The Wisdom of Manas

The difference between the wisdom of the seventh and sixth consciousnesses is simply that the manas cannot, like the mind consciousness, make detailed and specific discernments of the realms of the six sense objects—that is all. Apart from this, the wisdom of the manas is still quite remarkable. Much of the time, when we deal with worldly affairs—especially extremely urgent matters, extremely hectic matters—we rely entirely on the manas's experience and wisdom, while the mind consciousness is unable to cope, unable to analyze or resolve things in time, and can only follow the manas's command and arrangement. This situation can sometimes be called going along with conditions, and sometimes called resigning oneself to fate, yet in the end things all get resolved, and sometimes quite satisfactorily and to one's heart's content.

The manas has His own unique great wisdom—for example, fearlessness in the face of danger, composure and poise, orderliness and method, meticulous organization, lofty aspirations and heroic spirit, a broad-mindedness as open as a valley, extraordinary boldness and vision, and so on—all of these are the wisdom of the manas, and they are truly remarkable. Especially for those who have been human for many lifetimes, who have served as leaders and generals, as high officials and ministers, and who possess rich experience and broad knowledge, the wisdom of the manas is very powerful. In handling affairs, such people mostly rely on the wisdom of the manas, which decides how to deal with and respond to everything, while the mind consciousness often plays only an auxiliary role.

When a great general commands on the battlefield, the urgent decisions and major strategies are often made by relying on the manas's wordless wisdom and experience, and the mind consciousness often cannot exert any force. People who have merit, who have their own convictions, and who possess strategic acumen, when encountering matters, are often very calm; they do not rush to respond or rush to make decisions, and when the time comes, ideas and solutions will automatically emerge—that is relying on solutions devised by the manas, for the manas has its own methods. Having a backbone of one's own also depends on the manas. What worldly people call having "an old pig's spine"—that is, the manas having its own convictions, so that the mind consciousness need not concern itself.

People of great wisdom, the sagacious, the rational, the well-cultivated, still take the wisdom of the manas as primary; the mind consciousness need not engage in cunning, scheming, and strategizing, for the manas has its own arrangements. This great wisdom is the result of the manas's deliberation (manasikāra/manana), and also the result of the manas's seasoned experience.

A talented person cannot be cultivated on the spot—that is to say, having this person's mind consciousness learn now and then perfuming the manas is already too late. The person must have possessed the required qualities beforehand, endowed innately from birth—that is, possessed by the manas, wisdom that was successfully perfumed long ago and is innate. What is called the root of wisdom (indriya), what is called the root of goodness, what is called merit—all of these refer to what the manas possesses, which is innate from birth.