We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track. If this problem persists help us by reporting it so we can investigate it.
Watch this talk
Login or create a free account to watch this talk and discover other teachings from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Log in or create an account
The Functions of Consciousness
Visit to the Eighth Consciousness-Knowledge (verse 23)
The mental consciousness:
- Manifests “having manas as its base and mental phenomena (dharmas) as its object”
- Has the widest sphere of cognition, capable of access to “things-in-themselves,” representations, and mere images
- Functions according to three modes of perception – direct perception, by induction/deduction, and incorrect perception – and possesses three natures: beneficial, non-beneficial, and neutral
Mental Formations and Interactions
– All 51 mental formations (page 36) can appear as objects of the mind, including:
• Vitarka (initial thought) and Vicāra (investigative thought) – indeterminate (can be beneficial or not)
• Regret – indeterminate depending on whether it leads to a wholesome aspiration or to guilt
– In cooperation with the five senses or independently (ngũ câu ý thức, độc đầu ý thức)
– In four states of mind: concentration (định trung), dispersion (tán vị), psychosis (loạn trung), and pure sensory operation
– Subject and object always co-arise, without separate existence:
- Subject (kiến phần)
- Object (nimitta)
- Base (svabhāva)
Vijñapti-mātra and Interbeing
– Nature of consciousness: manifestation and discernment (vijñapti)
– Non-birth/non-death: everything appears when causes and conditions come together, disappears when they cease; neither coming nor going, neither being nor non-being
– Time, space, and the four great elements (earth, water, fire, air) are manifestations of consciousness, in perpetual maturation (vipāka)
– Deep looking applied to relationships: practices of peace between Palestinians and Israelis through mindful walking, eating, and listening
Key Questions and Answers
• Killing with compassion? Yes, if guided by true compassion born of deep understanding (individual and collective).
• Transforming family suffering? Water your positive seeds (compassion, letting go) every day rather than anger, in order to produce “flowers” of joy and peace.