The Mystery of the Aggregate Barrier and the Realization of the Fruit of Practice

Question: Since it is the manas that eradicates the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), why is there still the veil of the intermediate state (隔阴之谜)? In future lives, one should no longer need to eradicate the view of self, and would directly be a person of no-self, right?

Answer: The veil of the intermediate state means that the mind consciousness is newly born and is different from the mind consciousness of previous lives; separated by a body of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha), one therefore becomes confused and does not know the affairs of the five aggregates of previous lives. But the manas continues life after life without interruption; there is no separation by the intermediate state, so it is not confused either, and can know the people, affairs, and things of previous lives, and sometimes can also know the people, affairs, and things of future lives. However, what sentient beings generally know is known through the six consciousnesses; what the manas knows must be expressed through the six consciousnesses in order to have any effect.

The manas does not correspond to language and words, and therefore cannot express what it knows and sees; the six consciousnesses do correspond to language and words and can think, analyze, reason, and judge, so many of the manas's activities must rely on the mind consciousness and the six consciousnesses to be carried out. Thus, no matter what the manas knows, the mind consciousness does not necessarily know it; even if the manas has understood the land of bliss (sukhāvatī), or understood everything about one's previous lives, the mind consciousness does not necessarily know it.

Therefore, when encountering major matters, the manas has no choice but to alert the mind consciousness in various ways, so that the mind consciousness gains some awareness and can deliberate on how to handle and resolve the matter. For example, when ghosts and spirits are around one's body, the mind consciousness does not know it, but the manas does; the manas can then cause the body faculty to make the scalp tingle and the whole body feel uneasy. Then the mind consciousness feels that something may have happened, and the mind consciousness may be able to guess what it is.

When one encounters images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for the first time in this life, because the manas has believed in the Buddha, recollected the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti), and studied the Buddha's teachings life after life, and has a special affection for the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas—this is called deep roots of goodness—one cannot help shedding tears, even weeping bitterly, while the mind consciousness does not understand why this happens. Meeting relatives from previous lives is the same: the mind consciousness does not recognize them, but the manas does, and so one feels very close and moved, while the mind consciousness does not know why one is so moved, or why there is such a special affection.

Therefore, if the manas eradicates the view of self in this life, its manifestation in the next life will be different from ordinary people; but the mind consciousness is new, subject to the veil of the intermediate state, and does not know that the view of self was already eradicated in previous lives, nor that the five aggregates are without self; thus, upon encountering the Buddha's teachings, one still has to deliberate on the selflessness of the five aggregates. However, because the manas has already realized no-self and knows that the five aggregates are without self, the mind consciousness does not need to deliberate and engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) excessively, and quickly the mind consciousness realizes the selflessness of the five aggregates—much faster than someone realizing the fruit for the first time. Those of the third fruit (anāgāmin) and fourth fruit (arhat of the fourth fruit) may even realize the fruit upon hearing just one sentence, without needing to deliberately deliberate and contemplate, because there is no need for the mind consciousness to deliberate carefully in order to permeate and influence the manas; this especially troublesome process is spared, and realizing the fruit becomes especially fast.