The Awareness of the Mind Consciousness and the Manas

When the mind consciousness is not aware, does the manas have awareness? When the manas has awareness, do we know it? When there is no mind consciousness, who is there to observe the manas? Even when the mind consciousness is present, the vast majority of sentient beings simply cannot observe the manas, and thus the functions and roles of the manas become buried and misunderstood. When the manas introspects upon itself, the mind consciousness cannot detect it, and the manas cannot express it either; then we have no way to clearly and truthfully understand the functions and roles of the manas in accordance with the Dharma, and the manas is inevitably forced to remain a hidden figure behind the scenes—the master, the commander, the decision-maker.

When does the manas cease to be the hidden figure behind the scenes—the master, the commander, the decision-maker—and step onto the front stage? What is the basis for speaking of "front stage" and "back stage"? It is based on the degree of the mind consciousness's wisdom.

For the manas to step onto the front stage, the condition is that the mind consciousness must possess very powerful wisdom and observational power. For the mind consciousness to have powerful wisdom and observational power, it must, after seeing one's true mind, be endowed with the meditative power of dhyāna at the level of the first dhyāna or above. At this point, the stage of realization is around entering the first bhūmi—generally speaking, after the first bhūmi—when afflictions have been eliminated and both the mind consciousness and the manas have transformed consciousness into wisdom. At that time, it is not that the manas steps onto the front stage; rather, the mind consciousness has finally become endowed with wisdom and has observed the manas, so the functions and roles of the manas are no longer buried.