How to Make the Manas Swiftly Embrace the Dharma and Transform Oneself

The manas has existed in the desire realm for countless kalpas and is thus exceedingly familiar with phenomena like sunlight within this realm. In contrast, the Dharma remains relatively unfamiliar and strange to the manas. While the manas is deeply acquainted with sunlight through eons of exposure, the Dharma feels new and unfamiliar to it, lacking sufficient wisdom and experience to make correct, reasonable, and swift judgments. Consequently, the manas finds it difficult to accept the Dharma, challenging to comprehend it, even harder to cultivate oneself according to it, and exceedingly difficult to reform oneself based on the Dharma. Therefore, it is essential for the conscious mind to frequently engage with the Dharma, to understand it correctly and reasonably. In this way, the conscious mind can influence the manas, helping it become familiar with the Dharma, develop an interest in it, become willing to study and practice it, and be inclined to reform itself according to the Dharma. By turning the unfamiliarity of the Dharma into familiarity for the manas, and transforming its familiarity with worldly phenomena into unfamiliarity, progress on the path of cultivation will be swift.