Store Consciousness - Verse Eight

Manifestations from the store consciousness
can be perceived directly in the mode of things-in-themselves,
as representations, or as mere images.
All are included in the eighteen elements of being.

Zhuangzi and Huizi were strolling on a bridge over the River Hao, when the former observed, “See how the minnows dart between the rocks! Such is the happiness of fishes.”
“You not being a fish,” said Huizi, “how did you possibly know what makes fish happy?”
“And you not being I,” said Zhuangzi, “how do you know that I don’t know what makes fish happy?”
“If I, not being you, cannot know what you know,” replied Huizi, “does it not follow from that very fact that you, not being a fish, cannot know what makes fish happy?”
“Let us go back,” said Zhuangzi, “to your original question. When you said “Where did you possibly know that the fish are happy?”, you asked me the question already knowing that I knew. I knew it from up above the Hao."

There are three modes of perceptions - things-in-themselves (suchness), representations and mere images. Zhuangzi is dwelling in the mode of representations while Huizi is playing in the field of mere images. The fishes are things-in-themselves. Both Zhuangzi and Huizi admit to their inability of touching suchness.

According to Zhuangzi, Huizi does not know what he knows because Huizi is not Zhuangzi. I know what I know, what I feel, what I perceive. That is the experience of a thing-in-itself.

Huizi highlights to Zhuangzi that going by the same logic, it wouldn't have been possible for Zhuangzi to know that the fishes are happy as Zhuangzi is not a fish. Zhuangzi speculating that the fishes are happy indicates he is dwelling in the mode of representations. A mode where we have distorted reality.

Huizi is not too sure how the fishes feel but is aware of the fishes and their activity. This mode of perception is the mode of mere images, like a man merely glancing through photographs.

Finally, Zhuangzi playfully gives a different meaning to Huizi's question to avoid admitting defeat. The Chinese expression, 安, pronounced ān in modern Mandarin, not only means “how” in classical Chinese, but “where?”. So replaces the 'how' in Huizi's question with a 'where'.

The mode of representations and mere images are erroneous modes of perceptions. Only the mode of things-in-themselves is direct perception without distortions and delusions. Unfortunately, we play Zhuangzi and Huizi all the time. We either speculate or assume how the other person must be feeling, desiring or have no clue about it.

A Buddha comes from suchness and goes to suchness. She dwells in the mode of things-in-themselves. To perceive things in the mode of things-in-themselves is to touch reality. With guidance from a teacher, we can practice touching reality.

We perceive the world through the six gates - eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. All perceptions are within the eighteen elements of being. The eighteen elements of being are the six consciousnesses (five sense consciousnesses and mind consciousness) and their associate senses and sense objects. For example, sound consciousness, ear and sound are three elements.

The erroneous modes of perceptions arise because we perceive duality. We see others and objects as separate from us. We spend a lot of time worrying about what others think or how they may perceive our actions. We may think how the other person may have been hurt by what we said or we may be too suspicious about other people's intentions. We speculate and assume and create suffering. To end all worries, anxieties, we must work towards ending our illusion of separateness.

(Based on the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh.) 

#विज्ञप्तिमात्र #Vijñaptimātra #VijñaptimatraBuddhism #ThichNhatHanh #Vasubandhu #50Verses #50VersesOnVijñaptimātra #Vimshatika #Trimshika #VimshatikaKarika #TrimshikaKarika #Asanga #Yogacāra #Yogacara #ManifestationOnly #Vigyaptimatra #Xuanzang #India #Linji #Rinzai #Zen #Bodhidharma #Hinduism #Buddhism #Buddha #Mahayana  #Prajñapāramitā #Vijnaptimatra #IndianBuddhism #IndianPhilosophy #UttarPradesh #StoreConsciousness #Alayavijñana #Manas