The Clinging to Dharma Characteristics Is Governed by Manas

The seven consciousnesses all possess the grasping nature toward the dharmas they encounter and love, but ultimately, it is the manas that seizes them, thereby consolidating them as karmic seeds to be transmitted to future lives. The grasping of the six consciousnesses is also initially initiated and determined by the manas. When the manas encounters the six sense objects, if it is interested in investigating the dharmas within them, it gives rise to the six consciousnesses to perceive and discern. After the six consciousnesses perceive and discern, feeling and craving arise, which may then lead to grasping mental formations. After the manas perceives and discerns the appearances of the six sense objects as discerned by the six consciousnesses, it gives rise to feeling and craving, subsequently producing grasping mental formations, causing the six consciousnesses to crave incessantly.

The consciousnesses that grasp the characteristics of dharmas primarily consist of the mano-consciousness and the manas; the five consciousnesses also possess this function, but their role is minimal and can be disregarded. When the mano-consciousness encounters mental objects, it is the mano-consciousness that grasps the characteristics of dharmas. Subsequently, based on the discernment and craving-grasping of the mano-consciousness, the manas also generates craving-grasping mental formations. After the manas grasps, the result manifests. Before the mano-consciousness has discerned the characteristics of dharmas, the manas also has contact and grasping. However, the manas does not have ultimate knowledge of the characteristics of dharmas, so its purpose in grasping the characteristics is for the six consciousnesses to discern, with the mano-consciousness serving as an advisor, before making the final decision. Regarding the appearances of the five sense objects, the five consciousnesses also have grasping, but they lack the power of decision. Their grasping mind is extremely subtle; when wisdom is insufficient, it is exceedingly difficult to observe the mental formations of the five consciousnesses, and it is also extremely challenging to distinguish the difference between the five consciousnesses and the mano-consciousness. The mental factors of the five consciousnesses are generally bound together with those of the mano-consciousness and the manas, making them unobservable and thus overlooked.