The Perfuming of the Mind Consciousness and the Personal Realization by the Manas

The mind consciousness constantly permeates and conditions the manas, in hopes of changing the manas's inherent cognition and views. For the mind consciousness, understanding all dharmas is not difficult; what is difficult is the understanding and cognition of the manas. Changing the manas's views is extremely difficult. Once the manas's views are changed, attaining the fruits of realization becomes something within easy reach, and so do seeing one's true mind and awakening to the nature, as well as accomplishing various contemplative practices (vipaśyanā-caryā). Once the manas attains the fruit, its views and concepts are instantly transformed.

The mind consciousness's understanding followed by permeating and conditioning the manas is the prerequisite. The subsequent work—and that is the most essential work—is to let the manas personally investigate and deliberate (manana); only after that can there be personal realization. Without this prerequisite, everything is merely intellectual understanding.

As the ancient saying goes: 三岁孩子说得，八十老翁做不得。Some people can speak at the level of a Buddha's realm, taking the Buddha's realization as their own; yet when they themselves truly realize and accomplish it, they have already become a Buddha. This means that understanding a problem is extremely easy, while truly realizing it is difficult beyond difficulty. That is why noble ones are rare, exceedingly rare—not like some people who read a couple of books, do a bit of understanding, and then a noble one suddenly emerges into the world.