Why Is Actual Realization So Difficult?

In preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) or the concentration of the first dhyāna, when the mind consciousness rationally contemplates a certain dharma principle, the process and result of that contemplation are transmitted to the manas. The manas, through careful deliberation (manasikāra), verifies and confirms the mind consciousness's cognition; or, if the manas and mind consciousness have not reached a conclusion that accords with reason and reality—if there is no result—the manas, on the basis of the clues provided by the mind consciousness, deliberates and investigates on its own, and finally arrives at a conclusion that accords with fact. This is realization. The manas's realization cannot be separated from meditative concentration; apart from meditative concentration, the manas becomes scattered and prone to grasping at objects, unable to deliberate and investigate single-mindedly, and thus unable to attain realization. However, the mind consciousness's thinking and understanding can occur with or without meditative concentration; the requirement for meditative concentration is not high, because the power of wisdom (prajñā-bala) of the mind consciousness is greater than that of the manas. In the early stage of the mind consciousness's thinking and contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), one must observe through direct perception; the more it is direct perception, the greater the inspiration it provides to the manas. In many cases, even dharmas observed by the mind consciousness through direct perception are difficult for the manas to cognize, let alone what is not observed through direct perception. The mind consciousness's non-valid cognition—imagination, inference, and speculation—cannot enable the manas to cognize and accept. The mind consciousness's thinking by inference and by non-valid cognition has little effect on the manas, which does not easily acknowledge or believe it. The manas must rely on the mind consciousness's direct perception to arouse its own deliberative nature; when deliberation becomes clear, it will accept and realize; when deliberation does not become clear, it is still only the mind consciousness knowing on its own.

For example, the mind consciousness clearly knows that the physical body changes rapidly year by year: a person grows from childhood in the blink of an eye, and in another blink becomes a young adult; especially in middle age and old age, due to one's state of mind, one feels even more that the days pass too quickly, fears dying too early, and cherishes life greatly. Why cherish life and fear that time passes quickly? It is all because one knows that the physical body will sooner or later perish, that it is not forever free from aging, illness, and death, that it is impermanent, and at times one also feels it is suffering. But what use is it for the mind consciousness to know these things? The manas never pays attention or deliberates, so life after life things remain as they are, and the cycle of birth and death (saṃsāra) becomes unavoidable. For many things, whatever the mind consciousness knows is useless; the manas does not know, and things are done just as before, changing nothing in the slightest.

Therefore, the manas's realization is extremely crucial and important. He is the master-consciousness that connects past, present, and future: birth, death, and saṃsāra are decided by Him; the eradication of afflictions and ignorance is decided by Him; liberation is decided by Him; and attaining buddhahood is also decided by Him. In cultivation, nothing is more important than the manas. Although the eighth consciousness is even more important than the manas, cultivation does not require cultivating the eighth consciousness; without the manas, the eighth consciousness can do nothing. The eighth consciousness alone is of no use; the accomplishment of all dharmas depends entirely on the driving force of the manas. Therefore, the dharmas that the mind consciousness has pondered must be infused into the manas, letting the manas deliberate, weigh, and choose, letting the manas also realize the dharma; only then does what the mind consciousness does have merit, have results, and have karmic retribution.