Evidence that the Manas Has Self-Validating Cognition

First, from the behavior of retraction and regret, it can be proven that the manas possesses self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana). The act of retraction occurs because, at an earlier time, when the manas lacked the wisdom to discern, it blindly trusted the analysis and guidance of the mind consciousness and made a choice hastily and carelessly. Afterwards, the manas discovered that things were not as they seemed—the original choice had been made wrongly—and so a feeling of regret arose in the mind. The manas discovering that the choice it made was wrong is precisely the function of the manas's self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana); after observing itself, it discovered its own erroneous choice.

Second, from the perspective of the transformation of the manas's mental activities, the manas possesses self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana). Through studying Buddhism and cultivating practice, and through the continuous perfuming by the mind consciousness, the manas gradually comes to know the truth, recognizes its own former foolishness, makes a vow to correct itself, and embarks on the path to buddhahood. Continuously raising self-awareness during the process of cultivation is the function of the manas's self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana); continuously correcting oneself is the function of the manas's self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana); changing one's own mental activities and changing one's mental factors (caittas) is the function of the manas's self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana).

If the manas lacked the power of introspection (pratyavekṣā-bala) and lacked self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana), then the manas would be unable to correct itself. It is true that the manas relies on the perfuming and guidance of the mind consciousness, but the one who ultimately recognizes the truth and changes itself must be the manas itself, not the mind consciousness. If the mind consciousness could change the manas, then there would be no need to perfume and guide the manas—one could simply change it directly. The meaning of perfuming is that the mind consciousness's ideas and views are accepted and agreed to by the manas, so that the manas also comes to hold the same ideas and views, and then, with these transformed ideas and views, makes correct choices and actions; thus the bodily, verbal, and mental actions are transformed.

The mind consciousness can only change itself; it cannot change the manas. If the manas does not wish to change itself, it is impossible for the mind consciousness to forcibly change it. If the mind consciousness could forcibly change the manas, then studying Buddhism, cultivating practice, and even attaining buddhahood would be very easy. But changing oneself must be an active behavior, not a passive one; passivity may last for a moment but can never last forever. Otherwise, anyone could be changed by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, escape the suffering of saṃsāra in the six paths of rebirth, and embark on the path to buddhahood, and everyone would not be far from attaining buddhahood—but the facts are not so. This principle can be understood through careful contemplation; it is not difficult to comprehend.