How Can One Transform the Unwholesome Habits of the Manas Through the Perfuming of the Mind Consciousness?

Question: Sometimes I know that my mental conduct is not good and not in accord with the Dharma, yet I cannot control it, and bad mental conduct manifests. Afterwards, although I feel guilty, when the same situation arises again I still cannot control myself. What should I do about this?

Answer: This is the mind consciousness knowing that your (the manas's) mental conduct is not good, but the mind consciousness's power of persuasion is weak; it cannot persuade the manas, and thus cannot control the manas's habitual tendencies, so one still acts according to the manas's mental conduct. This requires the mind consciousness to understand the principles more thoroughly and to repeatedly persuade and counsel the manas; then the force of the manas's habitual tendencies will gradually weaken.

The key is that when you discover your own (the manas's) bad habitual tendencies, you must awaken to them, clearly and distinctly know them, and know how they are wrong and what would be right. Even if you cannot control the manas's habitual tendencies, this still has a great effect: later, when the same situation arises, the mind will hesitate and be indecisive. Once the mind consciousness has gone against the manas many times, the manas will no longer insist on erroneous mental conduct, and in this way one successfully transforms the manas's bad habitual tendencies through repeated permeation.