How to Distinguish the Knowing of the Mind Consciousness from the Knowing of the True Mind

Question: If one can awaken to the true mind and see one's Buddha-nature upon attaining preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) and the first dhyāna, then at that time how does one distinguish whether it is the knowing of the mind consciousness or the knowing of the true mind? When awakening to the true mind, which mind is awakened to? When seeing one's Buddha-nature, what nature is seen?

Answer: If one can awaken to the true mind and see one's Buddha-nature within these two kinds of meditative concentration—preparatory concentration and the first dhyāna—it is the mind consciousness, carrying its knowing nature, that finds or comes to know the eighth consciousness, and understands the rough outline of how the eighth consciousness operates within the five aggregates (pañcaskandha). Therefore, the first dhyāna and preparatory concentration are states of meditative concentration entered by the mind consciousness; then the mind consciousness engages in deliberation (manana) and contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), thereby giving rise to wisdom and discovering the operational trajectory of the eighth consciousness—this is awakening to the true mind. Awakening to the true mind is the mind consciousness awakening to a mind; what is awakened to is the eighth consciousness. Seeing one's Buddha-nature is the mind consciousness seeing the nature and function of the eighth consciousness—that is, seeing the Buddha-nature.

The knowing and the understanding at the time of awakening to the true mind are necessarily the knowing and understanding of the mind consciousness; the objects of that knowing and understanding are both the eighth consciousness. The true mind, the eighth consciousness, does not know or understand the principle of enlightenment and awakening to the true mind; the true mind does not seek itself, does not realize itself, does not understand itself.

The mind consciousness is an excellent tool for both cultivation and daily life. It can discern all dharmas and understand all dharmas. Without the mind consciousness, sentient beings would know and understand nothing at all. When studying Buddhism and cultivating the path, one should make full use of the mind consciousness, using it to analyze, deliberate, judge, infer, and verify, and finally to understand all dharmas and realize all dharmas, using it to accomplish the Buddha-way. When we do not need to cultivate extremely deep meditative concentration, we should not weaken the function of the mind consciousness, much less extinguish it, because without the mind consciousness as a tool, nothing can be done—there can be no deliberation or contemplative practice, no investigating Chan, no gaining of profound wisdom. It is upon the mind consciousness that becoming a Buddha depends.