The Difference Between Manas Prajñā and Vijñāna Prajñā

When encountering a matter, one immediately understands its origin and outcome, comprehending it swiftly and thoroughly without language, words, or sound. This is the wisdom of the mental faculty (意根), which is exceedingly difficult to observe and generally unknown to ordinary people. Conversely, when unable to understand a matter immediately, one must engage in thinking, analyzing, summarizing, organizing, comparing, and imagining before comprehension arises. This is the wisdom of the conscious mind (意识). The conscious mind employs language, words, and sound, utilizing superficial cognitive functions that are easily observable.

Why can some matters be known immediately while others cannot? When an event first occurs, the mental faculty initiates mental processes of attention, contact, sensation, perception, and thought. For matters that are very familiar or previously experienced, the mental faculty understands them immediately and autonomously handles and responds to them. For unfamiliar or unexperienced matters, it cannot understand immediately; even after deliberation, it remains uncertain. Consequently, it gives rise to the conscious mind, enabling it to discern and think. The mental faculty then reconsiders based on the conscious mind’s analysis before proceeding to handle and respond. The function of the conscious mind is to assist the mental faculty in discernment. If the mental faculty itself clearly understands the matter, it requires no assistance from the conscious mind for discernment or thinking; it makes decisions directly and handles the matter swiftly.