Observing the Operation of the Manas through Jing He's Contemplative Practice

Jing He: This morning I was driving to work. On a two-lane road, I was in the left lane following the car ahead, when a car on the right sped up and then the right lane became empty. At that moment, my eyes involuntarily glanced to the right (this was actually the manas detecting that the right lane had become empty and directing the eyes to observe in further detail). After observing, I immediately took a mental sense-object of "right lane empty" (it felt like it was in the brain), and then immediately a "force" appeared at the pit of my stomach (this force directed my hands and feet to make the movement of changing lanes—could this be the manas's volition mental factor, cetanā?). If this force is observed, the hands and feet will not move; this force seems to be cut off by the introspective power of the six consciousnesses. If it is not introspected, it will make the hands and feet move (this is in fact the phenomenon of the manas's volition mental factor directing the body consciousness).

There is something interesting in this whole process: after taking the mental sense-object of "right lane empty," some people change lanes immediately, while others can refrain from changing lanes. How does this difference arise? This difference arises from each person's different "views and knowledge," and this "views and knowledge" is quite interesting.

Guan Wuwo: If the manas feels it is necessary, it changes lanes; if it lacks the intention, or feels it is unsafe, it does not change. This depends on the manas's experience and decision. The mind consciousness merely collects and analyzes information according to the manas's intention, and then hands it over to the manas to decide. "Views and knowledge" should actually include both the manas and the mind consciousness; the two consciousnesses work together. The manas's attention (manaskāra) arises first, and only then does the mind consciousness arise, so it is not easy to use the mind consciousness to search for the manas; one should practice deep and subtle observation in meditation more often.

Jing He: Right, that is what I meant; I just expressed this kind of experience with the word "views and knowledge." I just find this views-and-knowledge interesting. When you observe it, it is formless and imageless and simply cannot be observed. (I know that only by relying on the sixth consciousness to describe it can it barely be made to manifest a bit of appearance.) Yet it works behind each of our bodily and verbal actions. Why does the manas direct its attention toward "a" rather than toward "b"? It is determined by this views-and-knowledge (my personal understanding).

Guan Wuwo: This is the manas's mental factors working together to judge and decide—the experience accumulated in the manas over beginningless kalpas. The manas's wisdom is beyond ordinary people's imagination. Most people are accustomed to using the wisdom of the present-life mind consciousness, and this often obstructs the manas's wisdom from manifesting.

Jing He: What is the basis of the decision? It is based on this views-and-knowledge. When you say "judgment," do you mean the volition mental factor (cetanā)? But the influence of this views-and-knowledge should take effect at the same time as the attention (manaskāra). I think that in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), one should let the weak mind consciousness gradually guide the transformation of the manas, bit by bit.

Guan Wuwo: In my contemplative practice, I have found that the mind consciousness's interference with the manas is very obvious; there are both the five universal mental factors and the five particular mental factors, and the mental factors generally work in mutual coordination. So after I enter meditation, I try not to pay attention to the states that arise, because they easily scatter the manas's focus. Effective contemplative practice is much harder than entering meditation and takes much more time; I will just slowly grope my way forward.

Assessment: Their observations and discussions of the manas's functioning are all very good, and the direction is right. By regularly making such observations, both meditative concentration (samādhi) and wisdom can be strengthened. When the force at the pit of the stomach is observed, the hands and feet that were about to move stop and cease; if this force is not observed, the hands and feet will move along with it. Why is this? Because the pit of the stomach is very close to the heart. When the manas mobilizes the body faculty, it does so at the location of the neural center in the brain. As soon as the manas's mind stirs, the neural center issues commands to the whole body through all the nerves, and the heart is responsible for supplying blood. If the manas has emotions, or if the emotions are relatively intense, the heart's delivery of blood will be affected and a large supply of blood will be needed, which causes changes in facial complexion; if the blood supply is insufficient, phenomena such as shock will occur.

When one senses an abnormality in the heart, it is generally because the manas has developed some emotion, or the manas has some special thought that requires consuming more blood, and then the heart or the pit of the stomach will react. For people whose heart function is not strong, they must strictly control the manas's emotions. Who does the controlling? It is the rational, calm mind consciousness that controls. So the mind consciousness's role is still very significant; it is usually far more rational than the manas. At the stage of ordinary beings (pṛthagjana), the manas's emotionality is much more severe than the mind consciousness's; it is like a small child that needs the mind consciousness to coax, soothe, and regulate it. After the manas eliminates afflictions, its emotionality becomes lower and lower, its wisdom higher and higher, and it becomes more and more rational.

Most people know to use the mind consciousness for contemplative practice, but can the manas also engage in contemplative practice? When the mind consciousness becomes extremely weak, it can no longer engage in contemplative practice—at that time, is there still contemplative practice? Can contemplative practice still be carried out? The Buddha attained the Way and became a Buddha within the fourth dhyāna; the great bodhisattvas, arhats, and pratyekabuddhas accomplished all their superknowledges and spiritual powers within the fourth dhyāna. Yet from the second dhyāna onward, the five sense consciousnesses cease, and the mind consciousness becomes extremely weak and unable to think; within the fourth dhyāna, the mind consciousness is even weaker. So how, within the fourth dhyāna, did they attain the Way and bring forth superknowledges and spiritual powers?

At the time of true enlightenment and true realization of the fruits, does the manas rely on the mind consciousness to attain the Way, or does the mind consciousness rely on the manas to attain the Way? Of the two consciousnesses, which attains the Way first, or do they attain it simultaneously? Of course, if it is merely intellectual understanding/interpretive awakening, whether in the Mahāyāna or the Hīnayāna, it is all the function of the mind consciousness—something the mind consciousness works out through analysis, reflection, inference, conjecture, organization, and summarization. The manas does not really know these conclusions and does not agree with them either. Therefore the manas's doubts are not severed, the mental disposition cannot transform, and bodily, verbal, and mental actions also cannot transform.

At the beginning of the contemplative practice of the four foundations of mindfulness, it is all done by the mind consciousness initiating contemplation; when meditative concentration appears, it will touch upon the manas a little. Now one should train oneself to make the mind consciousness's contemplative function weaker and weaker, gradually letting the manas take its place. How is this skill to be done? Consider it for yourself.