The Content of the Manas Belongs to the Category of Consciousness-Only Wisdom of the Varieties of Paths.

Almost one hundred percent of people take the state of the manas to be the state of the mind consciousness, so when someone speaks of the true characteristics of the manas, they are accused of having reversed the manas and the mind consciousness. Yet in fact it is the one hundred percent and the more than ninety-nine percent who have it reversed. This is because all of these people are replete with all afflictions; due to the obscuration of the affliction of ignorance, and because they have not transformed consciousness into wisdom, they cannot directly observe the actual functioning of the manas, and so of course they will misunderstand it one hundred percent. In no era could it be that the vast majority of people are of high intelligence without afflictive obscuration, while a few individuals are of low intelligence to the point of misapprehending the Buddha-dharma. Those who err in the Sahā world have always been the vast majority, and those without wisdom have likewise always been the vast majority; it is impossible for the vast majority to transform consciousness into wisdom and possess the wisdom of wonderful contemplation (pratyavekṣaṇa-jñāna)—one hundred percent impossible. Therefore, those who think themselves clever had best not be too self-assured, and still less should they slander, lest the consequences be grave.

All the content concerning the manas belongs to the domain of the seed-wisdom (bīja-jñāna) of Yogācāra, and all Yogācāra-related content likewise belongs to this domain—all the more so for the mental factors (caittas) of each consciousness. Unless one is a bodhisattva who has attained the bhūmis, it is best to remain silent and not speak and debate everywhere, for without the wisdom of direct-perception contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), one cannot directly observe the specific operational state of the manas, and what one speaks of will mostly be imagination and conjecture, often misattributing one thing to another. Students of Buddhism in the Sahā world are largely like this; it is impossible for many people to transform consciousness into wisdom and possess the wisdom of wonderful contemplation and the wisdom of equality (samatā-jñāna). Without such wisdom, all should quietly apply effort, hoping to swiftly attain first-dhyāna meditative concentration, swiftly eradicate afflictive obscuration (kleśāvaraṇa), swiftly develop the wisdom of various contemplative practices, and enter the house of the Tathāgata early; only then, in meditative concentration, should they directly observe the functioning of the manas through contemplative practice, lead the multitude in resolving the problems of the manas, and grow in Yogācāra wisdom.