Evidence that the Manas is Not Neutral Feeling (II)

If the manas had a neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā) like the tathāgatagarbha, it should also, like the tathāgatagarbha, remain suchness is immovable (tathatā-acalita) toward all states, letting whatever states arise leave it unmoved by the eight winds, sitting serenely upon the purple-gold lotus — not grasping at good states, not rejecting bad states, not discriminating in its mind whether states are wholesome or unwholesome, beautiful or ugly. It would then not prompt the six consciousnesses to engage in greedy, hateful, and deluded actions of liking and disliking, and even less would it act impulsively; when encountering matters, it would neither fly into a rage with fists and kicks, nor show joy on its face and dance with delight — everything should be plain and bland, indifferent to everything.

If the manas were indifferent in whatever situation it found itself, always in neutral feeling, then it would have no afflictions, and there would be no need to subdue the afflictions of one's own mind through contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā); He would forever be pure, would never lead the six consciousnesses to create karmic actions of greed and hatred, and would never produce thoughts and emotions of joy, delight, craving, and so forth, nor thoughts and emotions of anger, jealousy, and resentment. Then the manas would possess the quality of equality; its mind toward all states should be equanimous, without deviation, treating enemies and loved ones with perfect equality, with no distinction between foes and kin, fair and just; it would neither delight in the pure land of bliss (sukhāvatī) nor loathe the defiled land of Sahā; it would neither desire to become a Buddha or patriarch, nor weary of the three realms to enter nirvāṇa.

If the manas had a neutral feeling, He should be liberated in His own nature just like the tathāgatagarbha; neither wholesome nor unwholesome states could bind Him, and He would not receive any states at all — this would be a liberated mind. But the actual situation is not like this: the manas has extremely heavy afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion; its greedy mind cannot extricate itself, its hateful mind cannot save itself, and it is bound tightly by the dharmas of the three realms, especially the three evil paths, unable to escape. Therefore it is said that the manas does not merely have a neutral feeling — it has all three feelings, with neutral feeling being the least frequent.

Very often there are inexplicable emotional episodes — whether happy or unhappy, the mind consciousness does not know why, where the happiness or unhappiness came from. Sometimes the mind consciousness tries to figure out the reason, and sometimes no matter how it ponders, it cannot understand, because the manas is truly hard to fathom. When one is so happy that joy shows on one's face, the mind consciousness says, "I should not let people see that I am happy," yet one still cannot help being thrilled with excitement. Who is so happy and joyful that the mind consciousness cannot restrain it? It is the pleasant feeling of the manas, which the mind consciousness sometimes cannot easily control — and the manas even less can control its own emotions.

For example, with certain matters, the mind consciousness very much wants to endure, yet in the end one cannot help but erupt with emotion, unable to control it — this is the result of the suffering feeling of the manas feeling melancholy and distressed. Sometimes one is terrified out of one's wits over certain matters; the mind consciousness counsels itself: "There is no need to be afraid, it is no big deal, nothing will happen." Yet one remains terrified nonetheless. Who is terrified and cannot be controlled? The manas's terror is not easy to control — at that moment the manas is in suffering feeling. When one is so happy that joy shows on one's face, the mind consciousness says, "I should not let people see that I am happy," yet one still cannot help being thrilled with excitement. Who is so happy and joyful? Of course it is the pleasant feeling of the manas, which the mind consciousness cannot easily control.