A Guide to the Cultivation and Realization of the Mind: Part Two
Chapter 2: Training the Manas
1. The Difference Between Contemplative Practice, Visualization, Observation, and Imagination
Contemplation (观) generally refers to objective observation—observing whatever is present right now. It is also called direct realization (現觀) and direct perception. Imagination, on the other hand, is deluded was needed? Mahākāśyapa cultivated to the degree of extinguishing dharmas; although he could very easily enter the cessation attainment, as a great bodhisattva he had the responsibility of benefiting sentient beings and could not remain in the cessation attainment doing nothing. Emerging from the cessation attainment, he was still in the samādhi of extinguished dharmas, and at the same time carried out all works of benefiting sentient beings. This is inconceivable: the dharmas are all emptied, so how could he carry out works of benefiting beings? Are not works of benefiting beings also dharmas?
The Śūraṅgama Sūtra also has a passage stating: "Mahākāśyapa long ago extinguished the manas, yet perfectly and clearly knows, not relying on mental thought." This passage describes how Mahākāśyapa ordinarily handled affairs and responded to people and matters. How did he handle and respond to affairs? Without the mind consciousness' mental thoughts, he could know the six sense-object realms perfectly, clearly, and luminously.
For ordinary people, is this state not too mystical and inconceivable? Knowing the six sense-object realms without the mind consciousness, and knowing them more completely and more clearly and thoroughly than ordinary people—how is that known? It is known by the manas. The manas replaced the discerning nature of the six consciousnesses; in other words, the manas discerns directly by itself, without the assistance of the six consciousnesses. The master himself can do everything, having dismissed all the assistants. This means the master's energy is abundant and his ability has improved; all matters he can handle alone, without helpers. How formidable is such a manas! Is this a manas ordinary people could possess? To be precise, could a person with such a manas be an ordinary person? That is Mahākāśyapa, equivalent to an eighth-bhūmi bodhisattva!
What then is meant by "long ago extinguished the manas" mentioned in the text—did Mahākāśyapa extinguish the manas long ago? Here "manas" does not refer to the seventh consciousness that acts as the master, but to the source from which the mind consciousness is born. If the seventh consciousness were extinguished, one would enter nirvāṇa without remainder (Anupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa), and there would no longer be a person named Mahākāśyapa existing in the world—how then could there be "perfect and clear knowing"?
Then what does the source of the mind consciousness' birth refer to? The birth of the mind consciousness requires several conditions; lacking any one of them, the mind consciousness cannot arise. Among these conditions are the mental sense-object realm, and most importantly the manas' (seventh consciousness) attention (manaskāra). After the mental sense-object realm appears, if the manas does not attend to discern and know it, being without mind toward the realm and without the realm in mind, the mind consciousness cannot arise—this is the most crucial point of cultivation. If the manas is without mind to discern the six sense-object realms, emptying the six sense-objects and the myriad dharmas, the six consciousnesses cannot arise. So cultivating until the manas is without mind toward the realm extinguishes the root of the mind consciousness' birth—this is Mahākāśyapa's samādhi state of "long ago extinguishing the manas."
Yet he could still know perfectly and clearly. Since the manas is without mind and no longer wants to discern realms, how can it still know, and know perfectly and clearly? This is the manas' natural, effortless, mindless function of discernment. It is like a camera being on: all scenery naturally enters the camera. The manas is like this—discerning without mind, the sense-object realms naturally manifest. If this camera of the manas were not on, one would enter nirvāṇa without remainder; a bodhisattva would not do this, but keeps it on so as to conveniently carry out works of benefiting sentient beings. All works of benefiting beings are done by the manas alone. Then does the manas have wholesome mental factors? Is the manas' wisdom powerful or not? Absolutely not inferior and weak, right? Especially after the first bhūmi, when the bodhisattva transforms the consciousnesses into wisdom, how could the manas' wisdom still be inferior and weak? Even the ordinary person's manas sometimes has wisdom and is not inferior and weak. The manas' functions are so wondrous—how can we not strive to cultivate and train Him?
