The Manas Does Not Cling to the Lingering Taste of Dvesha

Question: The manas has a peculiar habit that is unknown to ordinary people; it often clings to the taste of hatred. For instance, some cannot bear to see others doing well—whenever others surpass them, they give rise to hatred. Even worse, some even take pleasure in harming the lives of sentient beings.

The manas is also two-faced: one side is defiled, the other pure. Therefore, the Consciousness-Only school calls it the basis of defilement and purification, because on one side it relies on the eighth consciousness, the tathāgatagarbha, and on the other side, it connects to the six active consciousnesses. The tathāgatagarbha it relies upon is eternal and pure, while the six active consciousnesses it relies upon are constantly changing and defiled. For this reason, students of Consciousness-Only know the manas as the basis of defilement and purification. Is the above explanation correct?

Answer: The vast majority of the habits of the manas are unknown to ordinary people, because ordinary people lack sufficient concentration and wisdom to realize the manas. Even if some have realized it, due to the obstruction of afflictions and failure to transform consciousness into wisdom, they cannot observe the functioning of the manas or accurately understand its mental activities, hence there are many misunderstandings. Those who have not eradicated afflictions and have not transformed consciousness into wisdom possess all afflictions within their manas, with greed and hatred being the greatest habitual tendencies. If the manas gives rise to greedy mental activities, it invariably believes that the object of greed is beneficial to itself—it likes it, finds it comfortable and pleasurable, and feels it satisfies its preferences, interests, and vanity.

When hatred manifests and one becomes angry, what "taste" is there? This statement is peculiar because hatred is a mental factor, an activity of the conscious mind. The notion that the manas clings to its own mental activities, especially hatred, is illogical. Hatred itself is an act that harms both body and mind; it is even unpleasant. Who enjoys being unpleasant or making things difficult for themselves? Unless one has masochistic tendencies, ordinary people do not enjoy hatred and try to avoid it whenever possible. Even when seeking revenge, harming others by seven parts damages oneself by ten; most people dislike this. Therefore, the idea that the manas clings to the "taste" of hatred is utterly unfounded. On the other hand, "taste" refers to the conscious mind's feelings toward the objects of the six senses (form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental objects). The conscious mind may cling to pleasant and comfortable feelings from these objects but would never cling to the unpleasant feelings experienced during anger—there is no such principle.

People with strong hatred frequently manifest hatred; they must vent their anger onto others to achieve inner peace. Thus, those with intense hatred may resort to violence against others to discharge their hatred, feeling some relief or even happiness afterward. Some, finding no outlet for their emotions, vent upon themselves or objects to calm down. Only a very few special individuals act this way; most do not. However, this still does not indicate a clinging to the "taste" of hatred. Hatred is hatred; greed is greed. No one likes hatred, yet there is no choice—the manas possesses hatred and will periodically erupt.

The explanation of the "basis of defilement and purification" is incorrect. Its true meaning is that the manas is the basis and source from which the six consciousnesses become defiled or purified; whether the six consciousnesses are defiled or pure depends on the manas. Because the manas is the sovereign consciousness, it commands the activities of the six consciousnesses according to its own mental inclinations. Thus, the nature of the six consciousnesses' activities lies with the manas. If the manas is defiled, it inevitably directs the six consciousnesses to create defiled karma; if the manas is pure, it necessarily directs the six consciousnesses to perform pure actions, or the six consciousnesses may function minimally or not at all.

Since beginningless time, the manas has always relied on the tathāgatagarbha for its arising and functioning, and relies on the tathāgatagarbha to perceive all dharmas. Yet it has never relied on the purity of the tathāgatagarbha to become pure itself; it has always remained defiled. Therefore, the tathāgatagarbha is not the basis for the purity of the manas. Only after truly realizing the tathāgatagarbha can one gradually rely on its pure nature to transform one's own defiled mental activities, becoming increasingly pure.

On the other hand, although the manas relies on the six consciousnesses to discern the objects of the six senses and create bodily, verbal, and mental actions, its defilement is innate. It is defiled without needing to be tainted by the six consciousnesses; even without the six consciousnesses, the manas remains defiled. Conversely, in the cycle of rebirth within the six realms, the manas continuously taints the six consciousnesses, teaching them greed, hatred, and delusion. The six consciousnesses, in turn, encounter defiled environments during rebirth and transmit the acquired greed, hatred, and delusion back to the manas, thereby increasing its defilement. Thus, the defilement of the manas is not born from reliance on the six consciousnesses. However, for the manas to transform toward purity, it must rely on the six consciousnesses' cultivation of the Buddha Dharma. Only when the six consciousnesses are pure can the manas gradually become pure. Conversely, once the manas is pure, the six consciousnesses are less susceptible to defilement from their environment and will inevitably become pure.