Evidence that the Manas Has Three Types of Feeling (II)

What are the manifestations of the seventh consciousness when facing the realms of the six sense objects? Grasping (upādāna), craving, aversion, hatred, and so on. From the way the seventh consciousness behaves when facing the realms of the six sense objects, we know that the manas is often not in a state of neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā)—its emotions are intense and abnormal, and the mind is restless like a monkey. Why is this so? Because the seventh consciousness knows what is wholesome and unwholesome, true and false, right and wrong; it knows what is beneficial or harmful, gain or loss, to itself. The seventh consciousness has a self in its mind; it must view things from the standpoint of "self," must protect its own interests, and must have thoughts and emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. When facing sense objects, the mind is not calm—so that is not neutral feeling. If it were neutral feeling, the state of mind would be peaceful, the mental activities would be unconditioned, and whatever the sense objects were like would be fine—it would not matter.

Being unable to be born while dwelling in the mother's womb for a long time is an evil retribution. Rāhula, the Buddha's son, remained in his mother's womb for six years before being born, because in a previous life he had blocked a mouse hole for six days, causing the mice to suffocate inside it, and thus he received the evil retribution of dwelling in the womb for six years. While in the womb, at the beginning there is no mind consciousness—only the manas and the tathāgatagarbha. Since dwelling in the womb is a karmic retribution, the manas must be able to undergo karmic retribution.

When undergoing evil retribution in the mother's womb, the mind consciousness has not yet arisen—what does the manas feel? If the manas felt comfortable or felt nothing, it would not be called evil retribution. When one is unconscious, or when one has become a person in a vegetative state, these are all evil retributions, or retributions of suffering. At such times there are no six consciousnesses, and only the manas undergoes the retribution of suffering; therefore the manas cannot be in a state of pleasant feeling or neutral feeling (neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling), otherwise it would not be called a retribution of suffering. In the neutrino-body (antarā-bhava), the road ahead is vast and uncertain; generally speaking, this is a feeling of suffering. Because the manas dislikes the feeling of suffering, it urgently seeks rebirth to escape it; at this time the manas cannot be in a state of pleasant feeling or neutral feeling. After falling asleep, what does the manas feel—who can know? Just upon waking, what does the manas feel—who can know? When encountering various matters, what does the manas feel—who can know? These dharmas are all very profound and subtle; if the mind consciousness lacks sufficient meditative concentration (samādhi) and wisdom, it cannot observe them through direct perception.