The Wisdom of Consciousness and the Wisdom of the Mental Faculty

Regarding the wisdom power of the manas, all the wisdom of the consciousness must ultimately settle upon the manas to be considered successful, to achieve its purpose, to store seeds, and to be useful in future lives. In the end, the wisdom power of the manas performs all functions. For the manas to realize the fruits, from the first fruit to the fourth fruit, or if it is to realize the mind, from the initial realization of the mind to Buddhahood, it is all the function of the wisdom of the manas. The result of the consciousness's wisdom is to transform the manas from consciousness into wisdom, enabling it to possess great wisdom and ultimately become a Buddha.

The difference between the wisdom of the consciousness and the wisdom of the manas lies in the fact that the consciousness has the function of logical thinking, analysis, and reasoning, allowing for relatively abstract thought. In contrast, the manas cannot engage in abstract thought; it must be concrete, with scenarios and images—the more direct the perception, the better; the more realistic, the better. The manas has great difficulty with analytical thinking and finds it hard to perform logical reasoning and judgment; these aspects rely on the consciousness. For other matters of direct perception, it can function entirely on its own, though assistance from the consciousness is certainly the fastest and best way. Therefore, when there are images, graphics, or present scenarios and situations, the manas resonates, and the memory of the consciousness becomes firm and very easy to comprehend—this is the principle. When the six faculties interpenetrate and function interchangeably, the manas replaces the consciousness and also replaces the five sensory consciousnesses. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra's account of Mahākāśyapa perfectly comprehending this illustrates this principle.