The Reason Why the Manas Is the Master Consciousness

The manas is a consciousness that arises spontaneously, existing perpetually and never ceasing except at the time of nirvāṇa without remainder (anupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa). It has existed since beginningless kalpas, and there is no dharma that can determine the arising of the manas, nor any dharma that can determine its cessation. Since no one can govern the arising and perishing of the manas, and no one can govern its spontaneous functioning, among the seven consciousnesses it is the king—the ruler, the chief. Apart from it, there is nothing that can serve as ruler or chief.

The mind consciousness cannot be the ruler or chief, because the mind consciousness arises and ceases every day and cannot act autonomously. Its arising is conditional: it requires the manas, it requires mental sense-objects, the manas must contact the mental sense-objects, and the manas must make the decision to create bodily and verbal karmic actions—only then can the mind consciousness arise. Given this, how could the mind consciousness be the master? If it cannot even be the master of its own arising and perishing—having no say, no control—how could it have the power to control the manas and other dharmas? How could it be the master?

Especially when the mind consciousness has not yet appeared, when it is very faint, or when it is unable to think—how could it be the master then? With regard to falling asleep and waking up, how could the mind consciousness be the master of these matters? When one is sound asleep in the middle of the night and a fire suddenly breaks out at home, when something abnormal suddenly occurs, how could the mind consciousness be the master and wake up to escape? The mind consciousness does not even exist at that time—can it still be the master? When one is unconscious, there is no mind consciousness at all; how could the mind consciousness be the master and struggle to wake up? In the case of a person in a vegetative state, the mind consciousness is so faint that it has almost ceased; how could it be the master and decide to turn over? It no longer even has thought; how could it be the master and decide to eat? How could it decide whether to keep on living or that death would be better?

Although the manas is a neutral (avyākṛta) consciousness that cannot act autonomously or create wholesome and unwholesome karmic actions on its own, this has nothing to do with whether it possesses the capacity to be the master. It is like a president who cannot write programs: he can be the master and direct programmers to write programs. He has that authority; he need not attend to everything personally. He has subordinates who specialize in handling all kinds of affairs, and he only needs to issue commands. Likewise, the manas cannot personally create bodily and verbal karmic actions; it suffices for it to be the master and direct the six consciousnesses to create them. The six consciousnesses exist to serve the manas. If the six consciousnesses are useless and cannot accomplish anything, the manas will simply not decide to let the six consciousnesses arise, and then they will have no function at all.