Part 1b - The basis of the confusion in the eight consciousnesses

Now the ground of arising and divisions of these are extensively taught as follows:

Alaya, the content mind, and then the five gates,
Gradually proliferate, one upon the other.
From that rise the cause and effect of samsaric suffering.
The root of samsara and suffering is ignorance,
Having the confusion of grasping and fixation.
By objects and meanings, and the mind's habitual patterns,
By fixating "me" and "mine," samsara is established.

Here to distinguish the different aspects, at the very time when awareness^[1] of individual objects^[2] arises, without divisions of their vividness, the mind^[3] which has insight of this is called the alaya- consciousness. Then the mind that fixates that, that peacefully saves it, with much analysis of objects at its leisure and so forth, is content-mind.

The Sutra of the Ornament of Manjushri's wisdom (a’jam dpal ye shes rgyan kyi mdo) says:

Mind refers to the alaya consciousness.
The "I" fixator is the content-mind.

Depending on the eyes, that which is the aspect of seeing that sees form is the eye consciousness. Similarly depending on the ear there is sound, depending on the nose there is smell, depending on the tongue taste, and depending on the body the aspect of consciousness of touching touchables. These are the five consciousnesses.

The arising of later knowledge from such former aspects is called the sense factors (ayatana). In Tibetan this is kyeche,^[4] meaning increase or proliferation of what has arisen. The objects and awareness of these phenomena have immeasurable conditions, and since these many and extensive individual aspects are not put aside, but "retained" this is called khams, or in Sanskrit dhatu.

From the object there is the arising of the seemingly supported perceiver’s apprehension.^[5] From what is former, a connection to the later arises, and the dharmin, the realm of dharmas, and dharmata, their nature, occur. This is called interdependent arising. When the two minds of object and perceiver are combined, pleasure and such phenomena are felt and included in insight. By the condition of contact, this is called feeling. The particulars of these and other aspects are immeasurable.

In brief, by the three poisons, arising from the three collections of objects,^[6] the senses, and the apprehensions of concept mind come all motivating karmas. These karmas involve unhappiness. What arises from patience and so forth that are free from the three poisons is the great happiness, the great bliss.

The path of the ten virtues and so forth in which prajña and compassion are not fully accomplished is the path of the lesser happiness. Accumulated by ignorant earthly beings, after the fruition of samsaric happiness is produced, it is exhausted. Therefore this is called happiness corresponding to merit.

Since the path, until it is completed, produces the cause of enlightenment, that is called happiness in accord with the aspect of liberation.

As for unhappiness motivated by the three poisons, the lower realms and whatever suffering there may be are produced by this cause. Happiness corresponding to merit grasps the glorious happiness of the exalted gods and human beings. The happiness corresponding to liberation is produced both by incidental highlights and ultimate true goodness.

The Precious Garland says:

As for passion, aggression, and ignorance 
The karma produced by them is unhappiness.
As for non-passion, -aggression, and -ignorance,
The karma produced by them is happiness.

Unhappy karma is all suffering.
Likewise it is all the lower realms
Happy karma is all the higher realms
And all the happiness of sentient beings

'Externally appearing things are like the things that appear to be other in a dream.' This means that grasping involves habitual patterns of objects. These various pure and impure phenomena are confused existence. Habitual patterns about reality are produced by the karma of the body arising and also by the inner condition of not knowing suchness. These patterns are the skandhas, dhatus, ayatanas, and so forth. From all of these arise the kleshas and the suffering that is their fruition, with the support of the confusions of fixation.

Luminous, naturally-arisen wisdom is in essence empty, and by nature luminous. It is the source of the unobstructed arising of various kinds of radiance. By our becoming attached to this as the individualizing characteristics of grasping and fixation, insight/awareness arises as the habitual patterns of mind. The five or the three poisons arise.

The root of confusion is fixating on the "I" and ego. Because of that, the confused appearances of samsara arise like reflections, dreams, or hairs drifting before the eyes. Appearances of what does not exist arise as if they were true. Moreover, fixation is fixated as "I", and grasped objects are fixated as "mine" with an attitude like that of the owner of a house.