Consciousness Serves Manas

Question: Regarding the doctrinal principle of consciousness taking charge, as stated in the "Verses on the Rules of the Eight Consciousnesses" — "In moving the body and producing speech, it stands alone as the foremost" — and the concepts of deliberation thought, decision thought, and action-impelling thought, do they all refer to the consciousness taking charge?

Answer: None of these refer to the consciousness taking charge. "Moving the body and producing speech" means that the consciousness (mano-vijñāna) can cooperate with the body consciousness (kāya-vijñāna) to move the body and create bodily karma. The consciousness can cooperate with the body consciousness to generate vocal sounds and create verbal karma. In the creation of bodily and verbal karma, the function of the consciousness is the greatest and primary, while the function of the body consciousness is auxiliary and comparatively weaker.

Deliberation thought, decision thought, and action-impelling thought describe the functions of the thought mental factor (cetanā) associated with the consciousness. Although the consciousness possesses these functions of the thought mental factor and can make decisions, whether its decisions ultimately have their intended effect depends on whether the manas (the seventh consciousness, the thinking mind) accepts them and to what degree. For example, a child may decide to buy a toy, but whether it ultimately happens depends on whether the parents agree, because the parents control the money and hold the decision-making power over spending. Similarly, a staff officer subordinate may decide to initiate a military exercise, but whether it ultimately happens is decided by the commander-in-chief or general. The staff officer merely offers a suggestion; whether it is followed depends entirely on the leader.

The consciousness exists to serve the manas. If the manas does not require the service of the consciousness, it will not decide to bring forth the consciousness, and thus the consciousness would not appear at all. In that case, there would be no question of it taking charge or making decisions. The five sense consciousnesses (vijñānas) also possess the thought mental factor and can make decisions, but the decisions of the five sense consciousnesses are even weaker than those of the mental consciousness. Whether their decisions are effective or heeded depends entirely on the manas. Then, even if the manas, as the master, makes a decision, whether it can be accomplished still depends on the eighth consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna). If there are no karmic seeds and no merit, the eighth consciousness is powerless to act. Therefore, the manas' ability to take charge, accomplish things, and bring forth phenomena also has prerequisite conditions; it is not that the manas can accomplish whatever it wishes.