The Object-Specific Mental Factors of the Manas

Hatred includes the conscious mind's false hatred and the manas's true hatred; the degree of resentment indicates whether it is true hatred or false hatred. The mental factors (caittas) of the manas and the mind consciousness are not difficult to observe and distinguish, yet nowadays some people study Buddhism like memorizing textbook passages, reciting them everywhere and treating them as one hundred percent correct, without engaging in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and reflection. If the manas lacked determination (adhimokṣa), how could it make so many correct decisions? Especially the decisions concerning the eradication of the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa) and seeing the mind and enlightenment—without determination, how could the manas investigate together with the mind consciousness and finally break through to realization? Only when the manas has attained determination regarding the abundant information provided by the mind consciousness can it correctly discern and make decisions; otherwise, all decisions would be wrong, and how could sentient beings survive normally?

Even when the mind consciousness is not deliberating, if a major event occurs, the manas can immediately comprehend the seriousness of the matter and make a decision on the spot. Without determination there is no wisdom; determination is the prerequisite for wisdom. As for the manas's deliberation (manasikāra), no one can state precisely what its content is or how it operates; one can only say that deliberation means decision-making. As for the specific content of deliberation (manasikāra/manana), and how deliberation operates, that is even less known.

The same applies to the manas's mental factor of memory (smṛti). Sometimes at night one thinks about a matter, and then when it is time to sleep, that matter keeps turning over in the mind; the mind consciousness keeps reminding: go to sleep early, stop thinking about it, otherwise you may not be able to get up tomorrow morning. But this only controls it for a while; at some unknown point one starts thinking about that matter again, and in the end one suffers insomnia. The manas's characteristics of grasping, habitual tendencies, and attachments must ultimately be manifested through its mental factors.

Disputes Arise Only from Relying on People Rather than on the Dharma

To observe the operation of the manas directly through direct perception as it truly is, one must have the wisdom of the seed-wisdom (ālaya-consciousness knowledge) of Consciousness-Only, possessing at least the observational wisdom of a bodhisattva who has attained the first bhūmi. It is precisely because one cannot observe the manas and cannot truly know the manas that disputes arise. Shallow dharmas have no disputes, because everyone can easily observe them; it is only toward what cannot be observed that people dispute—otherwise, what is there to dispute? White is white, black is black. Only when one cannot distinguish black from white does one dispute. As for what mental factors the manas actually possesses, who can actually observe and verify them? Both the sixth and seventh consciousnesses are defiled with afflictions, and with such heavy obscurations, what capacity do they have to actually observe? If there were someone capable of verification, simply describing the verification process would settle the disputes.

Relying on the Dharma means relying on the true reality of how the manas operates. If one cannot observe the manas, how can one define the manas according to its true reality? How can one truly rely on the actual dharma of ultimate reality? If one cannot rely on the dharma of ultimate reality, then one is relying on people; relying on people does not accord with the fundamental purpose of Buddhist practice and realization, and it will contain errors and omissions, not accord with the Buddha's intent, and even less can one attain the Way.