The Eighth Consciousness as the Fundamental Essence Can Only Be Personally Investigated and Awakened to by Oneself

The eighth consciousness is the true mind, the true substance. When we speak of the eighth consciousness with our mouths, the eighth consciousness becomes a mental image in our minds. This image is not the substance of the eighth consciousness. The substance of the eighth consciousness neither comes to the mouth nor enters the mind. Any image in the mind, including the operational characteristics of the eighth consciousness, is an illusory manifestation—and moreover, one conjured forth by the eighth consciousness itself. Talking can never reach the substance, just as cursing can never strike the other person's five aggregates, nor can it reach into the other person's mind.

When we discuss the eighth consciousness, we can only present the mental image of the eighth consciousness in our minds; we cannot take the substantial mind-substance of the eighth consciousness and show it to others. Even the Buddha could not hold up the substance of the eighth consciousness and present it to the world. Therefore, investigating Chan must be done by oneself—each person must seek out the location of their own eighth consciousness substance. Whatever the five aggregates and the seven consciousnesses can contact and manifest is not the original appearance of that substance itself, nor is it the essential object.