The One and Only Mind Encompasses the Eight Consciousnesses

 

Quote:

“All three realms are mind-only, and all dharmas are mere consciousness.” 

Avataṃsaka Sutra

 

「三界唯心 萬法唯識」

《華嚴經》

 

Remarks: (Excerpts from Commentary on Cheng Weishi Lu)

The object of realization pertaining to prajñā is the eighth consciousness, a.k.a. the reality-suchness[1]. The term “reality-suchness” is another name for the eighth consciousness, the ālaya-consciousness, and is also the dharma-nature of the eighth consciousness. Hence, the bodies and minds of sentient beings, consisting of the five aggregates, the eighteen elements, and so forth in each lifetime, have never been beyond the mind-entity of ālaya-consciousness[2] since the beginningless eons, and are always subsumed under it. Why?

The five-aggregate bodies and minds of sentient beings, consisting of the dharmas of the eighteen elements, among others, and all the mental concomitants, the material world, and so forth, are manifested and engendered by the eighth consciousness, the ālaya-consciousness (tathāgatagarbha). The only difference lies in whether the ālaya-consciousness is an individual manifestation by oneself, like the eighteen elements, or a collective manifestation, like the material world and the six external sense objects. As the six sense objects that one perceives are all manifested and generated by one’s own tathāgatagarbha, what is seen by different sentient beings will be different. For example, a physically handicapped individual who lacks one or more consciousnesses will have different perceptions to a person with the mind-kings consisting of the eight consciousnesses[3] work in unison.

Importantly, the mind-kings comprising the eight consciousnesses work synergistically in unison like one entity. Surprisingly, it indeed appears as if there is only one mental consciousness capable of perceiving and knowing. However, the true fact is, there are eight consciousnesses in all, and none of them can be missed.

Thus, according to the advanced prajñā-wisdom study of Vijñana-Only School[4], it states “the teaching about the one and only mind encompasses the eight consciousnesses.[5]”

#Buddha #tathagatagarbha #vijnanaonlyschool

[1] 真如  [2] 阿賴耶識心體  [3]八識心王 [4]唯識增上慧學  [5]一心說，唯通八識。