Does logical inference belong to direct perception?

Question: When the mind consciousness engages in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) as being without self, it performs logical thinking, analysis, and inference—does this count as direct perception?

Answer: When the mind consciousness deliberates and engages in contemplative practice, it involves not only inference and non-valid cognition, but also direct perception; all three forms of cognition can manifest the wisdom of the mind consciousness. The logical thinking, analysis, and inference that the mind consciousness performs when contemplating the five aggregates also involve all three forms of cognition. The higher the wisdom, the more direct perception there is; the more facts one observes, the more sufficient the evidence, and the more adequate the reasons, the more one can permeate and influence the manas, and the closer one comes to realization.

The more sufficient the evidence the mind consciousness seeks, the more it is based on direct perception, and the better. This is because the mind consciousness gathers evidence on behalf of the manas; evidence based on direct perception is persuasive, and with adequate reasons, it can be accepted by the manas. The evidence produced by the mind consciousness through non-valid cognition—imagination and fantasy—is insufficient, and the manas cannot accept it. In that case, it cannot guide and propel the deliberation (manasikāra) of the manas, and realization cannot occur.

Direct perception does not necessarily mean that one must personally experience something. Seeing events that happen to others, or events that happen to all sentient beings, all belong to observation through direct perception, as long as it accords with facts, the principles are coherent, and the logic is rigorous—that is sufficient. However, a question like the seeds of the four great elements indeed cannot be observed through direct perception, because wisdom is insufficient; it can only count as permeation and cultivation, counting as non-valid cognition—but for all Buddhas, it is direct perception. The wisdom of each of our mind consciousnesses is limited, so there are extremely many facts and truths that we cannot observe through direct perception; therefore realization is very, very difficult, and we can only realize some relatively shallow truths.

For some people, certain dharmas are difficult to contemplate; for others, they are relatively easy. The difference lies in the differing wisdom of the mind consciousness, and also the differing wisdom of the manas. For the seeds of the four great elements, all Buddhas can of course immediately observe them through direct perception, but we cannot; we can only deliberate and infer along the lines of principle, which serves the function of permeation and cultivation. Since beginningless kalpas, sentient beings in the cycle of birth and death (saṃsāra) have experienced countless sufferings of birth and death—all of this is direct perception—yet sentient beings cannot observe it through direct perception, cannot perceive it, and do not draw any lessons or experience from it, so that the cycle of birth and death continues unbroken and the sufferings never cease.