Whose Are the Mental Formations That the Mind Consciousness Manifests When Incited by the Manas?

When the mind consciousness's manifestations are autonomous and voluntary, its mental activity belongs to the mental activity of the manas that controls it; when the manas's mental activity is instigated and manifested by the powerful mind consciousness, it likewise does not belong to the manas but belongs to the mental activity of the mind consciousness. Although the manas is the one in charge, it is under compulsion, not deciding on its own. For example, when parents instigate a small child to steal things, because the child is too young to have any will of its own and cannot defy them, it has no choice but to obey the parents. Then the act of stealing manifests the parents' greedy disposition, and the stolen things belong to the parents and are at their disposal. Similarly, when a master instigates a dog to fetch things from a neighbor's house, it is the master who has the mind to steal; the dog has no mind to steal, because the dog has no autonomy and must obey its master, and the stolen things belong to the master, not to the dog. If the dog steals things on its own, not instigated by the master, the things belong to the dog, and the dog itself has the mind to steal.

For example, when a person uses a knife to chop firewood, the firewood is chopped by the person, not by the knife. Although it was the knife that personally chopped the firewood, the knife has no mind to chop firewood, so the firewood belongs to the owner, not to the knife. Likewise, when a driver's car hits someone, it is the driver who hit the person, not the car; the driver must compensate the victim for the losses, while the car cannot compensate for any losses. For instance, when a master orders a servant to carry water or to fashion gold vessels, and payment is given only after the task is completed, the water carried and the gold vessels fashioned by the servant all belong to the master. This work was done by the servant on the master's behalf, and the master should bear the responsibility.

When a servant supports the master, the master must of course pay the servant; when the manas sustains the mind consciousness, it must of course give the mind consciousness some ideas, but in the end the merits, faults, rights, and wrongs are still borne by the master, that is, the manas. The causes and effects of the five aggregates, life after life, must still be borne by the manas. The mind consciousness just flaps off and departs, and the results are all handled and borne by the manas. Whether ascending to heaven or descending into the earth, it is the manas that leads the eighth consciousness along; whether becoming a Buddha or a patriarch, it is the manas that leads the eighth consciousness, and also leads the five aggregates and the six consciousnesses—the whole family, great and small—off to become a Buddha or a patriarch.