眾生無邊誓願度
煩惱無盡誓願斷
法門無量誓願學
佛道無上誓願成

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Dharma Teachings

15 Sep 2018    Saturday     1st Teach Total 826

The Guidance and Perfuming of Manas by Consciousness Not All Stem from Utilitarian Considerations

Question: The mind-consciousness (manas) of an ordinary being with outflows should have very low discernment wisdom, primarily dominated by self-centeredness, self-desire, and habitual tendencies rooted in self-attachment, lacking strong analytical and judgmental abilities. So-called "decision-making" refers to making a definitive directional choice based on the consciousness's analysis of what is beneficial or harmful to oneself, etc. The primary function of the mind-consciousness is directional choice, right?

Answer: The intrinsic nature and functional role of the mind-consciousness are numerous and crucial. It possesses the five universally functioning mental factors (pañca-sarvatraga): attention (manaskāra), contact (sparśa), feeling (vedanā), perception (saṃjñā), and volition (cetanā). Therefore, the mind-consciousness also has its own unique faculty of deliberation, unique discernment, and its own unique analytical and judgmental abilities. Sometimes its discernment and judgment are extremely swift, rapid, and accurate, not to be underestimated or ignored. The guidance provided by the mental consciousness (mano-vijñāna) to the mind-consciousness is not entirely confined to the limitation of whether something is beneficial or harmful to oneself; its scope is quite broad.

For example, in the contemplative practice of cutting off the view of self (sakkāya-diṭṭhi), the mental consciousness must contemplate the falsity of the five aggregates, analyzing and reflecting on how the five aggregates are illusory, empty, devoid of self, and how they are suffering. When the reasoning is contemplated clearly and understood, and the more facts are presented, the more the mind-consciousness can be permeated. The more easily the mind-consciousness accepts it. Practices like Chan meditation (dhyāna), various contemplative practices, etc., do not involve considerations of benefit or harm to oneself, yet they all can permeate the mind-consciousness, transform it, and gain its acceptance, thereby developing wisdom.

——Master Sheng-Ru's Teachings
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