Does the Seventh Consciousness, the Manas, Possess Wholesome Mental Factors or Not?

If the seventh consciousness lacks faith, then the mind consciousness's faith is also false faith, with basically no real effect. If the seventh consciousness is not diligent, then the diligence of the six consciousnesses is all false diligence; before long it slackens into indolence, because the six consciousnesses take their orders from the seventh consciousness.

If the seventh consciousness has no shame or remorse, then the mind consciousness's shame and remorse are all false shame and remorse, and the seventh consciousness remains unwholesome.

If the seventh consciousness had no non-greed, non-hatred, and non-delusion, then there would be no need to eliminate the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion—one would directly be at the third or fourth fruit. Even if the mind consciousness had the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion, it could not indulge in them for long, because the mind consciousness takes its orders from the seventh consciousness. Yet later it is said that the seventh consciousness has the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion—this is self-contradictory.

If the seventh consciousness had no wrong view, extreme view, view of grasping, or view of holding to precepts and rites, then there would be no need to eliminate these wrong views; such wrong views in the mind consciousness would vanish before long, since the mind consciousness cannot act as the master directing the transmigration of birth and death in future lives.

Most importantly, if the seventh consciousness lacks meditative concentration (samādhi), the six consciousnesses simply cannot become concentrated at all; even if genuine concentration arises, it soon dissolves into distraction, because the six consciousnesses must turn along with the seventh consciousness. When the seventh consciousness grasps at objects everywhere, the six consciousnesses must discriminate everywhere, unable to act on their own—otherwise the seventh consciousness would not be the consciousness that serves as the master.