Self-cognition (svasaṃvitti) and self-validating cognition (sva-saṃvitti-saṃvitti-bhāga)

When the mind consciousness knows the state it is in at the present moment, this is introspection, which is self-validating cognition (sva-saṃvitti-saṃvitti-bhāga). When it does not know the state it is in at the present moment, it shows that the mind consciousness's power of introspection is weak, the mind is coarse, wisdom is inferior, and there is no power of meditative concentration. Many people, when afflictions manifest, do not even know that they have afflictions; when they are ignorant, they do not know that they are ignorant. Such a mind consciousness is fundamentally unawakened, lacking the power of introspection, with wisdom far too poor. To know oneself thought after thought, to be self-aware at all times—this is the mind consciousness's self-validating cognition. Knowing is self-cognition (svasaṃvitti); self-knowing, knowing oneself, is self-validating cognition. Within self-validating cognition there are two knowings; within self-cognition there is one knowing.

When the mind consciousness knows the state it is in, being able to understand itself and recognize itself, this is self-validating cognition, also called self-awareness, that is, self-knowing, that is, the knowing of knowing. It is rare for a person to have self-knowledge; self-validating cognition is precisely that clarity, that wisdom. Such a person has rationality and power of concentration, and is easy to guide and transform.

The so-called self-cognition means personally knowing the object-aspect, realizing the object-aspect, knowing the object-aspect. There is a knowing—no matter what is known, it is self-cognition. When the object-aspect arises, one knows there is an object-aspect; the knowing is the perceiving-aspect. When there is a perceiving-aspect and an object-aspect, and one knows them, that is self-cognition. For example: looking is the perceiving-aspect, because there is not yet a result, whereas having seen is self-cognition, and within having seen there are the perceiving-aspect and the object-aspect. Hearing is the perceiving-aspect, not yet having a result; having heard is self-cognition, with the perceiving-aspect and the object-aspect. By analogy, whatever carries a result is self-cognition; whatever does not yet carry a result is the perceiving-aspect. That which introspects upon oneself, monitoring all of one's own actions and formations, is self-validating cognition. A person whose mind has alertness has self-validating cognition manifesting; without alertness, there is not necessarily self-validating cognition.

As for the eye consciousness's self-validating cognition: for example, when the eye consciousness sees sunlight and feels that the sunlight is too bright, too dazzling to the eyes, the eye consciousness immediately closes the eyes and refuses to look. After a while, if the manas craves the sunlight or for some other reason decides to look at the sunlight, the eye consciousness has no choice but to slowly open its eyes. Why is it like this? The eye consciousness's perceiving-aspect, object-aspect, and self-cognition have already appeared—which one is self-validating cognition? How will what follows develop? That the eye consciousness has no choice but to look at the sunlight again, slowly opening its eyes, shows that the eye consciousness has known that the sunlight is dazzling to the eyes; perhaps it has not yet recovered, and is unwilling to open its eyes to look. That the eye consciousness has known the painful feeling from having just looked at the sunlight is self-validating cognition. Because the eye consciousness has a painful feeling, it is unwilling to look at the sun again, but the eye consciousness must also obey the manas's command, and so it has to slowly open its eyes.

Of course, in the process of looking at the sun there is also the mind consciousness's self-validating cognition. The eye consciousness's self-validating cognition cannot be separated from the mind consciousness; otherwise the five sense consciousnesses could not arise. If the mind consciousness does not know its own feelings, there is no self-validating cognition; if the mind consciousness can discern the mind consciousness's own feelings, then the mind consciousness has self-validating cognition. That the eye consciousness knows its own feelings is the eye consciousness's self-validating cognition; at this time the mind consciousness does not necessarily have self-validating cognition. The key is how the eye consciousness distinguishes and discerns its own feelings—this depends on whether the mind consciousness has wisdom.

The eye consciousness's painful feeling generally involves both the eye consciousness's knowing and the mind consciousness's knowing; the mind consciousness can know the eye consciousness's discomfort. But the mind consciousness's painful feeling can only be known by the mind consciousness, not by the eye consciousness. The knowing and feelings of the five sense consciousnesses and the sixth consciousness are also different. For example, feeling pain: the pain felt by the body consciousness is the pain of the physical body itself, while the pain felt by the mind consciousness is a kind of mental suffering. Sometimes the body consciousness feels intense pain, but the mind consciousness does not feel distressed—some people are even happy. The case of tying one's hair to a beam and pricking one's thigh with an awl is just such a situation, and so is masochism.