The Yogācāra Analysis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder manifests as a conflict between the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. A person's manas (root consciousness) is extremely stubborn, wanting to perform a certain action, but the conscious mind (discriminative consciousness) is very rational and unwilling to comply, believing it to be unwise. However, the conscious mind does not understand why manas insists on this action and thus cannot effectively persuade or guide manas, resorting instead to rigid refusal to carry out the action.

Why does manas have such thoughts, compelling it to act in such unreasonable ways? The most plausible explanation is karmic obstacles, sometimes referred to as habitual tendencies. Manas follows karma, controlled and manipulated by karmic force. The conscious mind understands principles, possesses rationality, and recognizes that this impulse is highly undesirable. Consequently, it controls and opposes manas's decision, refusing to execute manas's command. This leads to intense conflict between the two, resulting in the emergence of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

For example, a child may have harmed its mother in a past life. Due to karmic conditions, they meet again in this life, and the mother may seek to retaliate against the child. However, the conscious mind has no such intention and refuses to follow the karmic impulse, thus blocking manas's retaliatory behavior. The struggle between karmic force and rationality, the conflict between feelings of love and hatred for the child—intertwining love and hate—creates intense inner turmoil and suffering. This is caused by the pressure of karmic conditions from past lives.

Who ultimately prevails depends on which is stronger: the rationality of the conscious mind or the karmic force driving manas. To make the conscious mind stronger and dominant, one must cultivate the wisdom to persuade and guide—penetrating understanding, clear thinking, sound reasoning, patience, methods, and skillful means. This can gradually guide manas to relinquish its original impulse. The conscious mind must carefully and patiently understand why manas holds such thoughts. It should persuade manas to broaden its mind and cultivate magnanimity, to diligently maintain the mother-child relationship, to consider more the boundless benefits and joy the child will bring in the future, to reflect deeply on the child's suffering, to recognize that treating the child well is tantamount to treating oneself well, and to contemplate the hardships and difficulties of pregnancy.

From the relationship between the conscious mind and manas, we observe that each holds different views. Why can their thoughts and concepts be inconsistent? If they could be completely unified, would it be good? Coercion exists—the conscious mind coercing manas, and manas coercing the conscious mind. In Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, who typically forces whom? It is usually manas forcing the conscious mind, while the conscious mind resists. If both could jointly eradicate ignorance, completely uprooting it, ultimately transforming consciousness into wisdom, then the sixth and seventh consciousnesses would become fully unified, perfectly coordinated, and work together with complete synergy, resulting in powerful executive power.

Action refers to the bodily, verbal, and mental activities of the sixth consciousness. Executive power stems partly from the strength of the conscious mind and partly from the strength of manas. The power of consciousness can be transmitted to manas, and the power of manas can empower consciousness. When the two harmonize and unite, executive power is maximized.