The More Thorough the Understanding of Consciousness, the More Receptive and Compliant the Manas Becomes

The consciousness possesses strong analytical thinking abilities, discerning the realm of mental objects with considerable depth and subtlety, making it easier to give rise to wisdom. The wisdom of consciousness arises through contact with the environment, deep learning, and meticulous contemplation. With this wisdom, it can guide the mental faculty to free itself from the mire, steer it toward the bright path, and ultimately reach the blissful homeland. Without the guidance of consciousness, the mental faculty would remain trapped in the mire for a long time, unable to extricate itself, and the five aggregates would perpetually remain within the cycle of birth and death. Therefore, consciousness is of utmost importance.

To achieve clear and thorough contemplation, one must possess a certain degree of concentration; lacking concentration makes it impossible. Contemplation within concentration is both deep and subtle. Slowly and meticulously, one can penetrate deeply into the mental faculty. The deeper, subtler, and slower the contemplation, the more easily the mental faculty comprehends. Moreover, it must participate in this deep and subtle deliberation to be genuinely affected. Only with genuine realization can it alter its own views and understanding, leading to a significant transformation in mental conduct. The mental faculty also possesses a relatively subtle discriminative wisdom. When consciousness contemplates deeply and subtly, the mental faculty can rely on this to truly understand that the five aggregates are without a self, thereby realizing the true meaning of selflessness. The mental faculty did not originally hold this view because it was unaware of these principles. This necessitates the conscious mind frequently conducting deep and detailed analyses for it.

For instance, when educating a child, if we don't explain the reasoning to the child but merely force and coerce, although the child may superficially comply, they do not truly understand deep within. Consequently, they cannot genuinely accept it from the depths of their heart and correct their behavior, leading them to make the same mistake again. Therefore, persuasive education and explaining the reasoning are essential. The more thoroughly and clearly the reasoning is explained, the more they can accept and comply. The same principle applies to dealing with the mental faculty.