The Difference Between Vijñapti-mātra and Citta-mātra

Vijñaptimātra (Consciousness-Only) refers solely to the three evolving consciousnesses; all phenomena are manifested through the transformations of these three evolving consciousnesses. Cittamātra (Mind-Only) refers solely to the true mind of Tathāgatagarbha; all dharmas are produced and born from the transformations of the true mind of Tathāgatagarbha.

The dharmas transformed solely by another person's consciousness are only that person's five aggregates of form and body; the remaining dharmas are either jointly transformed by the consciousnesses of sentient beings or individually transformed by a single consciousness. As for the five aggregates of body and mind individually transformed by others, when we come into contact with or perceive them, they are actually dharmas individually transformed by our own consciousness. The "consciousness" in Vijñaptimātra refers to the three evolving consciousnesses, meaning that all dharmas we sentient beings can contact and cognize are exclusively transformed and manifested by our own three evolving consciousnesses, without exception.

For the sixth and seventh consciousnesses and the five sense consciousnesses, there exists an external realm; what the sixth consciousness cognizes is all within the internal sphere. But from the perspective of Tathāgatagarbha, what dharmas could exist outside it? Chan masters often say: "There are no dharmas outside the mind; the green mountains one sees everywhere." This means that outside the mind of Tathāgatagarbha, there are fundamentally no dharmas; all phenomena, such as green mountains, are merely objects within the Tathāgatagarbha's own mind.