Excerpt from the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment

Original text of the Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment: 善男子。但诸菩萨。及末世众生。居一切时。不起妄念。于诸妄心。亦不息灭。住妄想境。不加了知。于无了知。不辨真实。彼诸众生。闻是法门。信解受持。不生惊畏。是则名为。随顺觉性。善男子。汝等当知。如是众生。已曾供养。百千万亿。恒河沙诸佛。及大菩萨，植众德本。佛说是人。名为成就。一切种智。

Explanation: This refers to the self-abiding realm of the tathāgatagarbha; it describes the nature of the tathāgatagarbha, not a realm in which the seven consciousnesses should abide. The nature of the tathāgatagarbha is such that at all times it never gives rise to deluded thoughts, yet it also never extinguishes the deluded mind of the seven consciousnesses. The tathāgatagarbha is manifest in all kinds of deluded states of realm, but the tathāgatagarbha never knows these deluded states of realm; nor does the tathāgatagarbha know that it does not know these deluded states of realm. As for its own not-knowing, the tathāgatagarbha never discriminates its authenticity, and it does not know that it has such a nature. Only bodhisattvas possessing the wisdom of the varieties of paths can understand these subtle and profound aspects of the tathāgatagarbha's nature; therefore this is the bodhisattvas' accord with the nature of enlightenment upon attaining the bhūmis.

To recognize and accept this realm of the tathāgatagarbha's nature is itself cultivation; one who truly reaches this realm is a Buddha. That is a world of rationality—the realm of the tathāgatagarbha. The knowing minds of great bodhisattvas cannot achieve this, let alone ordinary beings. As stated above, "hearing this dharma gate"—this is a dharma gate, the dharma gate of the tathāgatagarbha. To be able to have faith in, understand, accept, and practice this dharma gate of the tathāgatagarbha is the accord with the nature of enlightenment of bodhisattvas who have attained the bhūmis; only bodhisattvas on the bhūmis can truly understand and accord with it. When this accord with the nature of enlightenment reaches perfection, it is the perfectly accomplished nature of enlightenment of all Buddhas. At this point, such a sentient being has already made offerings to hundreds of thousands of millions of nayutas of Buddhas and great bodhisattvas, and has planted the roots of manifold virtues; only then can one realize the wisdom of all aspects (sarvākārajñatā) and perfectly accomplish the Buddha way.

The above is explained from the perspective of the tathāgatagarbha. If explained from the perspective of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses, the above realm is the profound realm of meditative concentration and wisdom of great bodhisattvas who have attained the bhūmis. Having cultivated to the stage of attaining the bhūmis, the sixth and seventh consciousnesses of these bodhisattvas have already been transformed into wisdom, and they possess a considerable degree of the seed-wisdom of Consciousness-Only. At this time, the sixth and seventh consciousnesses of the bodhisattvas have long ceased giving rise to deluded thoughts—mainly it is the manas that no longer gives rise to deluded thoughts, and thus the mind consciousness has no deluded thoughts to give rise to either. However, the sixth and seventh consciousnesses still need to function; there is still deluded mind that must operate. For the sake of benefiting themselves and others and delivering sentient beings, the bodhisattvas do not extinguish the deluded mind, thinking nothing and doing nothing; they also at times abide within deluded states of realm. Yet within these deluded states of realm, the bodhisattvas are without mind (无心); they do not deliberately know or discern this state, and regarding the deluded states of realm that they do not know, they do not discriminate whether it is a real realm or a deluded realm. Such is the case when a bodhisattva is without mind and profound in concentration and wisdom.

The higher one cultivates, the closer the sixth and seventh consciousnesses come to the mind-nature of the tathāgatagarbha, and the further they depart from the consciousness-nature of ordinary beings' sixth and seventh consciousnesses. The sixth and seventh consciousnesses of great bodhisattvas who have attained the bhūmis are of the nature of wisdom; they deeply know the illusory and unreal nature of states of realm, and therefore they are often without mind toward states of realm, giving rise to no thoughts or conceptions. The sixth and seventh consciousnesses of ordinary beings and bodhisattvas at the stage of faith are of the nature of consciousness; their cognition of states of realm is not yet deep and thorough—they may even be unable to see through them—and so there are thoughts, ideas, and aspirations; analyzing, comparing, judging, and making all kinds of discriminations about states of realm, and the arising of mind and mental activity, all stem from an inability to see through. The less one can see through states of realm, the more ideas one has, the more complicated one's thinking, the more affairs one has, the busier one is, the more disputes arise, and the more karmic obstructions and afflictions one has. The more afflictions and karmic obstructions one has, the less clearly one can see states of realm—thus the vicious cycle continues. Such is the case for people of low wisdom.