The Role of Consciousness in Relation to Manas

The five consciousnesses and the five aggregates are all indispensable tools for the mental faculty. Without these tools, the mental faculty itself would be powerless in the worldly realm. It requires the six consciousnesses and the five aggregates to serve it, utilizing them to grasp all phenomena within the world. Without the six consciousnesses and the five aggregates, the mental faculty would be helpless.

Thus, while the mental faculty can perceive many phenomena, it necessarily relies on the mental consciousness to process them. For example, when a ghost or spirit appears nearby, the mental faculty feels fear, perceiving a threat to itself. Yet it cannot deal with the ghost nor move away alone. So, while its hair stands on end and it remains vigilant, the mental consciousness becomes aware of the situation. The mental consciousness wonders: What is happening? Why do I feel afraid? Why does the atmosphere feel eerie? If the mental consciousness is sharp, it may realize there is a ghost or spirit nearby and then find a way to move away. In this manner, the mental faculty achieves its goal.

Therefore, although the mental faculty possesses awareness, matters require the mental consciousness and the five aggregates to be handled. After the mental faculty attains realization of the Dharma, the pure conduct of body, speech, and mind must be upheld by the mental consciousness and the five aggregates. Thus, the pure bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the six consciousnesses reflect the purity of the mental faculty. However, upon reaching a sufficiently high level of cultivation, when the four dhyanas and eight samadhis are attained, endowed with immeasurable spiritual powers and abilities, the mental faculty can take the place of the six consciousnesses. At this stage, there is no need for the six consciousnesses to manifest; all matters are handled by the mental faculty itself, with great speed and convenience. Consequently, the function and status of the mental consciousness cannot compare to those of the mental faculty. The relationship between them is eternally that of master and servant. The master uses the servant to manage trivial matters. When the master's capabilities are great enough, with everything handled by modern automated procedures, there is no need for the servant, as the master can handle everything excellently and skillfully.