The Three Categories of Vijñānas Taught By the Buddha

Quotes:

 

“Mahāmati! In brief, there are three types of consciousness, which can be extensively expanded to eight aspects. What are those three? They are the true consciousness, the manifesting consciousness, and the phenomena-differentiating consciousness.”

Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, Volume 1, “Words and Thoughts of all the Buddhas”

 

「大慧！略說有三種識，廣說有八相。何等為三？謂真識、現識，及分別事識。」Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra《楞伽阿跋多羅寶經 》卷一〈一切佛語心品〉

 

Remarks: (Excerpts from Commentary on Cheng Weishi Lu, Vol. 1) 

According to Buddhist scriptures, the universe and the lives of sentient beings have originated from the mind, the eighth consciousness (tathāgatagarbha). The intrinsic nature of the tathāgatagarbha is permanent and neither arises nor ceases. In Triṃśikā-vijñaptimātratā (唯識三十論誦), Bodhisattva Vasubandhu states, “There are only three types of consciousness that can transform and generate the self and dharma in three realms: maturation-consciousness, decision-making consciousness, and state-discriminating consciousness.” The statement of Bodhisattva Vasubandhu is based on the statements in the chapter “Words and Thoughts of all the Buddhas” in Volume 1 of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra.

The first type of consciousness that is true and permanently abides and is thus called the true consciousness is the fundamental consciousness of all sentient beings—the eighth maturation-consciousness or ālāya-consciousness. The manifesting-consciousness, which prompts the true consciousness to transform and generate various dharmas, is the second type, the seventh-consciousness mental faculty, also known as the manas-consciousness; it can induce the true consciousness to arise myriad dharmas, hence being called the manifesting-consciousness. The third type of consciousness, which distinguishes all the phenomena of the six sense objects, is mental awareness, etc., the perceptive mind of the six consciousnesses. The discerning mind of the six consciousnesses applies to those who have not eliminated the self-view and abide therein. 

In other words, the notion of mental objects are the things that are apprehended (perceived), which are among the five sense objects to be perceived by the apprehender (perceiver). That is, these six consciousnesses require the supportive conditions of the three dharmas of sense faculties, sense objects, and contact before they can be brought forth from the eighth true consciousness, tathāgatagarbha. Once these six consciousnesses have arisen, they are collectively called the consciousness aggregate, which is part of the five aggregates (concealments).

The ability to discern and the act of discerning both denote the apprehender (perceiver). The perceptive mind as the apprehender, comprising the mental faculty (manas), the mental consciousness, and so forth. These essentially consist of the dharmas of duality. Thus, practitioners must first truly understand the arising sequences of the five aggregates, including the consciousness aggregates to understand the impermanent nature of the five aggregates. As such, practitioners will then be able to rid themselves of the notion that the perceptive mind or the mental consciousness is permanent. Such is referred to as the wisdom of “eliminating self-view.”

Hence, only when the mind is intrinsically away from seeing, hearing, feeling, and cognizing, free from the apprehender, both the mental consciousness and the mental faculty (manas), and from the five sense objects or the mental objects being apprehended, can it denote the permanently existent True Mind, the ālāya-consciousness or tathāgatagarbha that encompasses the three categories of vijñānas.

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