The Method of Profound Deliberation by Means of the Manas

Sit cross-legged in quiet meditation, exhale deeply and then inhale. After the mind has settled down and become stable, begin to contemplate a question deeply. At first, it is certainly the mind consciousness that deliberates; as concentration gradually focuses on the question, the mind consciousness simply watches the question without the mind moving, and the manas takes over, deeply deliberating and investigating. Although the manas still moves, it moves extremely, extremely slowly, and in the end it seems not to move at all; the question then hangs suspended in the vast, empty brain—or in the supreme faculty, or what is called the black box.

With the mind consciousness's attention and the manas's deliberation, information without language or words will flash forth. The manas knows it and the mind consciousness also understands it, though not necessarily very clearly; if the power of meditative concentration is sufficient and does not weaken, the information will subsequently come more and more, becoming clearer and clearer, and the mind will increasingly understand what the information is. The answer to the question gradually emerges, and the mind feels relaxed and bright. After emerging from meditation, the mind consciousness needs to filter through, recall, and examine all the information that appeared in the brain from beginning to end, and finally confirm it; the manas then confirms it as well, and the result is settled.

The entire process requires very deep and focused meditative concentration. During the deep contemplation, the power of concentration may grow better and better, to the point that the mind enters samādhi—relaxed, joyful, and comfortable—though the manas's deliberation may not necessarily be present. After emerging from meditation, or after the power of concentration weakens, one continues deliberating and investigating, and the final result will eventually appear.