Only by Realizing Manas Can One Transcend Illusions

Merely realizing the truth with the conscious mind is insufficient; the manas must simultaneously perceive the true reality of the dharmadhatu. Only when the manas attains this realization can one transcend false appearances, for only the manas can command the six consciousnesses to reject illusions and distance themselves from false phenomena. The conscious mind lacks this authority and cannot exercise control. When the manas recognizes false appearances, it simultaneously gains the capacity to consciously distance itself from them. Realization by the conscious mind alone is ineffective; as long as the manas remains inseparably bound to false appearances in every instant, the conscious mind cannot free itself from illusions, and bodily, verbal, and mental actions remain unchanged.

The manas is like a hitching post: even if the conscious mind is permitted to gallop freely, it must still circle around the pillar of the manas and cannot stray far. If the hitching post of the manas were to shift and move about, could the wild horses of the six consciousnesses remain fixed in one place without following the manas’s movement? Absolutely not. Therefore, genuine progress in Buddhist practice lies in cultivating the manas—this is true accomplishment that can transform one’s body and mind.