The Realization of Manas Gives Birth to Wisdom

Regarding the wisdom power of the manas, all the wisdom of the consciousness must be anchored in the manas to be considered successful, to form seeds, and to be useful in future lives. Ultimately, the wisdom power of the manas plays the decisive role in all functions. For the manas to attain the fruition, from the first fruition to the fourth fruition, or if aiming for enlightenment, from initial enlightenment to Buddhahood, it is the wisdom of the manas that functions. The result of the consciousness's wisdom is to endow the manas with wisdom, enabling the manas to transform consciousness into wisdom, to become fully endowed with great wisdom, and ultimately to achieve Buddhahood.

The distinction between the wisdom of consciousness and the wisdom of manas lies in the fact that consciousness possesses the function of logical thinking, analysis, and reasoning, enabling relatively abstract thought. In contrast, the manas cannot engage in abstract thought; it requires concreteness, context, and imagery—the more direct the perception, the better; the more realistic, the better. The manas has great difficulty with analytical thinking and struggles to perform logical reasoning or judgment; this aspect relies on consciousness. Other forms of direct measurement can be handled entirely by the manas itself, though assistance from consciousness is certainly the fastest and best approach. This is precisely why, when presented with images, graphics, or immediate scenarios and contexts, the manas resonates more readily, memories held by consciousness become more solid, and understanding comes very easily. When the six sense faculties interact and function interchangeably, the manas takes the place of consciousness and also replaces the five sense consciousnesses. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra illustrates this principle in its account of Mahākāśyapa's perfect, clear knowing, which did not depend on mental thought.