Why Does Discernment Become Less Clear as the Six Dusts Recede?

Whether sentient beings possess the five sensory faculties or not, the manas, relying on the Ālayavijñāna, can perceive all dharmas, provided that the Ālayavijñāna is capable of seeing all dharmas. When the Ālayavijñāna perceives the external six dust-objects, it captures the four elemental particles of the external six dust-objects and instantly forms an image identical to the external six dust-objects, enabling the manas to perceive this image. If the five coarse sense organs and the subtle sense organs are present, the Ālayavijñāna further transmits the image to the five coarse sense organs, and the manas can still perceive it; when transmitted to the subtle sense organs, the manas can perceive it even more clearly. From the instant the Ālayavijñāna captures the external six dust-objects until it transmits the four elemental particles to the subtle sense organs, the images along this pathway are continuously arising, ceasing, and undergoing transformations. Due to the obstructive influence of intermediate media, the quantity and structural arrangement of the four elemental particles are affected and undergo changes, causing the images to alter. The greater the distance from the subtle sense organs, the more significant the transformation of the images becomes.

Consequently, when we observe distant objects, they appear blurred and indistinct; sounds from farther away become softer and less clear; fragrances from greater distances grow fainter; sunlight from afar carries less heat. All these phenomena result from the alteration of the four elemental particles caused by the obstructive influence of intermediate media on the images of the six dust-objects.

Because the manas can perceive the six dust-objects transmitted before they reach the subtle sense organs, when encountering significant and sudden states of the six dust-objects, the manas reacts very swiftly in advance, as if it had prepared beforehand.