The Dharma of Manas-Sparsha Unknown to Consciousness

The manas is bound together with the tathāgatagarbha. Whatever dharmas are manifested by the tathāgatagarbha, the manas contacts and perceives them. However, the discernment of the manas also involves priorities and levels. If the dharma it focuses on cannot be clearly discerned by itself, it will form an intention and make a decision, causing the six consciousnesses to arise and discern it. If the manas can clearly discern a dharma by itself but is unable to process it, it will form an intention and decide to let the six consciousnesses arise to discern and process it.

The dharmas that the manas can clearly discern without needing to process are extremely numerous, and the conscious mind (manovijñāna) remains unaware of them. The dharmas contacted and discerned by the manas that do not require discernment by the six consciousnesses are also extremely numerous, and the conscious mind remains unaware of them. The dharmas contacted and clearly discerned by the manas are also extremely numerous, and there are also very many that it wishes the conscious mind to know and process. However, due to insufficient wisdom, the conscious mind is unable to know them, remaining confused and muddled. It may even find the hints and suggestions from the manas inexplicable, ultimately leaving the matter unresolved.

When the tathāgatagarbha manifests the objects of the six senses (six dusts), at the initial moment these six dusts appear, it is the manas that first contacts and discerns them. If the manas cannot clearly discern the six dusts, the six consciousnesses arise to discern them carefully. When the six consciousnesses first begin to discern, they have nothing to compare the six dusts to, and thus cannot discern them clearly. The conscious mind feels it is vague and indistinct. Only after discerning for several kṣaṇas (mind-moments), when the preceding and following six dusts become comparable and the dust-objects become coherent, does the conscious mind then know what the six dusts are. For example, when writing a character: after writing the first stroke, others do not know what character it is; after writing the second stroke, they still do not know; after writing the third stroke, they can vaguely guess what character it might be; after writing the fourth stroke, they then know what character it is.