The Profound Consciousness-Only Dharma Gate of Enlightenment

If the five consciousnesses have mental activities of craving and aversion, it shows that the five consciousnesses possess the mental factor of desire. If the manas has mental activities of craving and aversion, it shows that the manas possesses the mental factor of desire. Having the capacity to receive and register the object of contemplation, and having wisdom arise, shows that there is the mental factor of determination (adhimokṣa). Being able to be mindful of the Dharma shows that there is the mental factor of mindfulness. Being able to concentrate upon the Dharma, with discriminative wisdom arising, shows that there is the mental factor of meditative concentration (samādhi). Having discriminative wisdom and the corresponding power of discernment shows that there is the mental factor of wisdom.

The mental factor of wisdom of the manas is inconceivable. When chanting the Buddha's name to guide the cultivation of meditative concentration, when one's energy is insufficient, the manas suddenly decides to switch to a low tone, and the pitch changes immediately, before the mind consciousness is even aware of it. The manas and the tathāgatagarbha, in conjunction, determine how all dharmas arise, operate, and change; much of the time the six consciousnesses are not even aware of it. The wisdom of the manas is truly inconceivable—it can know all dharmas at any moment and adapt to circumstances, while the tathāgatagarbha closely follows its pace without missing half a step.

When the physical body needs a certain nutrient, one will particularly crave foods containing that nutrient, and they are easily ingested and absorbed; when the physical body does not need a certain nutrient, the body will reject it and not want to eat it, refusing to take it in. What on earth these two fellows—the manas and the tathāgatagarbha—are up to is truly beyond the imagination of the mind consciousness.

So let us consider: is the discriminative wisdom of the manas really so lowly? Not necessarily—it depends on the aspect involved. When it comes to discerning the fine details and specific contents of the six sense objects, its wisdom is insufficient, and moreover the mind consciousness can compensate for its deficiencies; in other respects, the wisdom of the manas is still quite strong, which is why it is said that the manas is very sharp. If the wisdom of the manas were truly lowly, how could it enable the five-aggregate body to react in an instant, respond to emergencies, and regulate the physical body at any time to cope with the surrounding living environment? The manas first discerns the condition of the physical body, and then directs the six consciousnesses to act.

Since the manas and the tathāgatagarbha are forever together, colluding as partners in crime, then upon realizing the manas, when meditative concentration is complete, one can catch hold of the tathāgatagarbha in all of the manas's mental activities. This is the profound enlightenment method of Yogācāra. Afterwards, one's wisdom will become extremely deep and subtle. As long as one cultivates the concentration of the first dhyāna, the three barriers of the Chan school can be leaped over in one bound, and attaining the first bhūmi will be within easy reach—one's cultivation will then surpass a great asaṃkhyeya kalpa. Great bodhisattvas of long cultivation who possess the faculty of wisdom should have this resolve, perseverance, and courage: if one is to attain enlightenment, one should awaken upon the knowing mind, awakening to the ultimate place of the Buddha's Dharma, being able to observe the conjoint operation of all eight consciousnesses, quickly giving rise to the seed-wisdom (bīja-jñāna) of Yogācāra, and in the future having the ability to share in the family enterprise of the Tathāgata and become a mainstay of Buddhism.