Who Controls the Bodily, Verbal, and Mental Actions of the Six Consciousnesses?

The phenomenal activities carried out by the six consciousnesses are decided by the seventh consciousness, the manas, which acts as the master behind them; they also represent the mental activities (citta-saṃskāra) of the manas. Behind the surface actions of the mind consciousness and behind bodily, verbal, and mental actions, the manas always presides as the主宰. Bodily, verbal, and mental actions can follow the decisions of the mind consciousness, but only if the mind consciousness's power is greater than that of the manas and is persuasive enough, and only if the manas is willing to heed the mind consciousness's suggestions and guidance. If the manas's power is greater and it is unwilling to follow the mind consciousness's suggestions, then the manas completely presides and decides. For example, when killing a living being while feeling compassion for sentient beings at the same time, this shows that the mind consciousness's compassion still cannot outweigh the manas's habitual tendency to kill, and the killing karma is still committed in accordance with the manas.

When the mind consciousness temporarily cannot prevail over the manas, then once the mind consciousness grows stronger and understands the Dharma and cause and effect better, its persuasiveness becomes greater; after it has persuaded the manas, killing karma will no longer be committed. When the mind consciousness has not yet succeeded in perfuming (vāsanā) the manas, it will comply with the manas in committing killing karma on the one hand, while feeling compassion on the other. When the wholesome mental factors (kuśala-caittas) of the mind consciousness are not yet firm and strong enough to guide the manas and cannot prevail over it, one will commit wholesome karma on the one hand, while being greedy, hateful, and jealous on the other, seeking only one's own benefit and having no wish to benefit others. When the wholesome mental factors of the mind consciousness are not strong and firm enough, and perfuming has not fully succeeded, the four right efforts (samyak-prahāṇa) have not been cultivated; then the unarisen wholesome states of the manas cannot arise, and the already-arisen unwholesome states cannot be severed—one cannot sever evil and cultivate good.