your consciousness comes with an upgrade function
but you have never turned it on
have you ever thought about this
your phone pushes a system update every few months
your computer keeps popping up upgrade reminders
every piece of software you use keeps iterating
but what about you
that consciousness of yours that has run since birth
used for decades
has it ever been upgraded even once
you might say
I have been learning all along
I read books take classes watch videos listen to podcasts
my understanding keeps upgrading
sorry
that is not an upgrade
that is just installing more software onto the same operating system
the operating system itself
has not changed for a single day
hello
everyone
I am Leo Wang
today is the final episode of the Cheng Weishi Lun series
in the first two episodes we broke down its core architecture and precise concepts
how the eight consciousnesses operate
what rules the seeds follow
what the inner structure of each moment of cognition looks like
if the first two episodes showed you the blueprint of the engine
then today's episode
answers the question you probably care about most
this engine
can it be modified
the answer of the Cheng Weishi Lun is
not only can it be modified
it even gives you an extremely precise modification manual
the name of this manual
is transforming consciousness into wisdom
transforming consciousness into wisdom
the literal meaning is simple
turning consciousness into wisdom
but the weight of these four words
may be far heavier than you imagine
because it is not saying you go from ignorance to knowledge
nor is it saying you go from foolish to smart
it is talking about something far more radical
the underlying operating mode of your consciousness
can be switched at the root
let me give you an analogy
the mind you use right now
is like a computer
it can do many things
but it has one fundamental design feature
that every one of its operations
must pass through a middle layer called the self
whatever you see
your first reaction is not what is this
but what does this mean for me
whatever information you hear
your first reaction is not is this true
but is this good or bad for me
this middle layer of the self
is the seventh consciousness we broke down before
the manas consciousness
it is not a bad thing
it is the basic setup for your survival
without it
you could not even tell this is my hand
but the problem is
once it starts running
it cannot stop
it runs all information through a filter of self
then colors it before handing it to you
you think you are seeing the world objectively
but in fact everything you see
has already been processed by the manas consciousness
transforming consciousness into wisdom means
you can make this default mode undergo a qualitative change
not suppressing it
not pretending it does not exist
but letting it complete a transformation from within
like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly
the material has not changed
but the way it runs is completely different
so how exactly does it transform
the Cheng Weishi Lun is extremely precise
eight consciousnesses
transform into four kinds of wisdom
the first one
the first five consciousnesses become the wisdom of perfect accomplishment
the first five consciousnesses are eyes ears nose tongue and body
the five windows that receive external signals
in the ordinary state
they are passive
light shines in
the ears catch the sound waves
the tongue tastes flavor
you have no choice
they run automatically
and after transforming into wisdom
these five windows are no longer passive receivers
but become precise tools
your eyes no longer merely see
but see exactly what needs to be seen in this moment
perfect accomplishment
means accomplishing what needs to be done
here is an analogy
an ordinary person's senses are surveillance cameras
recording indiscriminately twenty four hours a day
after transforming
they are a scalpel
the same organs
but a completely different precision
the second one
the sixth consciousness becomes the wisdom of wondrous observation
the sixth consciousness is your thinking judging and analyzing
it is the thing running right now as you listen to me
what is its problem
it is too easily hijacked by concepts
it habitually uses labels categories and old frameworks to grasp new things
you see a flower
it will not let you stay with simply seeing the flower
it immediately tells you
this is a rose
it is red
it is pretty
when did I last give flowers
a simple perception
is instantly wrapped in concepts
after becoming the wisdom of wondrous observation
this habit is flipped
thinking no longer forces the unknown into the known
but sees things as they truly are in this moment
wondrous
this word is crucial
it is not ordinary observation
it is observation so subtle it pierces the surface and reaches the essence
like a true master painter looking at a flower
what he sees is not this is a rose
what he sees is the light dancing along the edge of the petals
the third one
and the most crucial one
the seventh manas consciousness becomes the wisdom of equality
what is the manas consciousness
it is that voice deep inside you constantly shouting me me me
it splits the world in two for you
one half called mine
one half called not mine
one half called good for me
one half called bad for me
all greed hatred and delusion
traced to their root
all grow out of this crack
after becoming the wisdom of equality
this crack heals
it is not you forcing yourself to stop discriminating
but that discriminating impulse quieting down on its own
whether you look at a stranger or your closest loved one
the compassion that rises has the same weight
whether you face praise or criticism
the clarity within has the same temperature
but here is something very easy to misunderstand
the wisdom of equality does not mean you become numb to everything
quite the opposite
without the interference of the filter of self
you can actually feel each being's situation more truly
it is just that this feeling is no longer polluted by what does this have to do with me
like a mirror wiped clean
it can reflect anything
but it will not say this is my reflection
the fourth one
the eighth alaya consciousness becomes the great mirror wisdom
the alaya consciousness is the seed storehouse
the total container of all experiences memories and habits
we spent an entire episode breaking down its six operating rules
after becoming the great mirror wisdom
this container still exists
but it is no longer a storehouse
it becomes a round mirror that reflects everything
all the seeds are no longer the undercurrent driving your cycle of rebirth
but become a resource library for helping all beings
you can understand it this way
before transforming into wisdom
your alaya consciousness is a hard drive full of historical data
you are driven forward by this data
not even knowing why you suddenly rage at certain moments
why you keep falling into the same traps in certain relationships
after transforming into wisdom
the same data is all there
but you stand above the data
you can call on it
instead of being called on by it
the four wisdoms are covered
you might want to ask a very practical question
how do you actually do it
the Cheng Weishi Lun gives a roadmap
called the five stages of practice
five steps
from ordinary being to Buddha
the first step
the stage of accumulation
you begin to practice seriously
reading scriptures keeping precepts meditating and giving
you are doing everything you should
but what is your real experience
you understand the principles
but you cannot do it
you know you should not be angry
but you get angry anyway
you know you should not cling
but you still cannot let go
the stage of accumulation is exactly this phase
you are stockpiling provisions
getting ready for the journey
but you have not truly set off yet
what is the biggest trap of this stage
thinking that hoarding enough knowledge equals being on the path
many people stay in the stage of accumulation their whole life
having read hundreds of books
understanding a basketful of principles
but the operating mode of their mind has not changed one bit
friends in the comments often say
I have watched a hundred of your videos
I understand all the principles
but my life is still a mess
this is a classic case of the stage of accumulation
between knowing and doing
what lies between is not distance
it is a switch of the entire operating system
the second step
the stage of preparation
you begin to directly observe your own consciousness at work in meditation
you no longer merely understand the principles of consciousness only
but begin to see with your own eyes the instant a thought arises
you see the manas consciousness when you are unaware
secretly stamping mine onto every piece of information
this seeing is not reasoned out
it is experienced
the stage of preparation has four phases
called warmth summit forbearance and supreme worldly dharma
warmth
is when you begin to feel the warmth of the truth
like approaching a fire but not yet seeing the flame
summit
is when you touch the ceiling an ordinary being can reach
forbearance
is when you endure the shock of realizing you have been dreaming all along
without flinching
supreme worldly dharma
is the farthest you can go within worldly dharma
one step further
and it is no longer worldly dharma
the third step
the stage of penetration
also called the path of seeing
this is the most crucial watershed on the entire path
in this moment
for the first time you see suchness directly with no intermediary
not through conceptual understanding
not through logical reasoning
not through imagining someone else's description
but you yourself
seeing it with your own eyes
like you have been reading books about the ocean all along
then one day suddenly
you stand at the shore
the Cheng Weishi Lun says
the stage of penetration is a matter of an instant
but this instant changes everything
because from this moment on
you know that thing is real
this is not faith
not hope
not a theoretical deduction
you have seen it
the fourth step
the stage of cultivation
seeing the path is not the end
but the beginning
you have seen the ocean
but you still have to live your days
your seed store still holds a vast number of tainted seeds
they will not vanish just because you saw the path once
the stage of cultivation is repeatedly round after round
letting that light of seeing shine into every corner of your daily life
this stage is the longest
and tests your patience the most
the Cheng Weishi Lun says the stage of cultivation passes through ten grounds
each ground clears away a deeper layer of obscuration
you think you have seen the whole truth
but dig one layer down
and you find another layer beneath
because you already know the direction
but old habits still keep surfacing again and again
you are like someone who quit smoking but still craves a puff now and then
the difference is
you know clearly what that impulse is
you are no longer fooled by it
and every time you are not fooled
the weight of that tainted seed drops a little
and the power of the untainted seed grows a bit stronger
the fifth step
the ultimate stage
Buddhahood
all eight consciousnesses have become the four wisdoms
the whole project of transforming consciousness into wisdom is fully complete
at this point
consciousness and wisdom are no longer two things
they were always one
you have finally seen it clearly
but did you notice something key
the entire five stage roadmap
from start to finish
is not about eliminating anything
nor about gaining something new
it is about letting your consciousness
complete a qualitative change that happens from within
consciousness is not deleted
it is transformed
like water becoming steam
the molecules do not change
but the state is completely different
this is the true meaning of dissolving consciousness and revealing wisdom
dissolving consciousness
is not destroying consciousness
but dissolving the distorted
defiled and self centered operating modes within consciousness
revealing wisdom
is letting the wisdom already within you come forth
your problem was never that you lack wisdom
your problem is
the wisdom has always been there
but your self system is too noisy
you cannot hear it
a friend in the comments once asked a really good question
after practicing for so long
how do you know which stage you have reached
the answer the Cheng Weishi Lun gives is actually very plain
do not try to quantify your progress
the five stages are not a ruler carved for you
they are a map drawn for you
the point of a map is not to tell you how far you have gone
but to tell you which direction you are heading
if you find yourself hijacked by emotions less and less
that is a good sign
if you find the way you see others has softened a little
that is also a good sign
if you find that in some moment
that voice of the self suddenly goes quiet for a few seconds
even if just a few seconds
that is transforming consciousness into wisdom
quietly happening within you as proof
the Cheng Weishi Lun uses ten volumes
to draw the most precise map of consciousness to date
from the workings of the eight consciousnesses
to the six iron laws of the seeds
to the four layered structure of the moment of cognition
and today to transforming consciousness into wisdom and the five stages of practice
across three episodes
you have now seen the full picture of this map
but at the end I want to say something the Cheng Weishi Lun
will not tell you on its own
no matter how precise this map is
it is still only a map
you cannot live inside the map
when we covered the Madhyamaka we said
Nagarjuna's approach is to dismantle every concept down to zero
the approach of Consciousness Only is different
it builds you an extremely precise scaffold
but a scaffold is not the building itself
what the Cheng Weishi Lun gives you
is the most precise engineering blueprint of consciousness in all of Buddhist thought
as for what you do once you have the blueprint
whether you hang it on the wall to admire
or actually pick up the tools and start rebuilding
that is up to you
but there is one thing I am curious about
the five stages of practice we covered today
which stage do you think you are roughly in
or to put it another way
after hearing the description of the stage of accumulation
was there a moment when you felt
like it was describing you
if so
tell me in the comments
because seeing where you are
this act itself
is already walking the path
I am Leo Wang
see you next episode