Mental cognition regards the external environment as merely a product of the mind’s discrimination, all of which are illusory, without absolute reality or falsehood. The so-called “non-valid cognition” of the mind arises from either logical errors in thinking or individual misinterpretations of internal and external conditions.
Mental cognition perceives the external environment (what is seen, heard, etc.) as simply discrimination made by the mind. Since the discrimination is not an actual entity, it is deemed illusory. This is why we say, “View all conditioned phenomena as like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, dew, and lightning,” all are illusory. The practice of Madhyamaka aims to train our minds to recognize this illusory nature. Since phenomena are illusions, there is no such question of them being real or unreal.
All appearances are unreal. If viewed from the standpoint of awareness, they are the dance of awareness, and in that sense, they are real, provided we do not mistake appearances for reality. Appearances are unreal, but the force causing them to dance is real, hence the term “true emptiness and wondrous existence.” If truly empty, then it is a wondrous existence, and all things are prajna. If not, it is either material or an illusion, and thus it is unreal, so there is no absolute reality or falsehood.
At this juncture, we must address the concept of non-valid cognition. There is non-valid cognition and valid cognition. Non-valid cognition is erroneous, while valid cognition is accurate. Human cognition’s non-valid cognition, from the Yogacara perspective, is non-valid for two reasons: one is that we have erred in our thinking, leading to incorrect conclusions, which is a logical mistake. The other is that we have erred in our perception of internal and external conditions.
For instance, with red-green color blindness, people see red as red, but a color-blind person sees it as green, which is an error in perception. Color weakness is challenging to detect because the affected person may not realize their condition. They might still identify red as red, even though it appears green to them.
To diagnose color weakness, one must use a color chart for comparison, which others can easily interpret. A color-weak person only discovers their condition after failing to distinguish many colors on the chart. Color blindness is more severe, with individuals seeing only black and white, similar to dogs.
What is this type of non-valid cognition? It results from errors in internal and external conditions, such as seeing hallucinations or ghosts that others do not. These may be illusions; there are no ghosts, they do not exist, hence non-valid cognition. However, for the person seeing ghosts, it may not be non-valid; it could be valid cognition.
To illustrate, consider mathematician John Forbes Nash from the film “A Beautiful Mind.” He lived with a hallucinatory classmate for four years, sharing many life experiences. Others thought he was alone, but he believed he was with his classmate. We regard his experiences as non-valid cognition, and what he perceived as false, but for him, they were valid. By our standards, it is non-valid, but by his, it may not be.
This is a comparison due to errors in conditions or definitions. We believe he is mistaken, so we treat him with medication. Nonetheless, what he perceives may be valid cognition for him. However, it does not conform to our definitions. Other forms of non-valid cognition include seeing stars after a blow to the head; these stars cannot be sold for money because you know it is not real. Knowing conceptually that seeing stars is an illusion means it cannot be non-valid cognition; the stars seen after being hit can also be considered valid cognition. Thus, valid and non-valid cognition are determined by cognitive and functional definitions, influenced by various factors.
For example, Arhat Maudgalyayana’s observation of a cow’s gender was valid cognition, but the cow’s tail hid its genitals, leading to an incorrect judgment. His observation was valid, but it conflicted with human definitions of gender, making it non-valid. Therefore, whether valid cognition aligns with human cognitive and functional definitions determines its validity. This is a principle from Buddhist logic. I hope this explanation is clear, but in essence, mental cognition includes these features and can encompass non-valid cognition, which can express our non-material understanding. It may seem material, but in reality, it is mental cognition—this is what we typically refer to as mental cognition.
Excerpted from: Cognition and Expression Part Two
