Does the Manas Retain Awareness in the Absence of Consciousness?

Some say: Since the manas (mind faculty) is also a form of consciousness, it should perceive the external world; why then does a person in a coma show no awareness of external objects at all? The explanation is this: the lack of perception during coma is due to the cessation of perception by the mano-vijñāna (consciousness), while the manas still retains perception. When the manas perceives, if the mano-vijñāna ceases to function, it becomes unaware of the manas’ perception. Even if the mano-vijñāna does not cease, without the wisdom of discernment, it still remains unaware of the perceptual function of the manas. This is because the knowing of the manas must be conveyed to the mano-vijñāna before sentient beings can know it. Sentient beings take the knowing of the mano-vijñāna as their knowing; what the mano-vijñāna does not know, they consider unknown.

However, the fact that the mano-vijñāna does not know does not mean the manas is likewise unaware. Therefore, during dreamless sleep, coma, or when the mano-vijñāna vanishes, the knowing of the manas cannot be transmitted to the mano-vijñāna, so the mano-vijñāna remains unaware, and sentient beings consequently remain unaware. Even when the mano-vijñāna functions normally without disappearing, if it lacks wisdom, it still cannot know the knowing of the manas. When the mano-vijñāna lacks wisdom, it remains ignorant of the mental activities of the manas or what the manas perceives. Thus, whether the manas possesses the self-reflective awareness of svasaṃvitti (self-cognition), the mano-vijñāna cannot observe it; whether the manas knows its own existence, the mano-vijñāna cannot observe that either. Therefore, when the mano-vijñāna cannot observe these phenomena, one should not make judgments about whether the manas functions in a particular way or not.