The Manas as the Present Consciousness

Direct perception consciousness (pratyakṣa-vijñāna) refers to the cognition of direct perception, the method of seeing through direct perception, the method of recognition through direct perception, or the method of manifestation through direct perception. Although the mental faculty (manas) possesses a function similar to the Tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature) of manifesting appearances like a mirror—having the functional capacity to manifest dharmic appearances like a mirror—the appearances manifested by the Tathāgatagarbha are images born from itself. The appearances manifested by manas are presented images transformed by the Tathāgatagarbha; manas itself does not transform images. The relationship between the Tathāgatagarbha as the mirror and the images is one of production and being produced. The producer must necessarily be an unconditioned dharma (non-arising and non-ceasing), while the produced is conditioned, subject to arising, cessation, and change. However, the relationship between manas and the images is not one of production and being produced; both are produced dharmas. Furthermore, the images manifested by manas are fundamentally distinct from those manifested by the Tathāgatagarbha. The Tathāgatagarbha manifests the essential realm (svabhāva-viṣaya), the dharmas originally produced and formed by the Tathāgatagarbha itself. The images manifested by manas belong to the realm of appearance with substance (sāropāramāṇika-viṣaya), representing the Tathāgatagarbha's secondary transformation of dharmas, which are no longer genuine.

Why is manas considered a direct perception consciousness? Because manas perceives dharmas as presently existing dharmas; it perceives dharmas as they truly are. It lacks the functions of inferential cognition (anumāna) and erroneous cognition (mithyā-jñāna). The very first moment the Tathāgatagarbha illusorily projects a dharma, manas can perceive it. This is the realm of appearance with substance, which is close to the essential realm and relatively true and reliable. After manas perceives the realm of appearance with substance, if it wishes to cognize it in further detail, it then transmits the dharma to the six consciousnesses (vijñānas) for perception. What the six consciousnesses perceive then is no longer the relatively true realm of appearance with substance; they perceive dharmas that have already undergone alteration. The dharmas manifested by them are separated by another layer from the essential realm and the true realm, being even more illusory than the dharmas perceived by manas. Moreover, the consciousnesses (especially mental consciousness) also employ inference and erroneous cognition when perceiving dharmas, making the dharmas they manifest even more unreal.

If we compare it to the connotation of direct perception consciousness, the Tathāgatagarbha's perception of dharmas is even more direct perception, more true and reliable than manas's perception. Whatever dharma the Tathāgatagarbha perceives is a dharma it itself presently produces and sustains. There is not the slightest obstruction between it and the dharma. It perceives whatever dharma it produces; it perceives whatever dharma it sustains. If it does not produce, it does not perceive; if it does not sustain, it does not perceive. There is absolutely no occurrence of inference or erroneous cognition. For the Tathāgatagarbha, there are fundamentally no past dharmas nor future dharmas; all are present dharmas. Even dharmas from countless eons ago are present dharmas for it. However, for the six consciousnesses, they are not present dharmas. In fact, the six consciousnesses cannot perceive present dharmas; whatever they perceive are dharmas that have already undergone alteration; they are all past dharmas.