The Unique Discriminating Nature of the Eighth Consciousness

The discriminating nature of the eighth consciousness is very subtle and difficult to know. The eighth consciousness can discern karmic seeds, the sense faculties and the material world (the body and its environment), and the mental activities of the seven consciousnesses. It is because of His discerning nature that He can coordinate with the sense faculties and the material world, and with the seven consciousnesses, to bring karmic seeds to fruition. The discerning nature of the eighth consciousness operates in the form of the five universally present mental factors (pañca-sarvatraga-caitasika), which accompany the operation of the eighth consciousness moment after moment. First, the eighth consciousness directs its attention (manaskāra) toward the karmic seeds and the sense faculties and material world, makes contact (sparśa) with the karmic seeds and the sense faculties and material world, receives (vedanā) the karmic seeds and the sense faculties and material world, discerns and discriminates the karmic seeds and the material world, and takes the marks (nimitta) of the karmic seeds, sense faculties, and material world — this is the function of the perception mental factor (saṃjñā). Then the volition mental factor (cetanā) comes into play, making choices and decisions, and finally begins to act, outputting the seeds of the seven great elements and the karmic seeds, and thus all dharmas are set in motion.

Only after discriminating can the eighth consciousness output seeds; toward different karmic seeds and different sense faculties and material worlds, it delivers different seeds, transforming and creating different material forms (rūpa-dharma) and mental dharmas (citta-dharma) — this is the result of His discrimination. For example, when the eighth consciousness transforms and creates the body of an embryo, He knows where to create what tissues, what organs, what shapes, what colors, and so on — this is the result of His discrimination. Another example: when the eighth consciousness holds onto and changes the physical body of sentient beings, it can exercise discriminating awareness toward the physical body, and at the same time can also discriminate karmic seeds; then, according to the karmic seeds and karmic conditions, it changes the physical body anytime and anywhere. The physical body must therefore undergo frequent changes — becoming better or worse, or dying — none of which is certain; all are changes produced by the eighth consciousness according to the karmic seeds.

The difference between the discrimination of the eighth consciousness and that of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses is that the eighth consciousness takes in all marks without attachment, without emotion, without any affective coloring, without mental activities of liking or disliking; it operates entirely in a mode of equanimity and mechanical regularity, running according to its own unique program, functioning in suchness as the Dharma naturally is (dharmatā).

Because the eighth consciousness, when discerning, has no emotional coloring, when sense objects are reflected in the mind it is just like a mirror displaying images. However, the five sense consciousnesses differ from the eighth consciousness. The eighth consciousness is completely like a mirror displaying images — no liking or disliking, no greed or aversion, no mental activities, no afflictions or habitual tendencies of affliction. When the five sense consciousnesses discern, the sense objects appear in the mind, but not entirely like a mirror displaying images. Because the five consciousnesses such as the eye consciousness possess the greed mental factor, have coarse feelings of pain and pleasure, and have liking and disliking, the eye consciousness will keep directing attention toward and making contact with pleasing and delightful colors, continuing to discern them — this is greed; toward objects that can be perceived as painful feelings, it will automatically choose to avoid them — this is aversion; such are the mental activities of the five consciousnesses such as the eye consciousness. The eighth consciousness, however, toward whatever sense object, neither craves nor is averse, neither grasps nor avoids, but keeps operating according to the program and laws by which it should run, until the karmic seeds have been completely brought to fruition.