Visualizing and Imagining the Eighth Consciousness Does Not Equate to Its Actual Realization

Some individuals who previously claimed to have realized the eighth consciousness have now changed their stance, stating that enlightenment is the realization of suchness, not the realization of the eighth consciousness. Tell me, what exactly was their so-called enlightenment back then? Whether they understand the relationship between the eighth consciousness and suchness is one matter, but most importantly, they themselves were unclear about what had actually happened to them initially. Yet, they continued to regard themselves as sages, teaching others to realize the eighth consciousness. Isn’t this an utterly foolish and ridiculous act? This clearly demonstrates that their so-called realization of the eighth consciousness back then was purely a product of imagination and mental fabrication, not genuine realization. A truly realized Dharma, regardless of circumstances, cannot be denied later, nor can it become ambiguous or vague—neither daring to admit nor deny it, while being tormented and agitated internally. Things conjured up through mental fabrication and logical reasoning will waver at the slightest disturbance, causing one to become suspicious and hesitant to stand by their views. Even if they manage to persist, it may still be nothing more than reasoning.

Currently, the discourse surrounding the eighth consciousness is utterly chaotic and beyond clarification. It’s like a pond where the water is turbid from the bottom to the surface. Previously, the bottom might have been muddy while the surface remained clear, but now it’s not the case—the entire pond, from bottom to top, is completely murky. Why is this so? It stems from impatience for quick success and instant benefits, a desire for great fame without paying the necessary price, inflated vanity, an inability to distinguish truth from falsehood, and an obsession with building castles in the air. Therefore, without diligently cultivating from the foundation, without progressing step by step in practice, they end up disdaining the basic Dharma while failing to realize the higher Dharma. Being neither here nor there, what outcome can they expect at the moment of death? The most extreme case of fabricating enlightenment claims is asserting that a newly enlightened dwelling-stage bodhisattva can observe that all phenomena are merely the functional activities of the seeds of the eighth consciousness—a realization supposedly attainable only by bodhisattvas of several higher grounds. The scale of this fabrication is astonishingly vast, beyond anyone’s reach. Even if the great patriarchs and virtuous ones were to return, they would be helpless against it.

Those who stir up the pond water perform a great meritorious deed, for they bring the hidden monsters lurking at the bottom of the pond to the surface. This allows everyone to recognize what kind of monsters have been sinking in the depths, secretly harming visitors. If we wait until future lifetimes to recognize these monsters, it will be too late—especially since future lifetimes may not even offer the opportunity to recognize them at all. The earlier the monsters reveal themselves and are eliminated, the sooner their pernicious influence is recognized, the sooner people awaken, and the less harm they suffer.