When there is no mind consciousness, does the manas have awareness?

Some people say: Since the manas is also a form of consciousness, it should be able to perceive the external world; so why is it that when a person is in a coma, there is no perception of the external environment at all? The answer to this question is as follows: The lack of perception during a coma means that the mind consciousness has no perception, while the manas still has perception. When the manas perceives, once the mind consciousness ceases, it does not know the manas's perception. Even if the mind consciousness does not cease, without the wisdom to cognize it, it still does not know the manas's perceptive function. This is because the manas's knowing must be conveyed to the mind consciousness for the mind consciousness to know, and only then can sentient beings know. Sentient beings take the knowing of the mind consciousness as their knowing; whatever the mind consciousness does not know, they consider to be unknown.

But the fact that the mind consciousness does not know does not mean that the manas does not know either. Therefore, when sleeping dreamlessly or when in a coma, when the mind consciousness disappears, the manas's knowing cannot be transmitted to the mind consciousness, so the mind consciousness does not know; and when the mind consciousness does not know, sentient beings do not know. Even if the mind consciousness can function normally without disappearing, when it lacks wisdom, it still does not know the manas's knowing. When the mind consciousness lacks wisdom, it also does not know what kind of mental activity the manas is engaged in or what the manas has perceived. Therefore, whether the manas has the introspective power of self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana) cannot be observed by the mind consciousness, and whether the manas knows of its own existence also cannot be observed by the mind consciousness. So when the mind consciousness cannot observe these things, one should not make judgments about how the manas is or is not.