The Process and Principle of the Mind Consciousness's Activation

The process by which the human mind consciousness is activated is, in fact, a process of measurement carried out through "stirring a thought," which then gives rise to thoughts.

When a thought is stirred, it is always the manas that first stirs the thought, and only then does a thought of the mind consciousness emerge. Without the thought of the manas, there is no thought of the mind consciousness. In the practice of investigating the huatou, the ultimate aim is to tether the manas to the huatou, keeping it in mind without forgetting, from morning to night, and only then can one break through the investigation. A thought with specific content is a thought of the mind consciousness. When the thought of the mind consciousness has not yet arisen and has no specific content, it is entirely the thought of the manas. Even when the mind consciousness is having thoughts, there are still the manas's mental engagement (manaskāra), contact, feeling, perception, and volition, as well as the manas's thought. If there were not, the mind consciousness would immediately vanish and disappear; the mind consciousness cannot have thoughts on its own. When faculty and object make contact, consciousness manifests; once the faculty no longer contacts the object, the consciousness instantly disappears.