The Three Valid Cognitions of the Seven Consciousnesses

The discernment of the six sense objects by the seventh consciousness is divided into three valid cognitions: direct perception (pratyakṣa), inference (anumāna), and erroneous cognition (non-valid cognition).

Direct perception is the discernment of what is present, currently existing, actively operating, actually existing, real, and truly existent dharma—not virtual, not false dharma.

Inference is discernment through comparing two or more dharmas with each other; the determination of matters and principles necessarily requires a reference point, otherwise one cannot distinguish. It can be seen that in inferential discernment wisdom is insufficient, and not much wisdom is needed. Direct perception, on the other hand, has no reference point; it relies entirely on wisdom to discern the present moment.

Erroneous cognition is the discernment of what is not presently existing, not currently present, not truly existent—imagined, fabricated, fantasized, unreal dharma, false dharma, not personally connected, not personally realized, illusorily existent dharma. This kind of discernment has two extremes: one is the wisdom type with rich imagination, and the other is the purely delusive type without bounds, which fails to manifest the wisdom of direct perception.

All five sense consciousnesses discern by direct perception; what they discern is all presently existing, truly existent dharma, not fabricated. The five sense consciousnesses cannot imagine, nor can they infer; whatever the present dharma is like, that is exactly what they discern—they cannot fantasize. However, the five sense consciousnesses also have moments of erroneous discernment, such as mistaking the color of material form—seeing red as green, or mistaking a male voice for a female voice. These are all erroneous cognition, and this only happens when the five faculties, such as the eye faculty, have problems.

The mind consciousness can discern through direct perception, inference, and erroneous cognition; its range of discernment is broad, and it can discern both unreal and false dharmas, being able to imagine, fantasize, and compare through deliberation. The discernment of the manas is relatively deep, subtle, and hard to know. The manas's wisdom in discerning the six sense objects is indeed not detailed enough; it cannot compare two dharmas against each other in its discernment, and therefore has no inference. The manas cannot imagine, cannot fantasize, cannot make groundless guesses; it cannot perform these kinds of erroneous cognition.

Although the manas has only direct perception, discerning only dharmas that currently exist and truly exist, it always engages in mistaken cognition of these presently present, truly existent dharmas, taking all dharmas as self and belonging to self, when in fact none of them are. Since its cognition is mistaken and not actual, it is also erroneous cognition to a certain degree—self-assumed, not actual, inconsistent with facts; it is a deluded state, and delusion is erroneous cognition. Direct perception accords with facts, accords with reality, accords with truth. Therefore, only the eighth consciousness possesses true direct perception, without a trace of inference or erroneous cognition; what it discerns is the true appearance of all dharmas—not the realm of the six sense objects, not the worldly realm. Whatever the manas thinks is not truth. Therefore, throughout the cultivation of three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas, it must gradually be led to recognize truth and realize truth, transforming its delusions and false thoughts into the wisdom of direct perception, removing its grasping at the non-Dharma, and returning all dharmas to their true master. When it no longer possesses any dharma, the transformation of the manas is complete. From then on, all burdens are eliminated, and it is thoroughly liberated from the bondage of all dharmas, ascending to the Buddha's throne. At that point, the mission of the mind consciousness comes to an end; there is no longer any need to study any dharma, nor any need to further permeate the manas.

Since the manas cannot perform erroneous cognition, how then does the mind consciousness's erroneous cognition arise and continue? After the manas decides on a certain matter, the mind consciousness carries it out concretely, and in the execution it adopts the form of erroneous cognition; the manas then takes the content discerned by the mind consciousness as direct perception and deliberates and decides upon it. For example, visualizing Buddha-light shining upon one's own material body is erroneous cognition, but once the visualization succeeds and the material body truly becomes healthy, it becomes direct perception. If one truly visualizes the Buddha-light into appearance, and the Buddha truly radiates light shining upon oneself, then the visualization of Buddha-light is direct perception, and the health of the material body is also direct perception. The visualization is decided by the manas and executed by the mind consciousness. During the visualization, it is the mind consciousness's subjective imagination; when meditative concentration is deep, wherever the mind consciousness visualizes, the manas discerns along with it. The manas takes the content of the mind consciousness's visualization as a presently present state and discerns it, which belongs to direct perception; the mind consciousness's visualization is erroneous cognition of deliberative imagination, and when its results manifest before one as reality, all become direct perception.