Saṃyukta Āgama (289), Part Two

(2) However, foolish ordinary beings without learning cannot develop revulsion toward the mind consciousness, cannot become free of craving for it, and cannot turn away from and relinquish it. Where does this stem from? It is because sentient beings all delight in greedily clinging to the functions of consciousness. The functions of consciousness are relatively vivid and attractive, so beings constantly grasp at them and appropriate them as their own. All the functions of the physical body arise only because of consciousness; for example, walking, standing, sitting, and lying down cannot be carried out without body consciousness—walking, standing, sitting, and lying down are functions performed by body consciousness. Life's activities cannot be separated from these endeavors of walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, so sentient beings crave them. With body consciousness one can move; with eye consciousness one can see; with ear consciousness one can hear; with nose consciousness one can smell scents; with the mind consciousness one can think, discriminate, analyze, judge, reason, and engage in delusive thinking. The various consciousnesses cooperate to produce all kinds of functions, with the mind consciousness discriminating and operating together with the first five consciousnesses. These functions and operations feel utterly real and vivid—this is "I" and "what belongs to me"—and therefore beings cling to them without letting go.

It is not easy to realize that the mind consciousness is not the self. It clearly feels that there is an "I" that can know all dharmas, and it feels very real: "I am indeed sitting here listening to the Dharma; my eyes can see forms—I can indeed see all the material forms I come into contact with; I can indeed hear sounds." One does not regard the functions of seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body as illusory, and so one grasps them tightly and refuses to let go. As for the various functions of the mind consciousness, one is even less able to accept that they are illusory, feeling that the mind consciousness can indeed think, engage in delusive thinking, reason, and make plans. Therefore sentient beings cannot regard the mind consciousness as illusory. Yet unless one passes this barrier, one cannot realize either the lesser or the greater fruits.

Therefore the Buddha said: foolish ordinary beings without learning can develop revulsion toward our physical body of the four great elements, can become free of craving for it, and can turn away from and relinquish it; but with regard to our own mind consciousness, we cannot become free of craving, cannot develop revulsion, and cannot turn away from and relinquish it. In everything we follow our own mind's wishes; in everything we act according to our own mind. We cannot become free of craving for our own mind; we are fond of our own mind, because this mind consciousness indeed has these functions and operations.

Life after life, through the long night of birth and death, sentient beings protect, cherish, and bind themselves to the "I," always following their own inclinations, cherishing and protecting themselves, treasuring their own mind consciousness. "What have I obtained? What do I want to possess? What do I want to acquire?"—all of these are the wishes of this mind consciousness. Beings take the functions and operations of this mind consciousness as the self, as a truly existing, eternal, imperishable self. In fact, the mind consciousness ceases under several conditions. For example, while you are listening to the Dharma, you may fall asleep as you listen, and then you no longer know what is being said—at that time the mind consciousness has ceased. When you are asleep without dreams, the six consciousnesses have also ceased. When you wake up, these consciousnesses manifest again. There is ceasing and arising, arising and ceasing; the mind consciousness is always changing in the process of arising and ceasing.

The functions and operations of our eighth consciousness always exist in that way, without change, not needing to rely on external conditions; their functions and operations never change. The eighth consciousness can always produce all dharmas and manifest all dharmas, and no one can obstruct Him—that is what is real. Whether you are in meditative concentration or asleep, no matter what the circumstances, He always exists, always has His functional essence and operations. The first six consciousnesses cannot do this; they are always arising, ceasing, and changing.