The Manas Can Uninterruptedly Attend to the Buddha-Dharma as Its Object

Some people say: uninterrupted attention (sātatyamanaskāra) seems to be something where, after the Dharma principles have penetrated deep into the manas, only the manas can achieve uninterrupted attention, never letting go thought after thought. In fact, the merit is the inevitable product of the manas's recognition or transformation. As long as the manas has genuinely recognized and taken it on, the merit of realizing the fruit naturally arises, and wisdom arises as well. This is a series of naturally occurring events; the root of realizing the Dharma still lies in the manas.

This view is very good. Uninterrupted attention — "uninterrupted" means without cessation. Only the manas can attend to the Dharma principles without interruption, throughout the six periods of the day and night, from morning to evening, thought after thought without break. This requires the mind consciousness to cultivate and steep itself in the Buddha's teachings until the impregnation successfully reaches the manas. When the manas regards the Buddha's teachings as important, it will hold the Dharma in mind thought after thought, its thoughts never departing from the Dharma, and one day it will surely realize the Dharma. If the manas does not hold the Buddha's teachings in mind, the mind consciousness's thoughts about the Dharma will inevitably cease, and it cannot attend to the Dharma without interruption.