The Meaning of Manas as Manifest Consciousness

"Present consciousness" means a consciousness of direct perception (pratyakṣa), that is, directly perceiving dharmas, directly discerning dharmas, or directly presenting dharmas. Although the manas, like the tathāgatagarbha, also has the function of a mirror reflecting images, the function of manifesting dharma-images like a mirror, the images manifested by the tathāgatagarbha are images it has itself brought forth, whereas the images presented by the manas are the presentation of images transformed by the tathāgatagarbha; the manas does not produce images. The relationship between the tathāgatagarbha, this mirror, and the images is one of generating and being generated: the generator must be a dharma that is unborn and unceasing, while what is generated is subject to arising, ceasing, and change. But between the manas and the images there is no relationship of generating and being generated; both are generated dharmas. Moreover, the images presented by the manas and the images manifested by the tathāgatagarbha are essentially different: what the tathāgatagarbha manifests is the substantially real object (essence-realm), the most primordial dharma transformed and created by the tathāgatagarbha, whereas the image presented by the manas is a mixed object (with-essence-realm), the tathāgatagarbha's secondary transformation of dharmas, which is already no longer real.

Why is the manas said to be a consciousness of direct perception? Because when the manas perceives dharmas, it perceives dharmas that are presently existing; it perceives dharmas as they truly are, and it has no function of perceiving dharmas by inference or by non-valid cognition. In the very first instant that the tathāgatagarbha conjures forth a dharma, the manas can already perceive it; this is the mixed object, close to the substantially real object, relatively true and reliable. After the manas perceives the mixed object, if it wishes to discern it further in detail, only then does it transmit the dharma to the six consciousnesses to perceive. What the six consciousnesses then perceive is no longer the relatively real mixed object; what they perceive is a dharma that has already undergone alteration, and the dharma they manifest is once further removed from the substantially real object and the realm of reality, more illusory than the dharma perceived by the manas. Furthermore, when the mind consciousness perceives dharmas there is also inference and non-valid cognition, so what it manifests is even less real.

If we compare this with the meaning of "present consciousness," the tathāgatagarbha's perception of dharmas is even more a perception of direct perception, more true and reliable than the manas's perception. Whatever dharma the tathāgatagarbha perceives, it is a dharma it has itself presently brought forth and upheld; there is not the slightest barrier between it and the dharma. Whatever dharma it generates, that is the dharma it perceives; whatever dharma it upholds, that is the dharma it perceives; if it does not generate, it does not perceive; if it does not uphold, it does not perceive; and there is never any occurrence of perceiving dharmas by inference or by non-valid cognition. For the tathāgatagarbha, there are fundamentally no dharmas of the past and no dharmas of the future; all are dharmas of the present moment—even dharmas from countless eons ago are dharmas of the present moment. But for the six consciousnesses, they are not dharmas of the present moment; in fact, the six consciousnesses cannot perceive dharmas of the present moment. Whatever dharma they perceive is a dharma that has already undergone alteration, a dharma of the past.