What is the result of maintaining an awareness and abiding in right clear comprehension?

Maintaining a knowing at every moment of every day is the contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) method taught by the Buddha in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sūtra. Maintaining a knowing is the self-cognition (svasaṃvitti) of the mind consciousness. Knowing the dharma, continuously observing and continuously knowing, means confining the mind consciousness to the single object being observed, so that the mind does not scatter and remains in a state of meditative concentration (samādhi). Because the mind consciousness does not scatter and is concentrated on one dharma, the manas, unable to drag the mind consciousness away, has no choice but to also become concentrated on one dharma and can no longer scatteredly engage with many dharmas. Then the manas will come to know the dharma that the mind consciousness observes and knows, and the manas will deliberate (manana) upon this dharma. Over time, it can come to understand what the essence of this dharma actually is, thereby discovering the truth and realizing the principle. This is the process from the knowing of the mind consciousness to the knowing of the manas, and it is also the process of realizing the dharma. The knowing of the mind consciousness is understanding, while the knowing of the manas is realization; therefore, realizing the dharma must be the realization of the manas. 

Only when the manas knows and realizes the dharma does the force of effect have real substance. For example, regarding one's own mistakes: if the manas does not know them and only the mind consciousness knows them, this situation will occur—the mind consciousness knows the mistake, yet the mistake is repeatedly committed without correction. But if the manas knows the mistake, one will earnestly reform. Another example: when dealing with people, it is easy to discover whether one's kindness toward them is genuine or false. The mind consciousness may be insincere toward people, but only the manas is truly sincere.

If we truly want to correct our mistakes and subdue the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion, we must maintain awareness at all times, examining and reflecting on our bodily, verbal, and mental actions, observing calmly and objectively over the long term, observing from outside the situation, observing from a high vantage point looking down. Then we will observe our own mistakes and the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion, and we will feel that they are very much contrary to the Dharma, and we will know that the consequences of acting contrary to the Dharma are very bad. When the manas also becomes aware of its own afflictive habits, it will deliberate; after deliberation, it will weigh; after weighing, it will know the advantages and disadvantages as well as cause and effect; then it will decide to eliminate greed, hatred, and delusion and no longer be as it was before. 

If one does not observe consistently over the long term, one cannot fix the manas on the object of observation. The manas will still grasp here and there in scattered distraction, unaware of its own afflictions, and thus cannot subdue them. This is the result of maintaining right mindfulness and right awareness: it can awaken the manas to realization and enable the manas to realize the dharma. 

Some people, without even cultivating meditative concentration, shout about contemplation every day—what can such contemplation yield? For example, one person looks after ten children, while another devotes full attention to looking after one child—how great is the difference in meticulousness? One person observes enemies in ten directions, while another devotes full attention to observing enemies in one direction and one place—how great is the difference in meticulousness? One person considers ten problems simultaneously, while another devotes full attention to considering one problem—how great is the difference in meticulousness? Without meditative concentration, the manas grasps everywhere at all kinds of dharmas, and He has no mind to focus on thinking about a question of relatively great value. Without proper observation and deliberation (manana) of this valuable question, one cannot cognize it correctly and in accordance with reason, cannot treat it reasonably and in accordance with the Dharma, and will easily overlook certain problems; errors will arise in one's choices, and the results will be wrong. Therefore, by constantly maintaining a knowing in the mind, wise cognition will gradually arise, and thereby one can transform oneself.