The Essential Nature of Manas

Jinghe's Experiential Account: One day, while sitting in a chair wearing headphones and listening to the Great Compassion Mantra, I fell asleep during the recitation without dreaming. At that moment, before my eyes (though not actually before my eyes, as there was no sense of direction—though I wasn't consciously aware of lacking direction at the time; it felt like being adrift in a vast cosmos), within the darkness, there seemed to be a slight movement. A sense of curiosity arose, compelling me to understand the cause. Then, this movement transformed into a point of bright light.

I (there was no concept of "I" at that moment) continued to move towards the light. Just as I made contact with the light, consciousness emerged. I understood that the movement was actually the sound of the Great Compassion Mantra coming from the headphones. (At this moment, I suddenly realized: something had entered the brain from the body, and the functions of the five sense faculties arose.) Then, recalling the state before consciousness appeared, it was like being an unknowing child or a small animal. A slight movement would lure me, and I would follow without any capacity for reflection.

Commentary: The "before the eyes" during sleep is not the physical eyes, but rather an object relative to the manas (the thinking mind). At this time, even if the eye-consciousness and mental consciousness are not entirely extinguished, they are extremely subtle. Without a sense of forward or backward direction, the manas cannot clearly perceive objects (dharmas), hence the feeling of being lost in a vast expanse. The arising of curiosity that moves towards the light is precisely the manas. This is the manas seeking to grasp an object (ālambana), but it does not know that it is seeking an object, as its self-perception is weak. When it grasps the sound of the Great Compassion Mantra, it cannot clearly discern it and can only perceive it as bright light. Because the Great Compassion Mantra possesses blessing power, it manifests like a bright light.

Just as the manas grasps the sound of the Great Compassion Mantra and begins to perceive the bright light, subtle mental consciousness (vijñāna) appears. The mental consciousness discerns and recognizes this as the sound of the Great Compassion Mantra. When the mental consciousness discerns the sound, the manas has already sensed the bright light (the sound) entering the brain, and the mental consciousness instantly comprehends it. At this moment, the five sense consciousnesses arise, and one becomes much more alert. After becoming alert, the mental consciousness recalls the previous process, perceiving the manas as being like a child—lacking stability, curiously following any movement that arises, utterly simple, naive, and also very quick-witted, going wherever something happens. Of course, this recollection by the mental consciousness is also the manas wanting to understand what just happened, instructing the mental consciousness to recall. Recalling events before the mental consciousness appeared relies on the manas providing the scene and material; only then can the mental consciousness (which is us) understand what truly occurred.

This account precisely describes the mindset of the manas: simple, primitive, naive, lacking self-control, requiring the mental consciousness to oversee and restrain it, and needing the mental consciousness to urge and guide it. Carefully contemplate this accurate description of the manas, savor the characteristics of the manas, and deepen your understanding of its intrinsic nature.