A Yogācāra Analysis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

OCD is a symptom manifesting from the conflict between the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. A person's manas strongly wants to do something, but the mind consciousness is very rational and believes it cannot be done, that there will be bad consequences. But the mind consciousness does not know why the manas wants to do this, and therefore cannot effectively persuade and counsel the manas; it can only forcefully refuse to carry it out, refusing to act.

Why does the manas have such a thought, wanting to do something so unreasonable? The most reasonable explanation is karmic obstruction: the manas follows along with karmic force, controlled and manipulated by karma. The mind consciousness understands principles and has rationality; it knows this thought and decision are very bad, so it controls, stops, and opposes the manas's decision, refusing to execute the manas's decisions and commands. Thus the two clash intensely, and OCD appears. In a past life, the child may have harmed the mother; in this life, due to karmic conditions they meet again, and the mother will seek revenge on the child. But the mind consciousness has no such thought and does not follow karmic force, so it will obstruct the manas's vengeful actions. The confrontation between karmic force and rationality, the conflict between the emotion of loving the child and the emotion of hating the child—love and hate intertwined, conflict arising, the mind extremely tormented and suffering greatly—this too is the coercion of past-life karmic conditions.

As for who will prevail, it depends on which is stronger: whether the mind consciousness's rationality is stronger, or the manas's karmic force is stronger. If one wants the mind consciousness to become strong and prevail, one must grow the wisdom of persuasion and counsel—understanding principles thoroughly, thinking clearly, with reasons and evidence, with patience, with method, with skillful means—then one can gradually guide the manas to abandon its original views and thoughts. The mind consciousness must carefully and patiently understand why the manas has such mental activity and thoughts; it must counsel the manas to be broad-minded and magnanimous, to protect the mother-child relationship more, to consider the boundless benefits and joys the child will bring in the future, to think more about the child's suffering, to realize that treating the child well is treating oneself well, and to reflect on the hardship and difficulty of one's own pregnancy.

From the relationship between the mind consciousness and the manas, we discover that both have their own different positions. Why can their thoughts and views be inconsistent? If the two could be completely consistent, would that be good? As for compulsion, there is the mind consciousness compelling the manas, and also the manas compelling the mind consciousness. In OCD, generally who compels whom? It is always the manas compelling the mind consciousness, and the mind consciousness not complying. If the two could together eliminate ignorance, until ignorance is completely eradicated and severed, ultimately transforming consciousness into wisdom, then the sixth and seventh consciousnesses would be fully unified, coordinated and consistent, cooperating with perfect tacit understanding, with powerful capacity for action. Action is the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the six consciousnesses; the capacity for action comes from one of two sources: the power of the mind consciousness, or the power of the manas. The power of the mind consciousness can be transmitted to the manas, and the power of the manas can bless the mind consciousness; when the two are in harmony and accord, the capacity for action is greatest.