The Knowing of the Six Consciousnesses and the Knowing of the Manas

The cognitive nature of the deluded mind has two aspects: the knowing of the six consciousnesses and the knowing of the manas. Depending on the depth of meditative concentration (samādhi), this knowing varies between focused and scattered, and the content of the knowing differs accordingly in depth, subtlety, breadth, and narrowness.

The nature of seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing is the function of seeds of consciousness combined with mental factors (caittas). These functions arise and cease, changing moment by moment, like a flowing stream. A stream formed of countless water droplets, driven by wind and inertia, now rushes, now slows, now strengthens, now weakens, now breaks off, now continues. The mind of consciousness formed from seeds of consciousness, under the operation of mental factors, has a discerning nature that now strengthens, now weakens, now quickens, now slows, now becomes subtle, now coarse. When the faucet is shut off, the water droplets cease to flow and the stream disappears; when the seeds of consciousness cease to flow forth, the mind of consciousness vanishes. Where is the switch?

When knowing all dharmas, introspect upon this knowing: is it the knowing of the mind consciousness, or the knowing of the manas? When the mind consciousness knows, it merely knows—it cannot change anything, it cannot accomplish this. When the manas knows, it can immediately put it into effect and correct itself. When one's cultivation of the Buddha-dharma reaches only the mind consciousness, it is merely a hundred feet up the pole—one must still advance a further step and reach the manas. When all dharmas reach this point, one becomes a Buddha immediately, with no further cultivation needed.