The Right Understanding of Manas
Chapter Three: The Agility of Manas
1. Another intrinsic characteristic of manas is its agility. The Chinese term "伶俐" (lingli) conveys the meanings of lightness, flexibility, and swiftness, which largely describe manas. Why is manas so agile? Since beginningless kalpas, it has continuously clung to all dharmas produced by the Tathāgatagarbha, existing by following the Tathāgatagarbha. Whatever dharmas the Tathāgatagarbha manifests, manas can cognize them without obstruction—it is extremely nimble and swift. As long as the Tathāgatagarbha can manifest, manas can cognize; it is intimately connected to the Tathāgatagarbha, and there is no dharma it fails to cognize. Hence, it is said to be agile. Whatever dharma the Tathāgatagarbha manifests, manas knows it instantly. Therefore, it is said to be agile.
2. Is manas agile when the six consciousnesses are absent? When consciousness (vijñāna) is absent, manas absolutely knows it exists. It knows the five aggregates body currently cannot move and cannot discern subtle dharmas; it knows it is still alive and is aware of its general condition. For example, during unconsciousness, manas forcefully seeks an opportunity to regain clarity; when near death, manas struggles against dying. While asleep, if a major fire breaks out nearby, manas swiftly causes the six consciousnesses to arise and discern; when consciousness is dazed and unaware of what is happening, the body immediately flees. Is manas not agile?
During an earthquake, manas immediately causes the six consciousnesses to arise. Even before the six consciousnesses precisely know what is happening, they leap out of windows to escape. Is manas not agile? The decision to flee is made by manas; the six consciousnesses are dazed and provide little information, yet manas knows something is wrong. While asleep, when the six consciousnesses do not exist, manas knows a serious problem has arisen and causes one to awaken quickly. Is manas not agile? If manas were not agile, we could not have survived until now. When various sudden events occur, manas knows to immediately evade them, knows to protect the key and vital parts of the body, and knows which areas are vulnerable to fatal injury. Only because of this have we survived safely until now. Therefore, we should be grateful for the habitual power of manas and its agile self-protective function.
3. Why Manas is Called the Transforming Consciousness
Precisely because manas is extremely agile, it is called the transforming consciousness. "Transforming consciousness" means that dharmas which originally did not exist—dharmas within the Tathāgatagarbha—are transformed into manifestation due to the clinging nature of manas. This is the function performed by manas as the transforming consciousness. If manas possesses great wisdom and knows the true reality of the Dharma realm, relying on the Tathāgatagarbha and the true reality, manas knows that all dharmas are entirely illusory. When the mind is still and unmoving, some dharmas of the three realms do not manifest; they are not transformed into appearance. If manas does not transform, the dharmas of the three realms cannot become present. Manas can transform the dharmas of the three realms into appearance; it can transform the six consciousnesses into appearance. This is why it is called the transforming consciousness—it transforms the dharmas of the three realms from the treasury of the Tathāgatagarbha. This is the function of the transforming consciousness.
When we are in meditative concentration, manas still transforms. When asleep, the perceiving mind ceases, yet manas continues to transform unceasingly. Since manas can continuously transform without interruption, bringing all dharmas into manifestation, it demonstrates that manas is extremely agile. Moreover, even when entering the concentration of non-perception, the concentration of cessation, or in the state of approaching death or unconsciousness, it still operates continuously without interruption. Therefore, it is called the transforming consciousness. Manas is the transforming consciousness both outside and within concentration; it transforms at all times, moment by moment, without ceasing for even an instant. If manas did not transform, one would enter the state of Nirvana without residue.
That is to say, based on the stirring of manas, the conscious perceiving mind arises to cooperate, manifesting the objects of the six dusts and discerning them. Thus, the six consciousnesses capable of perceiving the objects of the six dusts exist, and the perceived six dusts are called the phenomenal appearances. In this way, both mind and phenomena fully appear.
4. The All-Encompassing Cognizing Nature and Agility of Manas
Some say that during sleep, when a "bang"—a loud sound—occurs, the Tathāgatagarbha then gives rise to the six consciousnesses, and the person awakens. But if there is no loud sound, no significant object of mental cognition (dharmadhātu), do the six consciousnesses arise? Can one awaken from sleep? Of course one can awaken. For the vast majority of sentient beings and in the vast majority of cases, awakening from sleep occurs naturally upon completion of sleep; it is not always due to a significant mental object. Moreover, not every sleep period involves significant mental objects; otherwise, such a sleep environment would be terrible, and everyone's sleep quality would be extremely poor, resulting in constant dullness and lack of clarity. Furthermore, no one can guarantee that every time they are about to awaken, there will definitely be a significant mental object. Thus, one could not guarantee waking up on time after every sleep, nor even guarantee waking up at all. Who then would dare to sleep lightly?
In fact, the mechanism of manas is such that it can discern all sense objects, regardless of their significance, but it can ignore and disregard certain unimportant sense objects. In such cases, the six consciousnesses need not arise and become active. However, for certain sense objects that manas deems relatively important or useful, if it lacks the ability to discern them more subtly, the Tathāgatagarbha will give rise to the six consciousnesses to assist in discerning them, allowing manas to make decisions. If there truly are no important or meaningful sense objects, manas will habitually and aimlessly cognize all-pervasively, and the Tathāgatagarbha will cooperate by giving rise to the six consciousnesses to discern all sense objects according to conditions. For example, when we sit in meditation seeking concentration, consciousness intends to quiet down and does not want to discern sounds, yet the habitual function of manas cannot stop—sounds still arise at the ears, consciousness still knows them, and the mind cannot become empty. In a waking state with a quiet mind, even the tiniest sounds at the ears can be heard, such as the faintest sound of the heartbeat, the sound of breathing, the buzzing of mosquitoes, or distant sounds about to fade away. Consciousness knows them all. But before consciousness perceives them, manas must first cognize and discern them.
Because manas cognizes all dharmas pervasively, there is no dharma it does not cognize. It cognizes subtle, coarse, significant, and insignificant dharmas. Even if consciousness does not want these dharmas and dislikes them, manas still brings them forth; consciousness cannot refuse. This is the all-encompassing cognizing nature of manas, the habitual tendency of manas. Manas cognizes all dharmas pervasively. Sometimes this is due to desire, sometimes due to vows and aspirations, sometimes due to habits, and other times because the sensory objects are simply too powerful—manas cannot resist the temptation and is compelled to discern, giving rise to clinging. After manas cognizes dharmas, it causes consciousness to become present, enabling the discrimination of the six dusts and the perception of phenomenal appearances.
Is the function of manas itself to perceive phenomenal appearances inferior? Actually, it is not. For instance, when a natural disaster or calamity is about to occur somewhere, consciousness knows nothing, yet manas knows and thus decides to move to avoid the disaster or exhibits panicked behavior. These phenomena indicate that manas knows something is about to happen. Sometimes, manas knows something is about to occur and wants consciousness to know as well, so it causes a dream for consciousness to discern during sleep or allows consciousness to discern it during concentration. Is manas not agile? Prior to this, the conscious mind cannot know these things; without manas being alert, consciousness fundamentally cannot know.
Manas knows these impending events entirely by relying solely on the Tathāgatagarbha—the six consciousnesses have no part in it. Moreover, manas must inform consciousness through dreams for consciousness to know what is about to happen. During seated meditation, manas can even return to past lives, manifesting events from past lives for consciousness to discern. Events from childhood, both important and unimportant—a multitude of things—can all be made known to consciousness. Is there any participation of the conscious mind here? No. All of this is known by manas solely relying on the Tathāgatagarbha. When manas operates alone, it is extremely agile and does not need to rely on the six consciousness minds.
The dharmas of manas are extremely subtle. Our mind must be extremely subtle, our meditative concentration (dhyāna) extremely good, our wisdom extremely profound and subtle, and our direct observational ability extremely strong to gradually uncover all those subtle dharmas. Lacking meditative concentration and wisdom, one can only perform superficial observations on the coarse, surface level. Some people's minds are very coarse; even on the surface level, they cannot observe, let alone perceive subtle dharmas.
5. Why can manas take measures in emergencies, thereby avoiding danger and turning peril into safety? How does manas know that the encountered situation is dangerous and can threaten one's life? How does manas discern and judge that an accident is about to occur?
First, it must be clarified that consciousness absolutely has no time to carefully analyze the danger of the situation, how to avoid it, or what measures to take. Moreover, most of the time, only after the event has occurred and the risk has passed does consciousness know what exactly just happened, realizing how perilous it was. Then, instead of thanking God, one thanks some kind of spirit, unaware that the one who should be thanked most is manas. So, what should we thank manas for?
Since beginningless kalpas, manas has experienced countless events. It knows what is beneficial and what is harmful, what can endanger life. Through countless lifetimes, manas has cognized the physical body and understands its general condition—which parts are vital and involve the life faculty. Therefore, manas often, at critical moments, without waiting for consciousness to analyze and judge, independently handles various sudden, critical emergencies, preventing accidents and ensuring the safety of life.
When various sudden events occur, if manas were to wait for consciousness to analyze, contemplate, reason, and judge before considering how to resolve the situation, it would already be too late—life might be lost. Therefore, we should be grateful for the agility of manas, grateful for its precious experiences accumulated since beginningless kalpas, grateful for its decisive and resourceful nature that brooks no argument, and grateful for its automatic wisdom in avoiding danger. Thus, we should no longer say that manas is always so dull and foolish. When it is clever, we are far from matching it.
6. When iron filings fly towards the eyes, quickly closing the eyes blocks the incoming filings, preventing injury to the eyes. The emergency and rapid closing of the eyes are actions swiftly decided and commanded by manas. Manas is truly inconceivable; it is the foremost protector of the physical body. Without this protective mechanism, it is hard to say how long the five aggregates body could survive in each lifetime.
Although we should be grateful to manas for this, the one who deserves the most gratitude is still the Tathāgatagarbha. The rapid healing of bodily injuries is entirely the result of the Tathāgatagarbha adjusting the four great elements (mahābhūtas). Without the Tathāgatagarbha, any intention of manas would be powerless, let alone protecting the physical body or restoring it to health—that would be impossible. Therefore, the Tathāgatagarbha is the most venerable and beloved, selfless and without ego. Manas, loving the various functions of the Tathāgatagarbha and relying on its support, acts imperiously yet believes all achievements are its own.
7. The innate ability to avoid danger belongs to manas. The conscious mind, at the moment of birth, understands nothing. If throughout life one does not encounter the corresponding environment to learn, consciousness would never understand anything. But manas possesses the innate instinct for survival; it does not need consciousness to guide or influence it.
The manas of animals also has an agile aspect; they possess many innate abilities. Their reactions upon first encountering danger occur without being taught. When they first experience an earthquake, they have premonitions and know to find ways to escape—innately, without being taught. This is the agility of manas; there is no other explanation. However, no matter how agile manas is, it cannot escape karmic conditions; it cannot escape karmic retribution. Even if born in the Heaven of Neither Perception Nor Non-Perception to enjoy wholesome retribution, manas becomes attached to that state. When the life ends and unwholesome retribution arrives, one still must suffer in the three lower realms. Manas has absolutely no control and no way to avoid it.
No matter how agile the manas of certain people may be, when unwholesome karmic conditions appear, death must still occur; there is no way to avoid it. Although to others it may seem completely avoidable, for the person whose karmic retribution has arrived, there is no choice, no opportunity to choose, no chance to think—life simply vanishes.
No matter how agile the manas of certain people may be, due to deficiencies in karmic seeds and merit (puṇya), they still cannot comprehend even very simple Dharma principles correctly, cannot understand them properly, let alone contemplate them rationally—this is deeply regrettable. No matter how agile or clever the manas of certain people may be, if they single-mindedly pursue high office and wealth, yet due to not cultivating merit in past lives, all wholesome retributions pass them by, leaving them suffering throughout life and complaining their entire existence. No matter how agile or clever the manas of certain people may be, if due to short time spent studying Buddhism in past lives, even after diligently studying the Buddhadharma their entire life with unrelenting vigor, they still cannot truly understand and observe even the minor vehicle Dharma of severing the view of self, let alone attain any fruition.
