The Waxing and Waning of the Wisdom of Consciousness and the Root of Consciousness

During the student phase of learning, which is a stage of absorbing knowledge and theory, the conscious mind (mano-vijñāna) is predominantly used. After the learning period concludes, the practical application stage begins. This stage involves applying theory to actual practice, relying entirely on the individual's genuine talent and practical ability, during which the mental faculty (manas) is predominantly engaged. If the mental faculty is not utilized effectively, one may be mocked as a bookworm or pedant, possessing only academic knowledge without practical skill, lacking genuine substance, rendering what was learned useless.

When students solve geometry problems, it is clearly the conscious mind performing calculations and reasoning, since there is a set result and answer; one only needs to deduce towards that answer. Students with particularly strong concentration may engage the mental faculty's function of deliberation to some extent, but not significantly. If a problem lacks a provided answer, the mental faculty's deliberative function may be used more, and arriving at the correct conclusion might demonstrate a student's genuine wisdom, though it cannot be ruled out that conscious reasoning plays a larger role. In the process of deducing and reasoning through geometry problems, there are certain principles and rules to follow. The more one relies on these, the greater the role of the conscious mind, the smaller the role of the mental faculty, and the shallower the wisdom.

Similarly, in the process of contemplative investigation, the more hints others provide, the more the conscious mind is used, the less the mental faculty is engaged, and the shallower the wisdom becomes. If one relies entirely on others' hints, receiving them orally and auditorily, it is all the work of the conscious mind; the mental faculty exerts no effort whatsoever, resulting in the mental faculty gaining no wisdom at all, and one will not attain the merit and benefit of liberation in this life or future lives. Conversely, when one arrives at an understanding completely independently, without any hints, the outcome is the best and the wisdom is the deepest. The more help others provide, the smaller one's own ability becomes. Solving a problem without any help means all the wisdom gained is one's own. The Pratyekabuddha, contemplating the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination alone on a mountain, attained wisdom before and after realizing the Dharma that Arhats cannot compare to, let alone ordinary beings. Arhats have the Buddha and the Dharma to rely upon, so their wisdom is developed to a limited extent and is not as profound or subtle as that of the Pratyekabuddha.

The more one relies on external conditions, the less the mental faculty is used, and the weaker one's ability and wisdom become. Some people, when studying the Dharma, always pray for various kinds of help, not realizing that the more help they receive, the less wisdom they develop, and the smaller the benefit they gain. When encountering problems, being able to exert effort oneself, to engage one's mind actively, yields the greatest wisdom. Those who constantly like to ask about the Dharma tend to have shallower wisdom, insufficient self-reliance, and lack the ability to solve problems independently. Some people always seek help from others to attain enlightenment. But if enlightenment is attained with help, to whom does it truly belong? Whose wisdom is it? Whether it is wisdom in the Buddha Dharma or wisdom in worldly matters, it is attained by whoever relies on their own effort. Relying on others is inferior to relying on oneself.