What Does It Mean That the Manas Does Not Correspond to Language and Words?

The meaning of the manas not corresponding to written words and language is that the manas cannot use written words and language to express its own thoughts, concepts, and views. But this does not mean the manas does not understand written words and language. Since He is the master consciousness that oversees the overall situation, He has the authority to direct and mobilize the six consciousnesses. Although He cannot speak or express Himself in words, He can make the mind consciousness speak and make the mind consciousness express things in words; many things He cannot do Himself can be accomplished with the assistance of the six consciousnesses. For example, a president has limited energy and cannot be in many places at once; he can only govern the overall affairs of the nation and cannot carry out specific work such as market research and statistical analysis, but he can appoint subordinates to complete these tasks. Because the manas must oversee the overall situation, He cannot personally handle specific matters and can only use the consciousness accompanied by the five senses (pañca-sahagata-mano-vijñāna) and the solitary consciousness (mano-vijñāna-eka-citta) to deal with specific trivial affairs; the manas only needs to listen to the reports. In the process of listening to the reports, He uses the mental factor of deliberation (manasikāra), the mental factor of wisdom (prajñā), and the mental factor of determination (adhimokṣa) to make judgments and decisions, and then issues commands, letting the six consciousnesses solve problems according to the instructions.

The manas is like a mute person who, although unable to speak, can understand what people say. The eighth consciousness is the same: although He cannot speak and is not versed in language and words, He has His own unique mode of discernment, discerning unique information, which is different from the seven consciousnesses; the manas is also different from the mind consciousness. The manas's deliberation is no worse than the mind consciousness's deliberation. If a president were to free up time and energy to specifically do market research, he might do it even better than his subordinates; it is only that he lacks the time and energy. If the manas were to substitute for the six consciousnesses, He might surpass them; it is only that His current energy is insufficient. That is why one must cultivate meditative concentration, cultivate meditative concentration, and cultivate meditative concentration again—to free up time and energy for the manas, to focus, focus, and focus again. Only in this way can the manas's great wisdom emerge.

If you regard the manas as a consciousness, or as a person, you can understand the manas's intrinsic nature and mental factors. The mind consciousness and the five sense consciousnesses work on behalf of the manas. If the manas's wisdom is sufficient, then no matter what the six consciousnesses do, the manas can see it all clearly. If the manas's wisdom is insufficient and the power of determination (adhimokṣa) is not strong, there will be misunderstandings, or He will be unable to understand what the six consciousnesses do, unclear about their actions. If the mind consciousness cannot express itself, or expresses itself unclearly, the manas will likewise be unable to fully understand and will not comprehend the mind consciousness's intentions.