The Realization of Manas Gives Rise to Wisdom

Regarding the wisdom power of the mental faculty (manas), all the wisdom of the mental consciousness (mano-vijñāna) must settle upon the mental faculty to be considered successful, to store seeds, to be useful in future lives, and ultimately for the wisdom power of the mental faculty to perform all functions. For the mental faculty to attain the fruition, from the first fruition to the fourth fruition, or if it is to realize the mind, from the initial realization of the mind to Buddhahood, it is all due to the functioning of the wisdom of the mental faculty. The result of the wisdom of the mental consciousness is to endow the mental faculty with wisdom, to transform the mental faculty's consciousness into wisdom, to fully possess great wisdom, and ultimately to attain Buddhahood.

The difference between the wisdom of the mental consciousness and the wisdom of the mental faculty lies in the fact that the mental consciousness has the function of logical thinking, analysis, and reasoning, enabling more abstract thought. In contrast, the mental faculty cannot engage in abstract thought; it requires concreteness, with scenarios and images—the more direct the perception (pratyakṣa) the better, the more realistic the better. The mental faculty has very little capacity for analytical thinking and finds it difficult to perform logical reasoning and judgment; this aspect relies on the mental consciousness. Other measures based on direct perception can be handled entirely by itself, though the assistance of the mental consciousness is certainly the best and fastest. Therefore, when there are images, graphics, or present scenarios and situations, the mental faculty resonates more readily, memories in the mental consciousness become more solid, and understanding becomes very easy—this is the principle. When the six faculties interact and function interchangeably, the mental faculty replaces the mental consciousness and also replaces the five sense consciousnesses. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra's account of Mahākāśyapa's perfect and clear knowing, independent of mental thought, illustrates this principle.