The Relationship between Spontaneity and Initial Application and Sustained Examination (Vitarka-Vicāra)

"Acting spontaneously" (任运) refers to the mind consciousness operating automatically and self-awarely in accord with nature and in accord with causes and conditions, without any artificial interference that would obstruct it and cause it to stall. Among the eight consciousnesses, only the eighth consciousness and the manas are mind consciousnesses that operate spontaneously; the six consciousnesses are not. The six consciousnesses are subject to the constraints of the manas, and there are very many occasions when they cannot function. Therefore, the six consciousnesses are not consciousnesses that operate spontaneously.

Vitarka and vicāra (initial application and sustained examination) are the activities of the mind consciousness—alone or together with the five sense consciousnesses—such as searching, deliberating, thinking, investigating, and studying, in order to resolve doubts or questions in the mind of the manas. Therefore, the vitarka and vicāra of the mind consciousness or of the six consciousnesses are directly directed by the manas: when the manas tells them to go east to search and examine, they go east; when it tells them to go west, they go west. The mind consciousness may beforehand offer suggestions for the manas to consider and decide upon. Although the manas cannot, by itself alone, engage in the activities of the five-aggregate body, it has runners and helpers who can do many things on its behalf, so it must make use of them. A leader with many affairs to attend to cannot personally do the concrete work, so subordinates must be assigned to do it—this is only natural and proper. For the six consciousnesses to carry out the manas's instructions as required is also their unavoidable duty; such is their responsibility.

The eighth consciousness has no activity of vitarka and vicāra, and no mental conduct of vitarka and vicāra, because the eighth consciousness is an unconditioned mind that does not take charge; everything is unrelated to it, so there is no need for it to search for or examine anything. In the course of the manas's operation with respect to all dharmas, because of ignorance and its extensive clinging, its cognition of everything is very coarse, and there are often things it cannot understand. Even relying on the six consciousnesses, there are still many dharmas it does not understand. In order to understand them, it must give rise to a mind of vitarka and vicāra to investigate, and it needs the six consciousnesses to complete the task of investigation. Therefore, the manas, which operates spontaneously, is precisely the initiator, supervisor, and commander of the vitarka and vicāra activities of the six consciousnesses, and the results are enjoyed by the manas.