The Method of Profound Deliberation by Means of the Manas

Sit cross-legged in stillness, breathe out deeply and then breathe in. After the mind has calmed down and settled, begin to ponder a question deeply. At first, the thinking is certainly done by the mind consciousness; but as concentration gradually focuses on the question, the mind consciousness simply watches the question without the mind moving, and the manas takes over, deliberating and investigating deeply. Although the manas does move, it moves extremely, extremely slowly, and in the end it seems not to move at all. The question then hangs suspended in the vast, empty brain—or in the supreme faculty (rūpa-prasāda), or what is called the black box.

As the mind consciousness attends and the manas deliberates, information without language or words will flash forth. The manas knows it and the mind consciousness also understands it, though not necessarily very clearly. If the power of meditative concentration (samādhi) is sufficient and does not weaken, the information will then come forth more and more, becoming clearer and clearer; the mind increasingly understands what the information is, and the answer to the question gradually presents itself, and the mind becomes relaxed and bright. After emerging from samādhi, the mind consciousness needs to filter through, recall, and examine all the information that appeared in the brain from beginning to end, and finally confirm it; the manas then confirms it accordingly, and the result is settled.

The entire process requires very deep and highly focused meditative concentration. During the process of deep pondering, the power of concentration may grow better and better, to the point that the mind enters samādhi—relaxed, joyful, and comfortable—though the manas may not necessarily be deliberating. After emerging from samādhi, or after the power of concentration weakens, one continues the deliberation and investigation, and the final result will eventually appear.