The Five Names and Their Meanings of Manas (Part 1)

The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana Original Text:

"Regarding the causes and conditions for arising and ceasing: It means that sentient beings revolve depending on mind, manas, and consciousness. What does this mean? Due to dependence on the ālaya-vijñāna, ignorance and non-enlightenment arise, enabling seeing, manifesting, grasping objects, and continuous discrimination. This is called manas."

Commentary: The arising and ceasing of all dharmas manifest due to causes and conditions. These causes and conditions include the three transforming consciousnesses: the ālaya-vijñāna, the manas, and the mental consciousness. Among them, the manas is the most important cause and condition for the manifestation of all dharmas. Sentient beings revolve continuously depending on the manas. Although the ālaya-vijñāna is the direct cause for the arising of all arising-and-ceasing dharmas, it is actually brought about by the manas. Without the manas as cause and condition, the ālaya-vijñāna would not give rise to any dharma. The manas, relying on the ālaya-vijñāna, perceives all dharmas of the realm born from the ālaya-vijñāna due to the ignorance within its own mind. It then manifests all dharmas of the realm born from the ālaya-vijñāna within the mind, grasps onto all dharmas of the realm born from the ālaya-vijñāna, and continuously discriminates without interruption, all the while remaining completely unaware of its own such ignorance. This mind-substance is called the manas.

Original Text:

"This manas further has five different names. The first is called karmic consciousness (karma-vijñāna). It means that due to the power of ignorance, the mind moves without enlightenment."

Commentary: This manas has five different names. The first name is called karmic consciousness (karma-vijñāna). The manas is the master that creates karma. Because there is ignorance, and because it is unaware of its own ignorance, the power of ignorance causes the manas to move, giving rise to intention. After intention arises, subsequent mental factors like contact, feeling, perception, and volition appear. Once the manas-mind makes a decision, the bodily, verbal, and mental karmic actions of the six consciousnesses are performed, subsequently leaving karmic seeds to await retribution in future lives. Thus, birth and death continue unceasingly. Therefore, it is said that the manas is the karmic consciousness, corresponding to karmic forces, corresponding to karmic seeds, and corresponding to birth and death. Of course, through cultivation, it can correspond to emptiness, correspond to purity, correspond to stillness, and correspond to liberation. Therefore, cultivation means cultivating the manas, severing the view of self, realizing the mind and seeing the nature, transforming consciousness into wisdom, attaining the all-encompassing wisdom of consciousness-only, and ultimately achieving Buddhahood.

Since the manas corresponds to karmic force and karmic seeds, the pure karma of severing the view of self is upheld by the manas. The pure karma of realizing the mind and seeing the nature is upheld by the manas. Only if the manas severs the view of self and realizes the mind and seeing the nature can it uphold such pure karmic seeds; otherwise, the manas cannot uphold them, and there will be no such pure karmic retribution in future lives. Similarly, the seeds of evil karma are also upheld by the manas. Only if the manas-mind is evil can it perform evil karma and uphold the seeds of evil karma until future lives. Therefore, the manas fully possesses all afflictive mental factors and also fully possesses all wholesome mental factors.

Original Text:

"The second is called the evolving consciousness (pravṛtti-vijñāna). It means that depending on the moving mind, it can perceive the characteristics of objects."

Commentary: The second name for the manas is called the evolving consciousness (pravṛtti-vijñāna). "Evolving" means revolving or functioning. Relying on the power of ignorance, the manas can cause dharmas to evolve and function out from the ālaya-vijñāna. As soon as the manas-mind moves, the ālaya-vijñāna will accordingly give rise to a realm. The manas will then perceive the characteristics of that realm. As the mind moves again, the six consciousnesses will arise to perform karmic actions, and the functions of the five aggregates will manifest. Consequently, birth and death in future lives become continuous. Both the realm and the five aggregates appear following the movement of the manas-mind; birth and death also appear following the movement of the manas-mind. Therefore, it is said that the manas is the switch that turns all dharmas; the manas is the evolving consciousness.

Original Text:

"The third is called the manifesting consciousness (pratibhāsa-vijñāna). It means it manifests all characteristics of various objects, just like a bright mirror reflects all forms and images. The manifesting consciousness is also like this: when the five objects approach, it manifests them immediately, without sequence, and without requiring effort."

Commentary: The third name for the manas is called the manifesting consciousness (pratibhāsa-vijñāna). This "manifesting" means presenting. After the manas perceives all dharmas, it presents all dharmas; all dharmas present their images within the manas-mind. Relying on the ālaya-vijñāna, whatever realm the ālaya-vijñāna manifests, the manas can cognize that realm, and that realm will be presented within the mind. It is like a bright mirror manifesting all characteristics of objects. For example, as soon as the five sense objects (dusts) are contacted, the manas immediately presents the images of the five sense objects. When the ālaya-vijñāna gives rise to a realm, the manas presents the realm within the mind almost simultaneously, without sequence, and without deliberate processing.

Why is it called "images of the five sense objects" and not "images of the six sense objects" or "images of the mental object (dharma-dhātu)"? Here, the "five dusts" essentially include the six dusts, encompassing the mental object (dharma-dhātu), with the five dusts serving as representatives. Each has its own corresponding mental object (dharma-dhātu). This is a simplified way of speaking. Otherwise, one would have to say: form dust and the mental object on form dust, sound dust and the mental object on sound dust, smell dust and the mental object on smell dust, taste dust and the mental object on taste dust, touch dust and the mental object on touch dust – this would be extremely cumbersome. Hence, it is simplified to "five dusts."

Generally, it is said that the manas contacts the mental object (dharma-dhātu) and gives rise to mental consciousness. But how do the five consciousnesses (of the senses) arise? Some might say the five consciousnesses arise when the five sense faculties contact the five sense objects. However, the five sense faculties are material forms, not mental dharmas, not conscious minds. How can they actively contact the five sense objects and possess the initiative of a conscious mind? In essence, the contact between the five sense faculties and the five sense objects is still brought about by the manas taking the lead. The manas directs the five sense faculties to contact the five sense objects, giving rise to the five consciousnesses, while simultaneously contacting the mental object to give rise to mental consciousness. Since the manas is the director, it also contacts the images of the five sense objects. After contact, it presents the complete images of the six dusts. After making a decision, it gives rise to the six consciousnesses to cognize and process the images of the six dusts realm. The six consciousnesses cognize some aspects of the six dusts realm and do not cognize others – this is the decisive and directive role played by the manas.