The Supreme State of Applying Manas

I have a disciple who learned to use Manas. Whenever encountering a problem, wisdom bubbles forth continuously, and solutions emerge endlessly. As solutions arise, he feels compelled to immediately implement them, tackling each plan one after another. This leads to working day and night without rest, causing physical exhaustion. Once wisdom appears, if the thoughts in the mind are not acted upon, they might be forgotten later, which feels like a great pity. After solving one problem, his mind expands, and another idea emerges, forcing him to implement this new idea to address another problem. Consequently, he ends up working continuously, becoming a workaholic. Although work efficiency increases dramatically—several times over—his body cannot endure it.

So I advised him: "When thoughts and sparks of wisdom bubble forth again in the future, immediately record them on your phone. Use concise and essential language, or just keywords. Since these ideas arise from your own mind (the mind of Manas), when you revisit the notes later, your consciousness will skim through them and recall the general content. The train of thought will reappear, ensuring this wisdom resource isn’t wasted."

Another disciple, after studying the Dharma with me years ago, went abroad for studies and work. In just fifteen months, he completed nearly five years' worth of study and work tasks and secured a ten-year contract. This was entirely due to his application of Manas, which led to a rapid increase in wisdom for problem-solving, enabling him to exceed his work and study goals. This shows the immense potential of Manas—the only fear is that consciousness and physical stamina cannot keep up, leading to physical exhaustion.

I teach the Dharma using this method. For a single point of Dharma meaning, as long as the mind settles and immerses itself, various thoughts and ideas continuously emerge. Sometimes, when the body is fatigued and consciousness cannot keep up, it becomes impossible to transform all thoughts into written records. Transforming mental conceptions into text also consumes vital energy, which is a precious resource for me—I must use it sparingly. Thus, I have no choice but to record only fragments or keywords. When I revisit them later, the train of thought reappears. However, due to the sheer volume of fragmented notes, I simply lack the time to organize them. New thoughts and ideas keep emerging, while old records have piled up for years without the energy to process them. Consequently, I cannot address each disciple’s questions anymore; otherwise, it would be endless, and no Dharma teaching could ever be written and published.

Mastering the use of Manas truly grants inexhaustible wisdom. Manas itself never rests, but the energy of consciousness falls far behind. The expression through words and language cannot keep pace with Manas’ thoughts, and wisdom fails to materialize into text—this too feels like a pity. Such is the nature of mental brilliance: self-benefit is effortless, but enabling others to benefit encounters obstacles. Still, this is far superior to having brilliant consciousness but unwise Manas. When consciousness is sharp, one may speak eloquently and glibly, yet the reality might not align at all.

Evidently, consciousness and Manas are not necessarily coordinated or consistent. Sometimes we can accomplish certain things, yet fail to summarize or articulate them. Transforming them into language for expression becomes extremely difficult, or we lack the time and energy to do so. For example, the great Arhat Cūḍapanthaka possessed extremely high realization and virtue in his Manas but could not express it through language to benefit sentient beings—this is a flaw in the wisdom of consciousness. Manas accomplishes it, yet consciousness cannot explain it clearly or express it—able to do but unable to say. Others are the opposite: consciousness speaks with glib rhetoric, but Manas remains inert—able to say but unable to do. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, through long-term liberation of sentient beings, can both do and say. Manas and consciousness harmonize: not only realizing the essence (zong) but also mastering the teachings (jiao). Zong is the wisdom of Manas; jiao is the wisdom of consciousness—both profound.

Judging from the wisdom states derived from Manas, once the wisdom of Manas is unlocked and fully activated, it is not inferior or weak. On the contrary, it becomes potent and vigorous. The wisdom of consciousness, however, appears somewhat inferior, unable to keep pace with Manas’ rhythm. Language cannot describe the samadhi states of Manas and often fails to comprehend Manas’ realms. Moreover, as practice deepens continuously, the wisdom of Manas grows increasingly profound, eventually replacing the functions of the six consciousnesses entirely, rendering them obsolete. Using one to replace seven—how immensely powerful must such functional wisdom be? So powerful that consciousness cannot even be described as “inferior.” Throughout history, those who claim Manas’ wisdom is inferior—what do they think upon witnessing such facts? Do they still persist in delusion, stubbornly clinging to flawed theories conceived by fragmented consciousness? Subsequently, we shall use the actualized states of sages to shatter these false and incomplete ideologies.