Contemplative Practice (Vipaśyanā-caryā) on Consciousness

The dharmas that the mind consciousness takes as its object include the mental sense-objects of the Image-Only Object, and the mental sense-objects that manifest simultaneously with the five sense-objects. What the solitary mental consciousness takes as its objects in recollection, delusive thoughts, fantasies, and so on are all Image-Only Objects; with regard to Image-Only Objects, it is relatively easy to observe and judge that they are illusory shadows. However, when the eyes see forms, it is not so easy for the mind consciousness, in observing the mental sense-objects, to clearly recognize that they are shadows.

To the mind consciousness, everything seems illusory and unreal, so why is it that when encountering sense objects, it still follows along with them and is swayed by them? It is because when the mind consciousness first begins contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), the depth and breadth of its contemplative practice are insufficient, and its scope is rather narrow; the various dharmas cannot be connected together coherently, and thus it cannot effectively permeate and motivate the manas. The mind consciousness's contemplative practice has not yet gained the manas's acceptance, has not penetrated deep into the manas's mind, and the manas's views have not changed. Consequently, when encountering sense objects and making decisions, the manas still takes the sense objects as real, and as the master, it directs the mind consciousness to treat the sense objects as real.