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

The cognitive capacity of the deluded mind consists of two kinds: the knowing of the six consciousnesses, and the knowing of the manas. Depending on the depth of meditative concentration (samādhi), there is a difference between focused and scattered knowing, and thus the content of knowing varies in depth, subtlety, breadth, and narrowness.

The nature of seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing is the functional operation of the consciousness seeds combined with the mental factors (caittas). These operations 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 consciousness-mind formed by the consciousness seeds, under the operation of the mental factors, has a discerning capacity that now strengthens, now weakens, now quickens, now slows, now becomes subtle, now coarse. When the faucet is shut off, the water droplets stop flowing out and the stream disappears; when the consciousness seeds cease to flow forth, the consciousness-mind disappears. 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? The mind consciousness may know, but it cannot change anything—it cannot manage it. When the manas knows, it can immediately act upon it and correct itself. When the practice of the Buddha-dharma reaches only the mind consciousness, it is merely at the top of the hundred-foot pole—one must still take a further step, reaching the manas. When all dharmas reach this point, one becomes a Buddha immediately, with no further cultivation needed.