What Is the Unimpeded Path of Seeing (ānantarya-mārga)?

After truly seeing the Path, one will be in the Path mind-to-mind without interruption. What does "mind-to-mind without interruption" mean? Which mind is the uninterrupted mind? Which mind is the interrupted mind? Why can it be interrupted? The eighth consciousness and the manas are uninterrupted minds, while the first six consciousnesses are minds with interruption. For seeing the Path to be uninterrupted, the manas and the mind consciousness must see the Path simultaneously; the mind consciousness alone cannot see the Path. In true seeing of the Path, even when the mind consciousness ceases, the fruit of the Path remains; but in false seeing of the Path, once the mind consciousness perishes or becomes weak and inferior, the fruit of the Path is gone.

True seeing of the Path means the manas seeing the Path. After the manas sees the Path, the mind forever abides in the Path and will never regress from it. But seeing the Path with the mind consciousness is not like this. The mind consciousness is a mind with interruption, a mind that cannot be the master. If the manas does not see the Path, the mind consciousness will obey the manas's arrangements and directives, will not acknowledge the so-called Path, and will no longer be in the Path. If doubt arises again in the mind consciousness, regression will occur. Even if the mind consciousness does not regress, because the manas is the master everywhere, bodily, verbal, and mental actions will not change—one remains the same old self.

Some people, because they have seen the Path with the mind consciousness, or have taken meditative absorption states as the Path, in order to avoid regression, frequently sit in meditation and cultivate samādhi, maintaining the state of meditative concentration so as to preserve the state they have realized. Others strive to use the mind consciousness to pull the manas into compliance with themselves, but this is ultimately not a lasting matter—paper can never wrap up fire, and in the end the truth will be exposed completely. After the manas sees the Path, sense objects no longer have much attraction for the manas and the mind consciousness; the mind consciousness is easily turned around, but once the manas recognizes the truth, it is very hard to turn it away from the truth—ten oxen could not pull it away.

Precisely because the manas has such stubbornness, and because its wrong views and wrong knowledge since beginningless kalpas are deeply rooted, it is not so easy to pull the manas toward the true Dharma. The manas is not easily influenced, which is why realizing the fruits is so difficult. Some people have heavy afflictions; speaking to them lightly and casually about principles is of no use at all. Only after suffering great evil retribution, after hitting walls severely, after their heads are broken and bleeding, can they begin to reflect on themselves a little. Such people are those of poor spiritual faculties—ten oxen cannot pull them; they cling stubbornly to fixed views, refuse to compromise, and love to lock horns.