The Simultaneous Realenance of Manas and Consciousness: Meritorious Fruition and Its Application

Merely realizing the truth through consciousness alone is insufficient; it is essential that the manas simultaneously perceives the true reality of the dharmadhātu. Only when the manas attains this realization can one transcend false appearances. Only the manas can command the six consciousnesses to reject false appearances and distance themselves from them, as the mental consciousness lacks this authority and cannot exercise mastery. When the manas verifies false appearances, it simultaneously gains the capacity to consciously distance itself from them. If only the mental consciousness attains realization, it remains ineffective. As long as the manas remains inseparably bound to false appearances at every moment and instant, the mental consciousness cannot detach from false appearances, and physical, verbal, and mental actions remain unaltered.

The manas is like a tethering post for horses. Even if the mental consciousness is permitted to roam east and west, it must still circle around the pillar of the manas and is not allowed to stray far. If the tethering post of the manas were to shift or move about constantly, could the wild horses of the six consciousnesses remain fixed in one place without following the manas’s movement? Absolutely not. Therefore, genuine progress in Buddhist practice is achieved only when the effort reaches the level of the manas. Only then can one truly transform their body and mind.