The Function of Mentation by the Manas

Question: When encountering an unresolved problem, sometimes the answer suddenly appears in my mind without actively thinking about it. What is happening here?

Answer: When the conscious mind cannot solve a problem, it sets it aside and leaves it alone. However, the manas (mind root) does not give up; it continues to contemplate the issue in the background. At a certain point, it becomes clear, and then informs the conscious mind, which then understands. The manas generates thoughts, and the conscious mind suppresses them. Sometimes it succeeds in suppressing them, sometimes it does not. To say that the manas has no thoughts—using common sense, one knows that the manas must have thoughts. Otherwise, how could all dharmas (phenomena) arise?