Taking the knowing of the mind consciousness as knowing is precisely ignorance (avidyā)

What does the self-validating cognition (sva-saṃvitti-saṃvitti-bhāga) of each consciousness mean? As for the object-aspects self-cognized by each consciousness, do you know what their contents are? For example, the eighth consciousness has a perceiving-aspect, which is the capacity to see; the object-aspect of the eighth consciousness is what the eighth consciousness perceives, such as seeds; the self-cognition (svasaṃvitti) of the eighth consciousness is the eighth consciousness itself perceiving the object-aspect seeds, knowing and discerning the object-aspect seeds; the self-validating cognition of the eighth consciousness is the eighth consciousness verifying and realizing its own self-cognition, knowing that it has discerned the object-aspect seeds, knowing that it has completed the discernment of the object-aspect seeds, knowing that it has discerned the object-aspect seeds. Whatever the eighth consciousness itself has done, He Himself is clear about it; the sixth and seventh consciousnesses are not clear about it, unless one possesses very profound wisdom of the varieties of paths.

Are we clear about whether the eighth consciousness has discerned the object-aspect seeds? We are not clear. The eighth consciousness does not substitute for the mind consciousness in knowing; what the mind consciousness does not know does not mean other consciousnesses do not know. One cannot use the mind consciousness's not-knowing to stand in for the knowing of other consciousnesses. If the eighth consciousness is represented by A and the mind consciousness by B, the dharmas that A knows are not necessarily known by B; B's not knowing does not mean A does not know. A's self-validating cognition does not represent B's self-validating cognition; B's being unclear about the object-aspect that A has realized does not mean A has not realized it, nor does it mean A does not know. There are also many instances of the manas's knowing that the mind consciousness is entirely unclear about; since it is unclear, do not say that the manas also does not know.

For sentient beings, most knowing is judged by the standard of the mind consciousness's knowing; what the mind consciousness does not know, they say "I do not know," and say that such a thing has not occurred, that it does not exist. In fact, the seventh consciousness knows that something has occurred, knows that thing. But the seventh consciousness has no function of language and words, cannot express itself, and has no way to make the mind consciousness know. The mind consciousness then feels that whatever it does not know does not exist, and that other consciousnesses likewise do not know it. To conclude in this way is extremely arbitrary and unreasonable.

To what degree is the mind consciousness of ordinary sentient beings arbitrary? The mind consciousness itself cannot realize the manas and cannot observe the manas, so it refuses to acknowledge that the manas has self-cognition and self-validating cognition. The manas has an introspective nature toward itself, has the power of introspection, and can introspect its own discernment; the mind consciousness does not know this and cannot observe it, yet claims that the manas has no power of introspection, no self-validating cognition, and lacks even certain self-cognitions. When the mind consciousness thinks this way, it precisely demonstrates its own foolishness, ignorance, and dullness—knowing too little and too superficially, harboring too many misunderstandings, and being unaware of it itself. The Buddha said: "Beware of trusting your own mind, for your mind is not to be trusted." Why? Because ignorance is deep and heavy.