Chapter Five: The Alerting Function of Manas and Dreams

I. The Warning Function of Manas

Question: In the past, when I felt fear, dread, or anxiety, I always sensed something was about to happen, though I didn't know what. My mind was unsettled, and eventually, something did occur. Was this manas knowing in advance?

Answer: Psychological phenomena like fear, dread, and anxiety are emotional expressions of manas, causing consciousness to feel that something bad is about to happen without knowing exactly what. Manas can foresee many events in advance; it knows almost everything. However, it cannot personally handle matters; it only possesses alertness. It must make consciousness aware so that consciousness can begin to act, plan, and arrange. Manas feels anxious about impending events but does not know how to express it to make consciousness understand. Only after the event occurs does consciousness learn what it was, but by then it's often too late to be of help.

Sometimes, events dreamed about are also matters manas is concerned with; it then alerts consciousness to become aware so consciousness can handle them. Later, the events from the dream indeed occur. This is the alerting function of manas, also known as a prophetic dream. Because consciousness is intelligent, wise, and possesses analytical and thinking abilities, it can devise solutions to problems and take concrete measures and actions. Manas cannot take any action. Therefore, when it foresees something about to happen, it alerts consciousness in various ways to make it aware. Once consciousness receives this alert and hint, it may comprehend what might happen and prepare in advance. If manas possesses wisdom to alert consciousness, it enables consciousness to grasp things easily. If consciousness is wise, it also easily comprehends the warnings and hints from manas.

Prophetic dreams occur when manas informs consciousness in advance about future events. Manas can know future events that have not yet occurred; it can reach into the future. Why is this so? Because the tathāgatagarbha, based on karmic seeds, can know the affairs of the three realms—past, present, and future. Manas, relying on the dharmas seen by the tathāgatagarbha, can generate its own perception. Since the tathāgatagarbha can see all dharmas, manas can also see all dharmas, though the essential nature of what they perceive differs.

II. The Alerting Function of Manas Towards Consciousness

Question: Once, while digging for Artemisia capillaris near a graveyard, I kept feeling someone was behind me, but there was actually no one around. Was this a feeling from manas or consciousness? Was there really someone, or was it an illusion?

Answer: The feeling that someone is there is a sensation of consciousness. This feeling is transmitted to consciousness by manas. Consciousness does not see anyone behind, but manas can see them. Since manas cannot handle the situation itself, it makes consciousness feel it so that consciousness can deal with it later. If consciousness does not understand at this point, it cannot handle it. If consciousness realizes there might be a ghost behind, it will decide whether to leave or not. Those who are bold will not leave; those who are timid will leave. Of course, this "boldness" refers to manas. Ultimately, the decision to leave is still made by manas.

Manas can know people and events that consciousness cannot perceive, including beings from the spirit realm, but consciousness remains unaware. When manas wants consciousness to know, consciousness will feel suspicious or have a sensation. If consciousness is wise, it will reasonably analyze, contemplate, and deduce, thus realizing what is happening.

III. Why Does Reciting the Buddha's Name Make Nightmares Disappear?

When consciousness recites the Buddha's name regularly, it influences manas. Manas then holds the Buddha in mind and understands the benefits of recitation. When encountering danger in a dream, it directly brings forth the thought of the Buddha, reciting the Buddha's name spontaneously without conscious deliberation or decision to recite. Being able to recite the Buddha's name in a dream is true recitation, enabling a connection with the Buddha. With the Buddha's power blessing, the nightmare disappears. Reality changes according to the mind. Dreams are more illusory than reality, so when the reciting mind appears, the nightmare realm vanishes, and the mental state transforms from suffering to peace and serenity.

IV. The Relationship Between Sensations and Manas

Question: Why does my head hurt when I wake up after a dream is forcibly interrupted, but not when I wake up naturally after the dream ends?

Answer: Dreams are made by manas. When manas has unresolved concerns and is unsettled, it manifests them in dreams. If the dream is suddenly and forcibly interrupted, manas's intention remains unfulfilled, causing it distress. When manas is distressed, it causes a headache. This is an expression of the mind influencing the body. Manas's happiness and unhappiness both manifest in actions, which are expressed physically, such as dancing for joy, beaming with smiles, trembling all over, or bristling with rage. From these phenomena, it is evident that manas experiences sensations (vedanā), and not only neutral feeling (upekkhā). When a dream is forcibly interrupted and one wakes up immediately, the headache is also felt immediately. This headache is unrelated to consciousness; consciousness merely feels the headache. What causes the headache is manas; it is unhappy and cannot bear that what it wanted to do was unfinished, so it vents this feeling. If one regularly recites mantras or the Buddha's name, keeping the mind pure and free from disturbances, one will not dream, and sleep quality will improve.

V. Dreams Are Generated by the Thoughts of Manas

Question: After falling asleep with the air conditioner on in summer, I sometimes dream of walking in a snowy, icy land, feeling cold all over. From the perspective of Consciousness-Only (Vijñapti-mātratā), how is this explained?

Answer: Falling asleep with the air conditioner on in the middle of the night, the body becomes very cold, but without the six consciousnesses (vijñāna) to perceive the cold, the problem of bodily cold cannot be resolved. Manas does not sleep. Although it knows the body is cold, it cannot handle the matter—it cannot cover itself with a blanket or turn off the air conditioner. To address this, it creates a dream related to bodily coldness, making consciousness feel the body is very cold in the dream, shivering in the icy snow.

If consciousness is somewhat alert, it will wake up. Upon waking, it realizes the body is indeed very cold, then investigates why it is cold, discovers the air conditioner is on, turns it off, covers itself with a blanket, and after resolving the matter, goes back to sleep. If consciousness is less alert, it will continue to endure the cold until waking up at dawn, possibly even catching a cold. This incident proves that manas can know many dharmas, but without the assistance of the six consciousnesses to help it act, it is powerless and cannot operate the activities of the five aggregates (skandhas). The six consciousnesses serve manas, act for manas, and satisfy the needs of manas.

Dreams are all generated by the thoughts of manas. The mental activities of manas are reflected in many aspects: in dreams, in the actions of body, speech, and mind, in various mental activities, in emotions, in the body's subconscious reactions, and in the body's involuntary responses. Manas, together with the tathāgatagarbha, controls and regulates the physical body and the five aggregates. As soon as manas has a thought, the body moves, and the five aggregates begin to function.

Ordinary people observe only the superficial phenomena of the six consciousnesses or attribute the mental activities of manas entirely to consciousness, failing to distinguish between the mental activities of manas and consciousness. When consciousness disappears or becomes weak and powerless, manas strongly desires the five aggregates to function, wanting them to operate normally. However, if the six consciousnesses do not arise or are weak, they cannot make the five aggregates function. The anxious and powerless feeling of manas is generally not experienced by ordinary people. Even if they know of it, they mistake it for the anxiety and powerlessness of consciousness. Their thoughts and cognition can only remain at the level of consciousness, taking consciousness as the sole authority, unable to delve deeper into the profound psychological layers of manas behind consciousness.

VI. Is Knowing Within a Dream the Svasaṃvitti (Self-Witnessing Consciousness) or the Svasaṃvedana (Self-Awareness) of Consciousness?

Svasaṃvitti (Self-Witnessing Consciousness) reflects upon the mind itself and its own mental factors (caittas). "Itself" means consciousness cognizes consciousness, manas cognizes manas, and the five sense consciousnesses cognize the five sense consciousnesses—it does not mean mutual cognition. Svasaṃvedana (Self-Awareness) is the cognition by the mind of the object-aspect (nimitta). This object-aspect includes all dharmas, certainly including the eighth consciousness and its mental factors, depending on the wisdom of the cognition. The dream refers to the dream realm, which is the object-aspect. "Knowing" is the subject-aspect (dṛṣṭi) of the mind. The mind cognizing objects is the subject-aspect cognizing the object-aspect, which is svasaṃvedana, not svasaṃvitti. The subject-aspect cognizing itself is svasaṃvitti. Only when the subject-aspect and object-aspect combine do svasaṃvedana and svasaṃvitti exist. Svasaṃvitti is actually a type of svasaṃvedana, except that the object-aspect becomes the mind itself, making the self and its mental factors the object-aspect.

The subject-aspect that cognizes the dream realm object-aspect is the subject-aspect of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses, and the sixth consciousness here is isolated consciousness (manovijñāna without sensory support). Cognition of all realms is primarily the function of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. What sentient beings can feel and observe is only the cognition of consciousness; they cannot perceive the cognition of the seventh consciousness. For now, let's discuss the cognition of consciousness. When asleep and dreaming, why doesn't the isolated consciousness know it is dreaming? Because during dreams, consciousness is dull and unclear; sleep itself is a hindrance (āvaraṇa), an obscuration that veils the cognitive wisdom of consciousness.

Eliminating the hindrance of sleepfulness (middha), removing the obscuration, consciousness becomes clear, and one attains the first dhyāna. Alternatively, as meditative concentration deepens, sleep becomes less frequent and shallower. Then, during dreams, consciousness becomes increasingly clear, to the point of clearly knowing one is dreaming. In such dreams, one does not create unwholesome karma and may even perform wholesome actions. Therefore, knowing within a dream indicates that the sixth and seventh consciousnesses possess concentration (samādhi) and wisdom (prajñā), with the hindrance of sleep being slight. Not knowing within a dream means the cognitive nature of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses is obscured by sleep, and the mind is unclear.

The knowing within a dream is the subject-aspect of isolated consciousness. Manas greatly influences the cognition of consciousness, but the specific influence won't be discussed here. The isolated consciousness in dreams has limited cognition of realms; it is not as comprehensive and clear as the sense-accompanied consciousness (pañcavijñānasaṃprayukta-manovijñāna), which has the assistance of the five sense consciousnesses. Not knowing within a dream indicates that the svasaṃvedana function of isolated consciousness is insufficient and its wisdom power is weak. This is related to the physical body and manas. The strength of all cognitive functions of consciousness is not only related to its own concentration and wisdom but also to the concentration and wisdom of manas, and to the physical body. One cannot discuss the functional role of consciousness apart from the physical body and manas.

Why is it related to the physical body? It is a well-known principle that during wakefulness, the cognition of consciousness is affected by the physical body. During sleep, if manas does not wish to cognize realms, the six consciousnesses do not arise. In dreaming, the isolated consciousness is forced to arise to cognize the dream realm. However, because nervous system activity is relatively slow, the thinking of consciousness is inhibited, its cognitive wisdom is relatively low, and it cannot discern that the realm it perceives is a dream, mistaking the dream for reality. This is the same as when intoxicated; both are caused by an inactive nervous system.

If consciousness possesses svasaṃvitti in a dream, that means consciousness can cognize consciousness itself and its mental factors. This is introspective power, which requires stronger concentration and wisdom than consciousness cognizing external objects and is more difficult. If the svasaṃvedana function of consciousness in dreams is insufficient, the svasaṃvitti function is almost non-existent; it does not cognize itself and therefore cannot introspect, unless one has very good meditative concentration, strong awareness, or possesses the four dhyānas and eight samāpattis. People with deep concentration have almost no dreams.

The strength of the various functional roles of consciousness is not only a matter of its own concentration and wisdom but is even more related to manas. Although from ancient times to the present, almost no one has been able to recognize and observe this issue, the functional roles of consciousness are indeed inseparable from manas; the two complement each other. Discussing consciousness apart from manas is neglecting the root and pursuing the branches.

VII. Why Does One Not Know Within a Dream?

Who knows within a dream? Who knows the external world when awake? Both the sixth and seventh consciousnesses have knowing both inside and outside dreams. Knowing all dharmas is primarily the function of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. The five sense consciousnesses can only know the five sense objects in reality; they cannot know dream realms because there are no five sense objects in dreams. The knowing nature of consciousness is greatly related to the physical body. If the physical body has obstructions, the knowing of consciousness is weak or ceases. People with the four dhyānas and eight samāpattis have no physical obstructions; the knowing of consciousness is clear and vast. Whether asleep or awake, they know with great clarity. Even if they drink many bottles of wine, they do not get drunk; alcohol no longer anesthetizes the central nervous system, so consciousness remains unaffected.

The knowing of consciousness is also greatly related to the knowing of manas. Generally speaking, manas knows all dharmas, though it involves the question of whether it knows them as they truly are. How the part that manas knows truly can influence consciousness, enabling consciousness to also know and timely handle what is known, then involves the communication ability between the two consciousnesses. This so-called communication ability is wisdom. How what consciousness knows can effectively influence and guide manas also involves communication ability, which is a matter of wisdom. Wisdom, in turn, is closely related to meditative concentration. Samādhi can make the mind calm, peaceful, steady, enhance thinking ability, and increase wisdom power. Thus, the mutual influence between the two consciousnesses becomes greater. Samādhi can also make the physical body unobstructed. With an unobstructed physical body, consciousness has no hindrances, its knowing is sensitive and penetrating, and it can effectively influence manas. Conversely, manas can also effectively influence consciousness. The two communicate and complement each other, making the knowing of all dharmas smooth and with little obstruction.

The state where waking and dreaming are one is a wisdom realm cultivated through practice. Knowing it is a dream and not being trapped by the dream realm is wisdom. This cultivation primarily refers to the cultivation of samādhi. Samādhi is an indispensable part of cultivation. With samādhi, wisdom can be developed, enabling the knowing of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses to be more true to reality and principle, knowing more truly, subtly, and vastly. Eliminating the hindrance of sleepfulness is necessary to initiate deep samādhi. People with deeper concentration think clearly when awake and are not confused in dreams, knowing realms without obstruction, just as when awake.

The knowing of ordinary people has obstacles; this is commonly said to be lacking psychic powers (abhijñā). People with psychic powers have unobstructed knowing, possessing powers like mind-reading (cetopariyañāṇa) and divine eye (dibbacakkhu), etc. This is the karmic fruit of samādhi and prajñā. Knowing within a dream is the karmic fruit attained by people with very good samādhi whose minds are pure. Master Jigong the monk had the four dhyānas and eight samāpattis and possessed psychic powers. No matter how much wine he drank, his nervous system was unaffected and not anesthetized; his consciousness was always clear, able to observe and know all realms as they truly are. Ordinary people, after falling asleep, have consciousness extinguished. Manas's function of relying on consciousness to know realms becomes inoperative. Therefore, during dreams, manas's discernment is weak; it does not know it is a dream. The isolated consciousness in the dream also has weak discernment and does not know it is a dream. Cultivated people, with strong samādhi power, have an unobstructed physical body, clear sixth and seventh consciousnesses, and strong discernment. When dreaming, they know it is a dream and are not confused.

Master Kuiji had the four dhyānas and eight samāpattis and possessed psychic powers. When sleeping at night, he was very clear-minded, even clearer than ordinary people when awake. His sixth and seventh consciousnesses were sharp. After falling asleep, if a louse lost a leg and cried out in pain, Master Kuiji could hear it. This is the karmic merit of samādhi power and psychic powers. Being able to hear the cry of a louse while asleep—does this mean he was not actually asleep? For ordinary people, sleep is a covering that obscures their mind, making them unseeing and unhearing, like a dead person. Those who have eliminated the hindrance of sleepfulness need very little sleep to nourish the physical body. Their samādhi reaches at least the first dhyāna. Their minds are clear, with slight or no obscuration. During sleep, they may not completely extinguish consciousness, yet their sleep is sufficient. This differs from ordinary people.

Especially people with psychic powers—their sleep is like being awake, even clearer than ordinary people when awake. In ancient times, martial artists also slept lightly and had high alertness. This alertness could be said to be that of consciousness, but manas indeed also has alertness. Its alertness is even stronger in function than that of consciousness. Therefore, one cannot clearly explain the functional roles of consciousness apart from manas. Sleep and dullness are of the same category; both are hindrances that can obscure the luminosity of the mind. Only after eliminating the hindrance of sleepfulness does the first dhyāna arise. The more dull one is during sleep, the worse one's samādhi skill is, or one lacks samādhi altogether—the hindrance is heavy. The more confused one is in dreams, the less samādhi one has. The more easily one gets drunk from alcohol, the greater the physical obstruction, and the less samādhi one has. Those with deep samādhi skill can regulate the physical body well, unaffected by environmental factors, not hindering the functioning of the six consciousnesses. Therefore, the power of concentration (samādhi-bala) is extremely important. Even without learning Buddhism or cultivating the path, if one cultivates samādhi well, the benefits are very great.