The Realization of Manas Gives Rise to Wisdom

Regarding the wisdom power of the manas, all the wisdom of the consciousness must ultimately settle upon the manas to be considered successful, to be stored as seeds, and to be useful in future lives. In the end, the wisdom power of the manas plays the fundamental role in everything. For the manas to attain the fruition, from the first fruit to the fourth fruit, or to realize the mind, from the initial realization to Buddhahood, it is all the function of the manas' wisdom. The result of the consciousness's wisdom is precisely to endow the manas with wisdom, to transform the manas from consciousness into wisdom, enabling it to possess great wisdom and ultimately achieve Buddhahood.

The difference between the wisdom of the consciousness and the wisdom of the manas lies in the fact that the consciousness has the function of logical thinking, analysis, and reasoning, capable of relatively abstract thought. The manas, however, cannot engage in abstract thought; it requires concreteness, scenarios, and images—the more direct the perception, the better; the more realistic, the better. The manas has great difficulty with analytical thinking and logical reasoning; this aspect relies entirely on the consciousness. Other forms of direct measurement can be entirely self-sufficient, although the assistance of the consciousness is certainly the fastest and best way. Therefore, when there are images, graphics, present scenarios, or situations, the manas resonates more readily, the memory in the consciousness becomes more solid, and understanding becomes much easier—this is the principle. When the six sense faculties become mutually interchangeable and functional, the manas replaces the consciousness and also replaces the five sense consciousnesses. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra describes Mahākāśyapa's state of perfectly clear knowing, independent of mental thought, precisely illustrating this principle.