Distinguishing the Mind Consciousness from the Manas

In fact, many people are able to observe their own manas; they simply do not know that that mind, that function, is the manas. Because they cannot distinguish between the mind consciousness and the manas, they blend the mind consciousness and the manas together into a single whole "self," turning it into a case of oneself observing the various conditions of one's own mind.

For example, when the mind consciousness observes its own capacity and feelings, within them there are both the capacity and feelings of the mind consciousness and the capacity and feelings of the manas, yet all of them are taken to be the capacity and feelings of the mind consciousness. Take another example: the mind consciousness observes whether it can accept a certain viewpoint or opinion. After observing, it finds that it very much wants to accept it and is willing to accept it, yet deep inside it still cannot accept it. The willingness to accept belongs to the mind consciousness, while the inability to accept belongs to the manas—but one does not know that it is the manas that is unwilling, and instead thinks it is the so-called "self" that is unwilling. If the mind consciousness discovers that it has changed its cognition and views and is now willing to accept a certain suggestion, it is actually the manas that has changed its views and cognition, yet the mind consciousness still believes that it is the thinking "self," not knowing that it is the manas.

There are very many such examples, which show that the mind consciousness is indeed capable of observing the manas; it is just that the mind consciousness and the manas cannot be told apart, and they are usually mixed together. If one says that the manas is involved in these functions, most people would object\: "No, that is the mind consciousness." This precisely shows that most people have confused the manas with the mind consciousness and cannot tell which is which—because afflictions obscure them, their wisdom is insufficient, and they have not transformed consciousness into wisdom.