The Brain Determines the Strength of Consciousness Function

What is the difference between isolated consciousness in dreams and isolated consciousness outside of dreams? During sleep, the circulation of vital energy weakens, and the circulation of vital energy in the brain consequently diminishes. The six consciousnesses rely on the brain’s superior faculty for their arising and functioning. After isolated consciousness arises in a dream, due to issues with the superior faculty, the functions of the conscious mind become relatively weak. As a result, the discernment by consciousness in dreams is not sufficiently clear or detailed, and memories formed are not firmly retained. If the manas deems the dream particularly important and finds it highly stimulating, the impression becomes profound, prompting the isolated consciousness to deepen its impression. Upon waking, the consciousness can then recall the dream vividly and clearly.

Due to external factors causing brain injury and resulting in coma, the six consciousnesses vanish. After regaining consciousness, some individuals may experience amnesia. This occurs because the damaged brain impairs the functioning of consciousness, causing the consciousness’s ability to integrate information to become disordered or weakened, thus preventing the recollection of events and people from a certain period. However, if the brain receives strong stimulation, consciousness may potentially restore memories, recalling past events and people. Memories from childhood and early youth are often not firmly retained because the brain is not fully developed, leading to weak conscious functioning and unstable memories. The consciousness of elderly individuals is generally weaker than in their youth, resulting in less detailed discernment, coarser mental processes, and what is commonly referred to as senile dementia.

Impaired circulation of vital energy can damage the brain, causing a person to become foolish, dull-witted, or mentally impaired. Therefore, the six consciousnesses are dependently originated phenomena, arising from causes and conditions. They are utterly illusory and unreliable; the six consciousnesses are neither the self nor what belongs to the self. In the intermediate existence (bardo), the functioning of consciousness is even weaker because the intermediate existence is a temporary state arising with coarse four elements, far inferior to a human body, severely hindering the functioning of consciousness. Thus, in the intermediate existence, mental activities are primarily governed by manas, and consciousness cannot effectively regulate the manas. The inherent nature of manas determines the direction of future rebirth. Therefore, attainment of fruition (enlightenment) by consciousness alone is like a paper-made fruit—fragile and impermanent. Only when manas simultaneously attains the fruition will the realization be solid and unretreatable, carrying over into future lives.