The Impact of the Dust Realm on Manas in the Absence of the Six Consciousnesses

When the manas (mental faculty) makes contact with dharma-objects (mental objects), it subsequently gives rise to consciousness, which discerns these dharma-objects. It is the manas that first makes contact with the dharma-objects and perceives them initially, while consciousness makes contact and perceives them afterward. However, the perception by the manas is not as clear and detailed as that of consciousness, and after perceiving, it cannot act independently; it must rely on consciousness and the five sensory consciousnesses to take action. Therefore, all sense objects are first perceived by the manas, without needing feedback from the six consciousnesses. Nevertheless, the six consciousnesses discern the six sense objects (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and mental objects) in greater detail. Consciousness possesses strong logical thinking and observational abilities, capable of providing the manas with many suggestions. When the manas receives feedback from the five sensory consciousnesses and consciousness, it can understand the sense objects fully and in detail, and then make the final decision. Thus, although the manas cannot fully discern the realms of the six sense objects, it can still undergo conditioning (vasana) or gain a general understanding. For habitual sense objects, its discernment can be somewhat clearer, thereby exerting a subtle, often unnoticed influence on the manas, which allows this information to be stored as seeds (bija) in the storehouse consciousness.