Eradicating the Ignorance of the Manas Is Very Difficult.

The dharmas of "no self in the five aggregates (pañca-skandha)" can be roughly understood by the mind consciousness just by thinking about them, but the manas cannot understand them; if the manas does not understand, it is of no avail and nothing can be changed. How can one impregnate the manas so that it too understands and eradicates the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi)? One must cultivate meditation well. When the mind consciousness has deliberated clearly within meditative concentration, one suspends the meaning of the dharma in the manas, remains within concentration with not a single thought arising, and lets the manas deliberate. The more active the manas's deliberation, the better; the greater the impact it receives, the better. At a certain point, the manas's ingrained views can be overturned, one confirms that the five aggregates are without self, and the view of self is eradicated.

If within concentration one still relies on the mind consciousness to deliberate, this shows, first, that the concentration is shallow, and second, that the meaning of the dharma has not been transmitted to the manas. Since the manas has not been impregnated, it cannot deliberate on the dharma meaning, and so one has no choice but to rely on the mind consciousness to deliberate. If the mind consciousness has not a single thought arising and the manas also does not deliberate, then one can enter into a withered samādhi, without the wisdom of contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), and the great wisdom of prajñā will not emerge.

Those without meditative concentration often feel that realizing the fruits is quick and easy—it is done through the mind consciousness's deliberation and understanding, which is of course many times faster than the manas's deliberation. Those with meditative concentration do not feel that realizing the fruits is quick and easy, because the manas's ignorance is heavy, it accepts the truth rather slowly, and it deliberates on the dharma meaning rather slowly as well; therefore eradicating the manas's ignorance is extremely difficult.

Take recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) as an example. When there is no meditative concentration, the mind consciousness can recollect the Buddha loudly, in a loud voice. Once a bit of Buddha-recollection samādhi appears, the sound of reciting becomes quieter; the better the concentration, the softer the sound of recitation. When the concentration is deep, one simply cannot recite aloud, and recollects the Buddha in the mind—reciting with the mind rather than with the mouth. When the concentration is even deeper, even the mind consciousness's mental recitation cannot occur, and one enters samādhi; if the manas has been impregnated, one recollects the Buddha with the manas. When the manas recollects the Buddha, there is no oral recitation by the mind consciousness and no mental recitation by the mind consciousness, yet deep within the mind one is indeed mindful of the Buddha, thinking of the Buddha, not empty. Impregnating the manas with Buddha-recollection is just like this. Therefore, without meditative concentration, Buddhist practice simply cannot reach its proper place—it is like scratching an itch through a boot, unable to solve any problem. That is why the Buddha taught that practice must be complete with precepts, concentration, and wisdom; not one of these three great treasures can be lacking. Only by trusting the Buddha's words and honoring the Buddha's teachings can one achieve accomplishment.