The Status and Relationship of Manas and Vijñāna within the Five Skandhas

At the very beginning of life, only the Alaya consciousness and the Manas exist—one true and one deluded—coexisting peacefully in a state of primordial chaos. Due to the ignorance and deluded thoughts of the Manas, it becomes restless with the status quo and seeks to explore outwardly. Thus, the Alaya consciousness accommodates the Manas, and the Three Realms gradually form. Afterward, the Five Aggregates take shape, giving rise to the phenomenon of the cycle of birth and death, and the Six Consciousnesses emerge to perceive and endure the suffering and pleasure of life and death.

Therefore, the most fundamental self, the original self, the self that possesses agency, is the Manas, not the consciousness. Consciousness is merely a product of the Manas’s grasping and deluded thoughts; it is merely a tool used by the Manas to explore the world and cling to the mundane realm. The Manas uses it when it wishes and discards it when it does not.

From this, it becomes clear what the status and relationship between the Manas and consciousness are within the realm of the Five Aggregates. The dominant position of the Manas is beyond the reach of consciousness. Thus, it becomes evident who possesses the view of self, the origin of the view of self becomes clear, who precisely must eradicate the view of self becomes clear, and how to eradicate the view of self also becomes clear.

Why do the vast majority of sentient beings persistently focus extensively on consciousness? Because consciousness floats on the surface of the Five Aggregates; it is relatively shallow and easy to observe and perceive. The Manas is deeply buried, its dominant role is hidden, and it is extremely difficult to observe and perceive. This is because it is the master, the ruler—it must remain profound and rule behind the curtain; how could it be easily seen? This principle is the same as sentient beings only seeing the conventional world and failing to perceive the true reality, the Tathagatagarbha.

For example, in the mundane world, how could ordinary people easily meet figures as noble as emperors and generals without sufficient merit and virtue? They can only frequently encounter the soldiers and officials who carry out tasks for the emperors and generals. So, to whom should the credit or blame for the good or bad deeds performed by these officials and soldiers be attributed? They are all carried out under the orders of the emperors and generals! Similarly, whose fault is the view of self and wrong views within the Five Aggregates? It is entirely the fault of the Manas—there is no other. Therefore, spiritual practice should focus on instructing the Manas, transforming the Manas, and eradicating the Manas’s view of self. This is the fundamental approach.