The False Self and the True Self Cannot Be Equated.

I don't study Buddhism, I don't cultivate practice, I don't keep precepts, I don't cultivate meditative concentration (samādhi), I don't develop wisdom, I don't seek liberation, I am carefree and at ease, spontaneous and natural. What does this "I" refer to? It refers to the eighth consciousness. Can the subject "I" here be replaced with the seventh consciousness? Can the seventh consciousness and the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) also, like the eighth consciousness, not study Buddhism, not cultivate practice, not keep precepts, not cultivate meditative concentration, not develop wisdom, not seek liberation, and be spontaneous and natural? No, they cannot. Can the two "I"s be swapped with each other? No, they cannot.

Some people say that since one should study the eighth consciousness, rely on the eighth consciousness, and achieve the transformation of the basis (āśraya-parāvṛtti) as the eighth consciousness, one should be just like the eighth consciousness. Is this statement correct? Saying it is incorrect is also incorrect, and saying it is correct is also correct. One must have rigorous logical thinking: in which aspects should one learn from the eighth consciousness, and in which aspects should one not learn from the eighth consciousness? When should one learn from the eighth consciousness, and when should one not learn from the eighth consciousness? After attaining buddhahood, the seventh consciousness becomes just like the eighth consciousness—no longer studying Buddhism, keeping precepts, cultivating meditative concentration, developing wisdom, seeking liberation, or seeking buddhahood. Before attaining buddhahood, during the stage of being a sentient being, one must study Buddhism, keep precepts, cultivate meditative concentration, develop wisdom, seek liberation, and seek buddhahood.

Before attaining buddhahood, one should learn from the purity of the eighth consciousness in its operation within the five-aggregate body, its nature free from greed, anger, and delusion. After attaining buddhahood, the seventh consciousness is as pure as the eighth consciousness, so there is no longer any need to learn the purity of the eighth consciousness, because a Buddha is beyond training (aśaikṣa).

Of the two "I"s—the seventh consciousness and the eighth consciousness—sometimes they can be swapped with each other, and sometimes they cannot. Only by clearly understanding these two "I"s can one cultivate practice well; if they are lumped together indiscriminately, then one cannot cultivate practice, nor can one attain accomplishment.