The Solitary Activity of the Manas Also Belongs to Karmic Formations and Retribution

When a practitioner of Pure Land cultivates effectively in the Sahā world, the manas and the tathāgatagarbha manifest a lotus platform in the Land of Bliss; this is a karmic seed. When the karmic seed ripens, after death one is born transformationally within a lotus flower in the Land of Bliss—this is the karmic retribution of the cultivation. During cultivation, karmic seeds are stored; when the seeds ripen, one receives wholesome retribution in the Land of Bliss. The manas, apart from the mind consciousness, brings about the appearance of the lotus platform in the Land of Bliss; this too should be counted as karmic action, and also belongs to the fruit of cultivation. But whether this fruit can ultimately be obtained still depends on causes and conditions, on whether the seeds can ripen; if one's cultivation regresses, the unripened seeds wither, the lotus platform in the Land of Bliss disappears, and one cannot attain rebirth there at the time of death.

After a night's sleep, upon waking in the morning, the mind consciousness feels that it has figured something out and understood a principle. During that whole night the mind consciousness did not appear; it was entirely the manas engaging in thought on its own, and as a result it worked something out; when the mind consciousness appeared, it came to understand the matter. This also counts as karmic action, seeds are also stored, and there is also karmic retribution. If throughout the night the manas was engaged in recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti), reciting mantras, or investigating Chan, then even without the mind consciousness appearing it is still cultivation—indeed the best cultivation, the most successful cultivation. It belongs to karmic action, stores seeds, and has karmic retribution. However, the manas's independent mental activity and investigative activity are the result of its previous cultivation together with the mind consciousness and of being influenced by the mind consciousness; therefore the manas's independent karmic action also belongs to a fruit.

If the manas discusses the Dharma with someone in the middle of the night, wisdom can also grow. If in the middle of the night it goes to request the Dharma from Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, and Avalokiteśvara patiently answers, then upon waking, the mind consciousness understands and receives the sweet dew of the Buddha's Dharma. If one has contracted a serious illness, and the manas goes in the middle of the night to seek medicine from an immortal or a Bodhisattva, then after taking it, one wakes the next day and the illness is cured. This belongs to karmic action, and also to karmic retribution.