How to Understand the Functions and Roles of the Manas as They Truly Are

Why do some people always think that the seventh consciousness, the manas, is incapable of anything? Because the vast majority of people can only see the surface-level functions and roles of the mind consciousness, and cannot see the functions and roles of the manas. Therefore, they take all the functions and roles of the five aggregates to be those of the mind consciousness, ignoring and erasing the functional role of the manas as the master consciousness. They do not know that the manas is the forerunner of all dharmas. The reason all dharmas arise, and the reason the mind consciousness can make contact, discern, and process them, is entirely the result of the manas's decisions. The manas is the head of the household of the five-aggregate body.

If an incapable good-for-nothing were to run the household as its master, one can imagine what that household would be like. Yet in this world there are extremely many people of great merit and great wisdom, whose five-aggregate bodies have performed a great deal of wholesome karma and wise karma—all of which is the result of the manas's leadership. Even in animals, the functions and roles of their manas are quite remarkable, incomparable to those of the six consciousnesses. Think about it: in a group, large or small, why do subordinate members obey the arrangements and directives of the leader? Apart from power, could there be nothing else? If the leader were incompetent and good at nothing, yet the members obeyed his every command, would those members not be even weaker and even more incompetent?

A nation's president or head of state cannot possibly, like the subordinates, be proficient in every specific matter and every specific skill, nor can he take on all the work of his subordinates. He stands at the commanding height overseeing the whole situation, and cannot possibly do specific work himself. You cannot say that because the head of state does not come out to deal with the masses directly, does not do specific work, and is not versed in technology, he has no work to do. He is the leader; he needs to take charge of the overall situation and make overall arrangements. His work is divided differently from that of his subordinates—each bears his own responsibility, and they operate in harmony—only then can the entire nation be governed well.

It is the same with a five-aggregate body. The manas stands at the commanding height, commanding the whole situation. He cannot possibly, like the mind consciousness, deeply and minutely discern specific sense objects, pondering, reasoning, organizing, summarizing, tallying, and analyzing, meticulously and ever more meticulously, with everything perfectly in place. His energy does not permit him to do so. Only when meditative concentration reaches a certain level, setting aside many unimportant matters, can his energy become concentrated and vigorous; only when his energy is great can he substitute for the work of the six consciousnesses and dispense with them. The manas of ordinary beings can only use the six consciousnesses to handle specific affairs and respond to specific sense objects; otherwise, there would be no need for the six consciousnesses to exist at all.

The manas is the consciousness that constantly and attentively deliberates (manasikāra); it works diligently and ceaselessly, operating perpetually without interruption. Why, then, do some people still say that the manas is nothing at all, that the manas has no function? Those who consider the mind consciousness important and the manas unimportant have failed to recognize who the leader is, who plays the decisive role, and whose work is more arduous. Because the leader is hidden too deeply and he has never seen him, he thinks the leader does not exist, or thinks that the employee is the leader. The leader does not understand technology; when a technician submits a technical project, although the leader does not understand it, he still examines and reviews it, and finally approves it for experimentation. The process and results of the experiment are still beyond the leader's understanding. The manas is the leader, the one who makes decisions; the mind consciousness is the technician, providing technical services for the leader. Therefore, with the mind consciousness providing its services, the manas need not personally attend to every matter.