The Difference Between the Sixth Consciousness and the Seventh Consciousness

The difference between the sixth consciousness and the seventh consciousness is this: the seventh consciousness is the conscious mind that makes decisions and exercises dominion; it is also the supporting root upon which the mind consciousness depends for its arising. It is the seventh consciousness that governs and directs bodily, verbal, and mental actions at every moment. The one with many habitual tendencies and inertias is the manas; the one that makes decisions according to inertia is the manas. Sometimes an event suddenly occurs when the mind has no mental preparation at all, and the mind consciousness has no time to analyze or deliberate; the manas then makes a decision according to its inertia as to how to handle it. When dealing with matters, the one that must decide without time to think is the manas; whereas the one that deliberates back and forth is our mind consciousness. Decisions made hastily without thinking are often regretted afterward, because when the mind consciousness reflects on the matter later, it thinks: that matter should not have been handled that way. Therefore, the manas is the conscious mind that exercises dominion according to habitual tendencies and inertia, while the mind consciousness is the conscious mind of rational deliberation. These two conscious minds are essentially different in nature and cannot be conflated into a single conscious mind.