眾生無邊誓願度
煩惱無盡誓願斷
法門無量誓願學
佛道無上誓願成

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Dharma Teachings

06 Aug 2019    Tuesday     1st Teach Total 1777

The Agility of Manas

A mosquito suddenly lands on your face, and you instinctively slap your face, only realizing afterward that it was a mosquito landing and biting, and you were swatting it. How can you perform an action without being aware of it? Who was it that did it?

The mosquito landing on the face is very, very slight, and consciousness usually fails to detect it. Yet even without detection, you still instinctively swat the mosquito; this is entirely directed by the mental faculty. It shows that no matter how minuscule the objects of the six senses are, the mental faculty can perceive and distinguish them first. When encountering sensory objects that involve personal safety, it immediately makes decisions and takes action, causing the six consciousnesses to arise and handle matters critical to the self. Thus, even without the help of consciousness for perception and judgment, the mental faculty can still distinguish between significant and subtle sensory objects, discern what is beneficial or harmful to the five aggregates, and act swiftly, demonstrating considerable wisdom. While the mental faculty can perceive objects without consciousness, it cannot handle any matter without consciousness; it must have the assistance of consciousness. Therefore, much of the time, the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of consciousness or the six consciousnesses precisely reflect the thoughts, moral cultivation, and mental inclinations of the mental faculty.

When dealing with a mosquito bite, the mental consciousness and body consciousness sometimes swat, sometimes scratch the itch, sometimes rub, and sometimes pick—each action varies. Why are different actions chosen? All these are decisions made under the direction and volition of the mental faculty. The mental faculty possesses the judgment and decision-making power over tactile objects; it can comprehend tactile stimuli under various circumstances. Thus, as situations differ, decisions change, and the actions generated by mental and body consciousness also differ.

——Master Sheng-Ru's Teachings
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