The three transforming consciousnesses

Question: Some say that among the eight consciousnesses—the kings of mind—the operation mainly involves the sixth, seventh, and eighth consciousnesses, and the first five consciousnesses can be disregarded. Is this view appropriate?

Answer: Regarding the three transforming consciousnesses: the first transforming consciousness is the tathāgatagarbha, which manifests dharmas in accordance with karmic seeds and the manas's mental factor of deliberation (manana); the second transforming consciousness is the manas, which is the driving force behind the birth of all dharmas; the third transforming consciousness is the six consciousnesses, because the mind consciousness, together with the five sense consciousnesses, jointly discerns the six sense objects and completes bodily, verbal, and mental actions—that is, all six consciousnesses jointly participate in manifesting the realms of the six sense objects. Among the six consciousnesses, the mind consciousness plays the leading role: it is able to plan and devise strategies, assisting the manas in making decisions, thereby indirectly propelling the arising of dharmas. Therefore, at certain times the five sense consciousnesses may be disregarded—the solitary mental consciousness alone suffices—while at other times they cannot be disregarded.