it is often not in a state of neutral feeling. Its emotions are intense and abnormal, its inner state restless like a monkey. Why is this so? The seventh consciousness knows good and evil, right and wrong, straight and crooked. It knows what is beneficial or harmful, gainful or loss-inducing for itself. The seventh consciousness harbors the notion of "I." It invariably views things from the standpoint of "I," invariably seeks to protect its own interests, and invariably experiences thoughts and emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure. When facing objects, if the mind is not tranquil, then it is not neutral feeling. If it were neutral feeling, the mental state would be peaceful, mental activity would be inactive, and whatever the object might be would be acceptable—it would be a matter of indifference.