How to Engage the Discernment of Manas in Dhyāna

In meditative concentration, not using the cognitive function of consciousness but employing the contemplation of the manas (the mental faculty) is a rather profound practice. It is difficult for ordinary people to achieve, requiring a deep foundation in meditative concentration and a certain level of skill in insight meditation. When meditative concentration and insight meditation are cultivated to a certain degree, one can shift from the cognitive function of consciousness to employing the contemplation of the manas. The cognitive function of consciousness is relatively superficial, floating on the surface, and most people can observe it. For example, by introspecting what thoughts are in the mind at this moment, one knows what one is thinking about, pondering, or intending. These thoughts generally float on the surface and are the cognitive function of consciousness.

Simultaneously, there is also the supporting and directing role of the manas in the background. If one's concentration and wisdom are insufficient, it is not easy to observe this, making it difficult to recognize one's true inner thoughts. When the mind is cultivated to an extremely subtle state, one can observe that while the consciousness is cognizing, there is a force in the background playing a directing role. That force and those thought processes belong to the manas. Once one discovers that force of the manas behind the consciousness and can grasp the manas, one should gradually diminish the cognitive function of the consciousness. After diminishing it to a certain degree, one then relinquishes the thoughts of consciousness. After relinquishing them, one must still maintain thoughts in the mind, ensuring there is the thinking activity of the manas, not allowing oneself to become completely thoughtless and devoid of mental activity. This is very difficult.

In meditative concentration, one must learn to diligently discover that force deep within the mind. It actually has thoughts, has mental activity, and is capable of thinking—that is the contemplative activity of the manas. After discovering it, one diligently maintains that contemplative activity, not allowing it to cease, and hands over the Dharma principles contemplated by the consciousness to it, letting it continue contemplating alone. This belongs to a relatively deep state of investigation. Investigating Chan (Zen) is like this; contemplating that the five aggregates are not the self uses such skill. This way, the contemplation of the manas is activated. This mode of thinking, this kind of skill, is called the contemplation of the manas.

Achieving this is inseparable from profound meditative concentration. One's skill in meditative concentration needs to be very good, capable of relinquishing coarse deluded thoughts, and at a certain point, even subtle deluded thoughts must be relinquished. Deluded thoughts are thoughts that contemplate other insignificant dharmas, that is, distracting thoughts and multiple thoughts. These thoughts are all disturbances to right mindfulness, so they must all be removed, leaving only the Dharma that the consciousness needs to contemplate. Then, the cognitive function of consciousness is also relinquished, allowing the manas to contemplate this Dharma, swapping the roles of consciousness and manas in contemplating the issue. At this time, consciousness still exists; it plays a very subtle discerning function but does not engage in deep thinking, analysis, or reasoning. Instead, it allows the manas to contemplate deeply, without language, words, or sound. This contemplative function is not easy to observe when meditative concentration and wisdom are insufficient.

This contemplative function of the manas is also called the thoughts deep within the mind. Everyone's inner thoughts are divided into two kinds: one floats on the surface, being the superficial thoughts of consciousness; the other is hidden deep within, being the deep-seated thoughts, that is, the thoughts of the manas deep within the mind, representing one's true thoughts. For example, when I tell others now what I plan to do, I might not actually have that thought; the expressed thought might be perfunctory, while there is another inner voice and thought within. That thought is more concealed, and one doesn't want others to know it, so one uses the language of consciousness to cover it up or divert attention.

Continuously introspect the inner manas of oneself, grasp one's inner manas, and then transfer the Dharma that the consciousness was previously concerned with and contemplating to the manas, letting the manas be concerned with it. This way, the manas can be concerned with this Dharma constantly and everywhere, and the contemplative nature of the manas becomes apparent. If the manas agrees, the imprinting is successful; if the manas does not accept it, the imprinting is not successful. Only when one's skill is sufficient can it succeed.

In daily life, we all use the manas and its contemplative function, but we cannot observe it, cannot distinguish it, and do not summarize it, so we cannot tell whether it is the cognitive function of consciousness or the contemplation of the manas. This requires increasing skill in meditative concentration and wisdom in insight meditation to clarify these issues. Only when meditative concentration is deep can the mind become subtle, enabling one to discover the difference between consciousness and the manas, and also distinguish the inner voice from the surface voice, thereby understanding the state of the manas' contemplation, grasping that contemplative nature of the manas, and gradually learning to use it.

To reach this level, one must strengthen the practice of meditative concentration, improve the discernment power of wisdom, subdue afflictions, reduce deluded thoughts, and let the mind dwell on the Buddha Dharma without clinging to worldly dharmas. As meditative concentration is cultivated more deeply, the mind becomes increasingly focused, and deluded thoughts become fewer and fewer, to the point where one can relinquish deluded thoughts whenever one wishes. When the mind becomes increasingly subtle and wisdom becomes increasingly profound, the functional role of the manas will be expressed very well.

After the physical body is subdued and one reaches the state of balanced concentration and wisdom (samatha-vipassana), one can directly use the contemplation of the manas to resolve problems. When doubt about a particular Dharma is strong, one directly places that Dharma in the mind. Initially, the consciousness holds it, then the function of consciousness is lightened and diminished, allowing the manas to hold this Dharma. At this point, one enters a deeper level of meditative concentration, letting the manas contemplate this Dharma deeply. The more focused the manas is in contemplation, the deeper the meditative concentration becomes; the deeper the meditative concentration, the more focused, deep, and subtle the manas' contemplation becomes. Ultimately, one can clarify this issue, and simultaneously enter a state of samadhi, filled with the joy of the Dharma, experiencing physical and mental lightness and ease, and the bliss of meditation (dhyana-sukha) appears. Samadhi is the state of balanced concentration and wisdom. After this state emerges, one's mental state throughout the day will be excellent, with both body and mind feeling very light and at ease.