The Discriminative and Non-Discriminative Nature of the Eighth Consciousness

Since the eighth consciousness does not discriminate, how does it discern the mental activities of sentient beings? The eighth consciousness itself both discriminates and does not discriminate—it depends on what He discriminates and what He does not discriminate. There are some dharmas He can discriminate, and some dharmas He cannot. His non-discrimination is that, within the myriad dharmas of the three realms' world, He cannot discriminate the specific contents and objects of the six sense objects and myriad dharmas; those are the contents and objects discriminated by the deluded minds of the six consciousnesses. The eighth consciousness does not discriminate the six sense objects of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas, does not discriminate worldly dharmas, and does not discriminate various names and concepts. Because of this non-discriminating nature, He does not know what the six sense objects are, and thus does not know their good or bad qualities. Therefore, when the eighth consciousness faces the six sense objects, He gives rise to no mental activity at all, achieving mindlessness toward objects; His mind-ground is extremely tranquil (praśama), without defilement, without the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion. 

On the other hand, the eighth consciousness also has a discriminating nature. What He discriminates is: discerning the mental activities of sentient beings, discerning the karmic seeds of sentient beings, discerning the six faculties of sentient beings, discerning the universe's material world (the inanimate vessel world), and discerning the eighteen realms of sentient beings. In discerning the mental activities of sentient beings, "mental activities" refers to the mental factors (caittas) of the minds of the seven consciousnesses. When He transmits the seeds of consciousness of the seven consciousnesses outward, the seven consciousnesses are formed, the mental factors of the seven consciousnesses begin to operate, and all the activities of mind and consciousness are produced. The entire process of the operation of the mental factors of the seven consciousnesses, as well as the contents discerned by the seven consciousnesses—He knows all of it.

The eighth consciousness, in accordance with the manas' mental engagement (manaskāra) and deliberation (cetanā) of the seven consciousnesses, cooperates with the seven consciousnesses to produce the myriad dharmas. When the seven consciousnesses operate, that is precisely when karmic formations are being created; simultaneously with the creation of karmic formations, the karmic seeds are stored into the eighth consciousness at all times. Because the seeds of consciousness, once produced, return again into the eighth consciousness, the eighth consciousness knows whatever karmic formations the seven consciousnesses have created, and the karmic formations are stored as seeds. Therefore, there is nothing we do that the eighth consciousness does not know, nothing He does not record.

The eighth consciousness can also discern the body faculty of sentient beings. The body faculty includes the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, and tongue faculty—these five faculties. Because these five faculties, together with the manas, are personally held and sustained by the eighth consciousness, the appearance of the body faculty is manifested at all times by the eighth consciousness according to karmic seeds. Whatever situation arises in the body faculty, or should arise, the eighth consciousness knows it all. Because the situations that should arise, those currently arising, and those that have already arisen are never apart from cause and effect—that is to say, never apart from the eighth consciousness's sustaining and manifestation. As for the various situations that arise in the body faculty and those that are about to arise, the seventh consciousness can come to know them by relying on the perceiving-aspect of the eighth consciousness, and will then give rise to thoughts of protecting the body faculty; the eighth consciousness will then, according to the karmic seeds, cooperate with the minds of the seven consciousnesses to alter and maintain the five-faculty body.

The eighth consciousness discerns the universe's material world. The material world is jointly manifested and sustained by the eighth consciousnesses of sentient beings with shared karma. The eighth consciousness can personally take the material world as object, continually participating in its manifestation; hence there is the arising, abiding, decay, and emptiness of the universe's material world. What state the material world was in previously, what state it is in now, and what state it should be in the future—the eighth consciousness can know all of these to some degree according to the karmic seeds. After He knows this, the manas, the seventh consciousness, relying on this, can know what events are going to occur; some sensitive sentient beings will inwardly perceive and have a presentiment of them, and consider taking countermeasures in advance.

The eighth consciousness discerns the eighteen realms. The six faculties and six consciousnesses have already been discussed; there remains the six sense objects. Because the eighth consciousness cannot discern the specific contents of the six sense objects, yet the objects of the six sense objects are, after all, personally manifested and sustained by the eighth consciousness—since He can discern the seeds, He can know to some degree, based on the seeds and records, what the six sense objects were like previously, what state they are in now, and what they should become hereafter. He manifests the six sense objects based on the seeds; although He can manifest the six sense objects, He does not know what the specific forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, and dharmas actually are—He only knows that He is manifesting them, and knows what state they will become, just not their contents—and then He sustains the six sense objects He has manifested.

Thus the entire world is within His single-handed control. On the surface, the manas seems to be the one who can act as master, but in reality, it is this "Master of the House" who can govern all dharmas. Though this Master of the House seems able to govern all dharmas, in fact He has no mind of governing; He has no mind toward any dharma. He completely accords with the manas and accords with the karmic seeds, faithfully presenting things according to the appearances the world should have, without the slightest opinion or view of His own, because He has no nature of self and does not act as master.

Analyzing in this way, we should come to know what the eighth consciousness can discriminate and what it cannot, and know whether it truly has a discriminating nature. After realizing the eighth consciousness, when the various wisdoms arise, one can gradually observe Him from each and every aspect. Without realizing the eighth consciousness, one cannot observe Him, and thus will not know His many functional natures, and our wisdom cannot grow step by step. Therefore, realizing and awakening to the eighth consciousness is extremely important; this should be the initial goal of our practice.

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