Consciousness Should Effectively Perfume and Transform Manas

Many people unconsciously display emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness when facing circumstances, only realizing afterward that these emotions seemed preordained and beyond their control. In reality, these are the afflictive habits of the manas (mind-root), its natural reactions manifested through the six consciousnesses. Only after the emotions manifest and the consciousness becomes aware and discerning does one realize that joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness just occurred. When the consciousness notices this, it feels as if these emotions are uncontrollable, leading one to say they were preordained and involuntary. If the consciousness has higher discernment, better concentration, and stronger observation skills, it can observe some of the manas's emotions and mental states and exert some slight control over them. Especially in daily life, one should engage in more self-cultivation to influence the manas and alter some of its undesirable afflictive habits.

Some people's conscious thoughts and emotions are also incorrect; lacking the ability for self-cultivation and effective psychological development, they excuse themselves by saying that no matter how much the consciousness struggles, it cannot break free from the habitual patterns of the manas. If the consciousness truly couldn't escape the manas's habitual patterns no matter what, what use would spiritual practice be? The very purpose of practice is to use the consciousness to change the manas. When the consciousness actively engages and strives diligently, the manas has no choice but to comply with the consciousness, and the practice will be on the right track.

Due to the various mental formations, thoughts, and emotions of the manas, all kinds of physical, verbal, and mental actions arise. If one wishes to have pure and wholesome physical, verbal, and mental actions, one must fully utilize the initiative and guiding function of the consciousness, actively guiding the manas towards goodness, creating pure physical, verbal, and mental actions, as well as meritorious ones. If the habits of the manas are too strong, even if the consciousness knows something is unwholesome, it cannot change it. It is like an addiction: even knowing it harms oneself, one still takes drugs. When beings' afflictions are heavy, even knowing they are afflictions, even knowing afflictions have faults and harms, they still cannot stop being afflicted. This is the state of novice practitioners; the path of practice is still very long.