What is the Uninterrupted Path of Seeing?

After truly seeing the path, one's mind will be in the path without interruption from moment to moment. What does "uninterrupted from moment to moment" 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 subject to interruption. For seeing the path to be uninterrupted, both the manas and the mind consciousness must see the path simultaneously; it cannot be that only the mind consciousness sees the path. In true seeing of the path, even if the mind consciousness ceases, the fruit of the path remains. But in false seeing of the path, once the mind consciousness ceases or becomes weak, the fruit of the path is lost.

True seeing of the path is the manas seeing the path. Once the manas sees the path, the mind abides in the path forever and will no longer retreat from it. But when the mind consciousness sees the path, it is not like this. The mind consciousness is a mind subject to interruption and a mind that cannot take charge. If the manas does not see the path, the mind consciousness will obey the arrangements and directives of the manas, not recognize the so-called path, and no longer abide in the path. If the mind consciousness further gives rise to doubt, one will regress. Even if the mind consciousness does not regress, because the manas takes charge everywhere, bodily, verbal, and mental actions will not change; one remains as before.

Some people, because the mind consciousness has seen the path, or because they mistake meditative states of Chan concentration for the path, often sit in meditation to cultivate concentration and maintain the meditative state in order to preserve the realm they have realized. Others strive to use the mind consciousness to pull the manas into following themselves, but this is ultimately not a long-term solution. Paper can never wrap fire; in the end, everything will be exposed completely. After the manas sees the path, realms no longer have much attraction for the manas and the mind consciousness. The mind consciousness is easy to turn around, but once the manas recognizes a principle, it is very difficult to turn it away from the truth; even ten oxen cannot pull it.

Precisely because the manas is so stubborn, His wrong knowledge and wrong views since beginningless kalpas are deeply entrenched. It is not easy to use the true Dharma to pull the manas around; the manas is not easily perfumed, which is why attaining the fruit is so difficult. Some people have heavy afflictions; speaking a few principles to them lightly is completely useless. Only after receiving severe evil retribution, hitting walls very hard, and having their heads bloodied, can they slightly know to reflect on themselves. Such people are those of inferior spiritual faculties — ten oxen cannot pull them; they cling to rigid views, are unyielding, and like to contend.