For instance, when we are driving a luxury car, there is a sense of pride and giddy excitement. This happy feeling comes from the sixth consciousness. From the standpoint of non­-discriminating consciousness, there is very little difference between driving an expensive car and a nice ordinary car; but from the standpoint of the sixth consciousness, it is very different. Similarly, when we are wearing clothes with an exclusive label, we feel contented, happy, and special; this feeling does not come from the clothing, it comes from our consciousness. From the standpoint of non-discriminating consciousness, fine apparel and clothing with an expensive label feel the same. Suppose a person is given an ordinary dress to wear and is told it is a Chanel; if she cannot distinguish between an imitation and the real product, she will feel just as happy and contented.

譬如，当我们开着一辆昂贵的名车时，也许会觉得很有面子、很了不起，傲慢当中夹杂着轻飘飘的快乐，这种快乐就来自于第六意识。从无分别识的感觉而言，开名车与开好一点的普通车不会有那么大的差别，但第六识却觉得非常不一样。同样，当我们穿名牌衣服时，也会有满足、快乐、洋洋得意的感觉，这也不是名牌衣服创造的，而是我们的意识创造的。因为从无分别识的角度来看，品质好一点的衣服与名牌衣服的触觉是一样的。如果一个人不懂得辨别牌子的真假，另一个人拿一件普通衣服给他穿，并告诉他那是世界顶级名牌，他也一样会产生满足、快乐的感觉。

If one day we lose possession of our luxury car and cannot afford to buy expensive clothing, or if we discover that our neighbor has a better house and car, we will begin to suffer. Even though we still have clothes to wear and do not lack for food or shelter, and even though our non-discriminating consciousness is contented, our discriminating consciousness feels ashamed and inferior to others. It’s obvious that this feeling is entirely created by the sixth consciousness.

The Buddha did not deny that material comfort can bring happiness to an extent. The external world affects our happiness and suffering but is not the primary cause of our well-being. Happiness itself does not come from outside, but from the mind. We can find happiness only from within the mind and overcome suffering only by working with the mind. Thus, we should not be deluded into thinking money is the answer to happiness, because it cannot bring total happiness.