The Manas's Knowing Is True Knowing

The mental consciousness accompanying the five sense consciousnesses (pañcavijñāna-sahagata-manovijñāna) is far more powerful than the solitary mental consciousness, and therefore can far more effectively persuade the manas. The mental consciousness accompanying the five sense consciousnesses grasps information that is more real and more comprehensive, with richer data and more conclusive evidence, so the manas has a reliable basis on which to make choices and judgments.

Practice is not idle imagination; the manas must necessarily participate. Whatever lacks the participation of the manas is not solid or grounded—it belongs to mere sentiment and intellectual understanding, like a castle in the air. Once the manas participates in practice, true knowledge can be realized; when the manas knows, that is true knowledge. If it is merely the knowledge of the mind consciousness, it is unreliable—that is knowledge and theory learned from others, not personally realized by oneself.

If the mind consciousness succeeds in perfuming the manas, then the power of the mind consciousness becomes immense. That we study Buddhism and ultimately attain buddhahood relies precisely on the mind consciousness continually and deeply perfuming the manas, eradicating the manas's ignorance, and completely accomplishing the transformation of consciousness into wisdom—in the end, one becomes a Buddha.

When the mind consciousness has potency, it perfumes the manas during daytime contemplation, and at night one enters dreams; in the dream, the mind consciousness can know that it is what one has contemplated into being—this is the merit of the manas.