The Relationship Between Manas, the Five Consciousnesses, and the Internal and External Five Sense Objects

First, the arising and functioning of the five consciousnesses originate from the manas (mind root). If the manas does not engage in attention (manaskāra) and make choices, the five consciousnesses do not appear. After the manas engages in attention and makes choices, the five consciousnesses and the mental consciousness (mano-vijñāna) arise simultaneously, cognizing the six dusts (sense objects) where the manas directs its attention and contact (sparśa). Therefore, the appearance of the five consciousnesses is not determined by the mental consciousness but by the manas. The mental consciousness is merely one necessary condition for the birth of the five consciousnesses; the two must combine to jointly cognize the complete sense objects. Their sequence of appearance is almost simultaneous; the birth and operation of the five consciousnesses are not determined by the mental consciousness.

Since the manas determines the birth of the five consciousnesses, why can the manas dominate them? We know that the birth of the five consciousnesses must be facilitated by the contact between the five sense faculties (indriyas) and the five sense objects. However, this contact between the five sense faculties and the five sense objects is itself a result facilitated by the manas. Both the five sense faculties and the five sense objects are material forms (rūpa-dharma), not consciousness; they do not actively contact each other and then decide to give rise to the five consciousnesses. It is the manas that causes the contact between the five sense faculties and the five sense objects and gives rise to the five consciousnesses.

Why can the manas cause the five sense faculties to contact the five sense objects? Because the manas grasps at (ālambana) the six dusts, desiring to cognize them in detail. The manas does not grasp only the mental objects (dharma-dhātu) and contact the mental objects alone; it grasps the entire sense field, comprehensively including the five sense objects. If it only grasped mental objects and not the five sense objects, the information about the sense field would be incomplete, making it impossible to make choices and selections, and the six consciousnesses would not arise. For example, when colorful flowers are present, the mental objects and the five sense objects combine to form the complete appearance of the flowers. If the manas does not grasp the five sense objects, it would not know the colors of the flowers. How then could it decide whether to contact the red, blue, or purple flower? How could it choose the flower? The reason the six consciousnesses selectively cognize the sense objects is precisely because of the manas’s choices regarding the sense field, which necessarily include the objects of the five senses. The five sense objects constitute a significant and important portion of the six dusts, and they manifest first, making them easy to recognize. Therefore, the manas does not grasp the six dusts separately and then make choices.

For instance, when the manas grasps the form of a person, it does not grasp only the mental image of the person while excluding the person’s skin color or the color of their clothes. On the contrary, initially, it is the colors that are the most prominent and striking, followed by the finer details of the mental objects. The same applies to other sense objects. Therefore, the manas grasps the five sense objects. The manas can certainly grasp and make choices regarding the objects of the five senses even before they enter the subtle sense organs (adhyātmendriya). For example, before a car accident occurs, the manas grasps the oncoming car, knows that a collision is imminent, and urgently decides to avoid it. If the manas only grasped the mental object of the car and not the objects of the five senses pertaining to the car, how could it know there was an oncoming car about to collide? How could it decide to avoid the oncoming car? Before a massive explosion occurs, if the manas does not grasp the objects of the five senses pertaining to the sound of the explosion, how could it decide to flee immediately?

After the manas makes any decision, the five consciousnesses immediately arise together with the mental consciousness to carry out the manas’s instructions. This demonstrates that the birth of the five consciousnesses is determined by the manas, and they, along with the mental consciousness, obey the manas’s commands. Which sense objects the five consciousnesses and the mental consciousness cognize, how long they cognize them, and which aspects they focus on are all directed and dominated by the manas. In summary, the manas is the sovereign consciousness (svāmin-vijñāna) that can exercise mastery and make decisions over the five sense faculties, the five sense objects, and the five consciousnesses. The relationship between them is one of active and passive, of dominance and submission.