The False Self of Sentient Beings

From any aspect and any perspective, the manas is the false self upon which sentient beings truly rely, the primary self. Moreover, this self has always taken the five-aggregate body as itself, taken the functions and activities of the six consciousnesses as itself, and taken the functions and activities of the eighth consciousness as itself, regarding all meritorious functions as His own meritorious functions, and all the operations of all dharmas as His own operations.

The mind consciousness is also a false self, with obvious functions of seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing. Sentient beings take the seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing of the mind consciousness as primary, and take the conduct and activities of the mind consciousness as primary. When the mind consciousness has no seeing, hearing, awareness, or knowing, they say, "I no longer have seeing, hearing, awareness, or knowing"; when the mind consciousness has no conduct or activity, they say, "I cannot speak or think." This sentient being is the manas. He depends on the seeing, hearing, awareness, knowing, conduct, and activities of the mind consciousness in order to accomplish His own aims and wishes. When there is no mind consciousness and no conduct or activity of the mind consciousness, the manas cannot accomplish anything within the six sense objects, and the surface functions and activities of the five-aggregate body also cease. This is something the manas is unwilling to accept. Therefore, when practicing meditative concentration so that the six consciousnesses reduce their activities or cease them altogether, the manas at first cannot bear it, and the practice of meditative concentration becomes very difficult, because the manas always struggles and resists.

From another perspective, the seeing, hearing, awareness, knowing, conduct, and activities of the mind consciousness are all the result of the manas's direction and dominance. The two consciousnesses cooperate with each other, one in the open and one in the dark. Almost everyone takes all these activities to be the activities of the mind consciousness alone, and cannot observe in the slightest the hidden operations of the manas, thereby burying the merits of the manas, not knowing that the manas is the master of these activities, not knowing that the manas is the true master, the true false self of sentient beings. Solving the problem of the manas can solve all problems.