A Guide to the Cultivation and Realization of the Mind: Part Two
Chapter 8: The Habits of the Manas and Its Perfuming
1. One's Conduct When Drinking Reveals the Quality of the Manas
One's state after drinking reflects the habits of the manas; it is the manas's original appearance. After drinking, the cranial nerves are anesthetized, the functioning power of the five sense faculties becomes weak, and the six consciousnesses that arise have weak discerning power. Thus these six scouts cannot investigate the six sense objects as they truly are, and the manas cuts off or partially cuts off the sources of information. The mind consciousness's role as advisor and assistant is no longer of much use; its power of deliberation is weak, and its supervision, guidance, and oversight of the manas are feeble, so the manas acts according to its own nature. At this time everything depends on the manas's own wisdom, and the manas's original nature and quality are fully revealed. "In wine there is truth"—the words spoken after drinking are entirely the voice of that person's manas, the person's true thoughts, without the mind consciousness's concealment and pretense. What people commonly call "drinking character" and "personal character" refers precisely to the quality of the manas; this is a person's original countenance.
2. The Original Nature of the Manas
Jing He's experience: One day I was sitting in a chair listening to the Great Compassion Mantra with earphones on, and while listening I fell asleep without dreaming. At that time, in the darkness before my eyes (actually not before my eyes, because there was no sense of direction, though at the time I did not realize there was no sense of direction—it seemed as if I were in the vast universe), there seemed to be a slight movement within the darkness. A sense of curiosity arose, wanting to find out the reason, and at that point the movement turned into a point of light.
I (at the time there was no concept of "I") continued moving toward the light, and just as I came into contact with the light, the mind consciousness arose, and I understood that the movement was actually the sound of the Great Compassion Mantra from the earphones. (At that moment I suddenly realized: something had entered the brain from the body, and the five sense organs then acquired their functions.) Then I recalled the state before the mind consciousness arose—it was like an ignorant small child, or like a small animal. Lured by a movement, it followed along, without any capacity for reflection.
Assessment: The "before the eyes" during sleep is not actually before the eyes, but the mental objects (dharmas) that the manas faces, because at that time, even if the eye consciousness and mind consciousness have not ceased, they are extremely weak; there is no sense of direction of front and back, and the manas cannot clearly know the dharmas, so one feels a vast expanse of blankness. It was precisely the manas that gave rise to curiosity and moved toward the light—this was the manas about to take dharmas as its object, but it did not know it was going to take dharmas as its object, and its perception of self was weak. When it took the sound of the Great Compassion Mantra as its object, it could not discern it clearly and could only perceive it as light, because the Great Compassion Mantra has blessing power, appearing like a light.
Just as the manas took the sound of the Great Compassion Mantra as its object and just as it perceived the light (the sound), the faint mind consciousness appeared, and the mind consciousness discerned that this was the sound of the Great Compassion Mantra. When the mind consciousness discerned the sound, the manas had already perceived the light (the sound) entering the brain, and the mind consciousness instantly understood. At this point the five sense consciousnesses appeared, and one became much more awake. After waking, the mind consciousness recalled the preceding process and felt that the manas was like a small child—without meditative concentration, curiously following whatever movement appeared, very simple and naive, yet also quite quick-witted, showing up wherever something was happening. Of course, the mind consciousness's recollection was also because the manas wanted to understand what had just happened and let the mind consciousness recall it. Recalling events from before the mind consciousness arose depends on the manas providing the scene material; only then can the mind consciousness (that is, we ourselves) understand what actually just happened.
This passage accurately describes the mentality of the manas: simple, naive, and primitive, without self-restraint, needing the mind consciousness to look after and restrain it, needing the mind consciousness to supervise and lead the way. Carefully experience this truthful description of the manas, savor the characteristics of the manas, and learn more about the nature of the manas.
3. The Relationship Between Karmic Seeds and Habits
The relationship between karmic seeds and habits is extremely profound in principle, belonging to the domain of the seed-wisdom (bīja-jñāna) of Yogācāra. A habit is a dharma that has been practiced for a long time until it has become established and become a pattern; one then uses this pattern to dominate one's bodily, verbal, and mental actions. After karmic actions are performed and stored as seeds, the karmic seeds are deepened and aggravated, causing one's habits in the future to be even heavier.
Habits also come from karmic seeds. Since long practice becomes habit, there must be karmic seeds. Habits are manifested by the manas; the manas directs the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the six consciousnesses, and after these are performed, karmic seeds are stored, which become active in later lives—this is called habit. Karmic seeds are formed through karma created under the direction of the manas. The manas fully corresponds with karmic seeds: whatever nature the manas has, the karmic seeds have that nature; whatever nature the karmic seeds have, the manas manifests karmic actions of that nature. If one wants to leave behind karmic seeds of no-self, what should one do? If one wants to form habits of no-self, how should one practice? If in later lives one wants to be born already seeing the five-aggregate world as empty, how should one practice in this life?
Subhūti, while in his mother's womb, already knew that the world is empty and tranquil—how deep must that habit have been? The duration of his practice and realization of emptiness exceeded innumerable kalpas; throughout such a long time his mind was empty, and of course this good habit of emptiness continued for as many as innumerable kalpas. Subhūti's habit of an empty mind had not the slightest connection with the perfuming of the mind consciousness in this life; even when the mind consciousness had not yet appeared, the manas was already empty. How relaxed, at ease, and liberated such an empty mind must be.
Emptiness in theory—when facing worldly dharmas, it is no longer empty; at the time of death it is not empty; after death even less so; and in later lives it is impossible to be empty. So theoretically dwelling in "like a dream, like an illusion," in "suchness and dharma-nature"—that is all self-deception, of no practical use whatsoever. When the moment comes, one acts as one always has; at the end of life one dies as one always would; the problem of birth and death cannot be solved. These theoretical understandings, upon encountering an actual situation, will reveal one's true form—one's original shape will be fully exposed—which is why it is said to be of no use. But after the manas realizes it and karmic seeds are formed, one benefits life after life; when encountering situations one does not revert to one's original form, and at rebirth one is not confused. If one is not confused while dwelling in the womb, not confused at birth, and not confused during the process of growing up, then one is liberated at all times.
4. What Is Called Perfuming the Manas?
When the mind consciousness deliberates on dharmas, it forms its own thoughts, views, opinions, and knowledge; at the same time this has a perfuming effect on the manas. The process of deliberation can perfume the manas, and the mind consciousness's focused deliberation can penetrate even more deeply into the manas's mind, making the effect of perfuming more evident.
If it arouses the manas's attention and serious regard, that is the most preliminary effect; if the manas gives rise to alertness and deliberation (manasikāra), the effect is more significant; if the manas's deliberation is focused and deep, and also accords with reason and the Dharma, the effect of perfuming is even more evident; if the manas's deliberation gains coherence, the effect becomes apparent; if the manas deliberates out the flavor of the dharma and makes a preliminary choice, the real effect has emerged; if the manas reaches a very clear and reasonable conclusion, firmly validates what it has deliberated, and makes corresponding choices and judgments, then the perfuming can be said to have succeeded. Once the manas is transformed, all subsequent mental actions will be transformed, revolving around the manas's judgments and choices—then the perfuming has reached completion.
5. Who Directs the Bodily, Verbal, and Mental Actions of the Six Consciousnesses?
The activities performed by the six consciousnesses are decided by the seventh consciousness, the manas, behind them, and they also represent the mental activities of the manas. Behind the mind consciousness's surface behaviors and activities, its bodily, verbal, and mental actions, the manas always presides as the master. Bodily, verbal, and mental actions can follow the mind consciousness's decisions, but only if the mind consciousness's power is greater than the manas's and it is persuasive, and only if the manas is willing to heed the mind consciousness's suggestions and guidance. If the manas's power is greater and it is unwilling to heed the mind consciousness's suggestions, then the manas completely presides and decides. For example, when killing, if one kills while feeling pity for sentient beings, it shows that the mind consciousness's pity still cannot overcome the manas's killing habit, and the killing karma is still committed in accordance with the manas.
The mind consciousness temporarily cannot out-argue the manas, but when the mind consciousness grows stronger and understands the Dharma and cause and effect better, its persuasiveness increases; after it has persuaded the manas, killing karma will no longer be committed. When the mind consciousness has not yet succeeded in perfuming the manas, it will comply with the manas in committing killing karma while at the same time feeling pity in its heart. When the mind consciousness's own wholesome mental factors are not yet firm and strong, it cannot guide the manas and cannot out-argue it, so one commits wholesome karma on the one hand while being greedy, hateful, and jealous on the other, seeking only one's own benefit and not that of others. When the mind consciousness's wholesome mental factors are not strong and firm enough, and perfuming has not fully succeeded, the four right efforts have not been cultivated: the manas's not-yet-arisen wholesomeness cannot arise, and already-arisen unwholesomeness cannot be severed—one cannot sever evil and cultivate good.
6. The Key to Managing Bodily, Verbal, and Mental Actions Is Subduing the Manas
If one manages one's own mind, the manas, well, one can manage the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the six consciousnesses well. The arhat's manas has long since been subdued, afflictions severed; there is nothing in the world to be attached to or craved. Beginning from the third fruit, the mind is liberated, and bodily, verbal, and mental actions are pure. When going out to beg for alms, the eyes gaze at the ground a foot ahead, brows lowered and eyes downcast, not looking left or right or elsewhere; the eyes do not touch indiscriminately, the mind does not think indiscriminately—single-minded or without mind. When the eyes inevitably come into contact with material sense objects, one knows the form and stops there, not giving rise to feeling or perception, still less to grasping, leaving no karmic seeds, receiving no future existence. The four dignified postures move humans and devas alike.
If there is perfuming by external circumstances, even the mind consciousness is not perfumed, let alone the manas; even if the mind consciousness stirs slightly, the manas does not stir, because afflictions have been completely severed. Arhats do not need the mind consciousness to urge, supervise, and regulate the manas; rather, the manas can regulate the mind consciousness. But ordinary beings whose practice is relatively on track must use the mind consciousness at all times and places to supervise, regulate, and restrict the manas, because the manas has not been perfumed; without regulation it will transgress against others, and its original nature will be exposed. Therefore, those who always need the mind consciousness to remind themselves are still far from genuine practice; as for those whose mind consciousness itself is muddled and unclear, there is no question of any practice at all. Only after the manas has been perfumed and ignorance has been broken through can bodily, verbal, and mental actions gradually become pure—automatic and self-aware, without needing supervision.
7. Why Buddhas and Bodhisattvas Are Not Perfumed by Evil
If sentient beings, in the course of living in the world, still get perfumed when encountering evil conditions, thereby giving rise to afflictions, it shows that their manas still corresponds with afflictions and has not severed them; hence they are stained upon encountering conditions and manifest evil karma upon encountering conditions. The Buddhas, through their practice over three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas, have long since completely severed all afflictive defilements such as greed, hatred, delusion, conceit, doubt, and wrong views, as well as all afflictive habits, with no residual habits remaining. Coming to this evil world of the five turbidities and coming into contact with afflicted sentient beings, they are not stained in the slightest by the afflictions of sentient beings; their minds are forever pure and undefiled. Because the Buddha severed afflictions at the first bhūmi, the mind was already without defilement; only at that time afflictive habits had not yet been completely severed.
The afflictions that the Buddhas began severing before the first bhūmi are afflictions severed by both the sixth and seventh consciousnesses, because only when the seventh consciousness severs afflictions can consciousness be transformed into wisdom, attaining the wisdom of equality (samatā-jñāna), viewing all dharmas as equal and nondual, without distinction of self and other. Therefore there is no selfishness; one treats people and affairs with equality. Because the seventh consciousness, the manas, has severed afflictions, no matter where it is reborn in later lives, the manas has no afflictions and is not perfumed or stained. But when afflictive habits have not been severed, the habits will occasionally become active—this is unavoidable—and the mind consciousness will occasionally be perfumed by the environment. Although the mind consciousness may be perfumed and manifest some afflictions, they are quickly eliminated, not persisting or becoming entrenched, and will not perfume or influence the manas.
Because the manas is not perfumed or stained and itself no longer has afflictions, the mind consciousness's afflictions are easy to sever; otherwise, with the mind consciousness controlled by the manas, afflictions are not easy to remove, and even if severed they will arise again. For bodhisattvas at the eighth bhūmi and above, the mind consciousness is no longer perfumed or stained and will not manifest afflictive habits; the Buddhas' mind consciousness is even less stained in the slightest—afflictions and habits do not appear; seeing forms, no craving; seeing wealth, no attachment; not seeking power or status; no hatred or anger, no vexation or agitation; the mind soft and harmonious, tranquil and supremely tranquil. But the sixth and seventh consciousnesses of ordinary sentient beings possess all afflictions; upon encountering conditions they are perfumed and stained, always complying with the environment, having little resistance to it—seeing forms, they crave; seeing wealth, they covet; they relish power and pursue fame and gain; when adverse conditions appear, anger constantly follows their minds; selfishness and self-regard are extremely heavy.
From this it can be seen that the manas of ordinary sentient beings possesses all afflictions—greed, hatred, delusion, conceit, doubt, and wrong views—and the mind consciousness follows the manas, so afflictions frequently manifest; upon encountering defiling conditions, the mind consciousness is easily perfumed. Because the manas connects the three periods of past, present, and future lives, and possesses all afflictions, birth and death and saṃsāra are unceasing; in the antarā-bhava and right at birth in later lives, one already possesses all afflictions, no different from the previous life, afflicted life after life. But apart from the afflictions of the view of self, self-grasping, self-conceit, and self-delusion, which constantly accompany the manas in its continuous operation without pause, the other afflictions do not constantly accompany the manas's operation; rather, they only become active upon encountering conditions, committing evil karma and leaving karmic seeds, thereby continuing the birth-and-death saṃsāra of later lives.
8. How to Subdue and Perfume the Manas to Reduce Afflictions
Jing He's contemplative practice: Recently I have had a small gain in my understanding of the manas: I feel that the manas's "movements" occur in layers. Before the consciousness accompanied by the five senses arises, it is mainly of a doubting nature; only after the consciousness accompanied by the five senses arises does it display obvious greed, hatred, and other natures. In daily life, one generally only comes to one's senses after habits such as greed and hatred have arisen; in sitting meditation, one should try to reflect and introspect right at the beginning of the arising of the consciousness accompanied by the five senses. But this process of reflecting and letting go generally requires the mind consciousness to do some guiding; one cannot let go immediately upon reflecting (this is because the manas has not yet fully acknowledged the emptiness of the five aggregates). This is my present frustration.
Assessment: The manas's initial doubt is uncertainty about the dharma, so it cannot yet make a choice. Once the mind is certain and without doubt, a choice will be made, and after the choice the six consciousnesses arise to act according to the manas's ideas. During the process of action, the mind consciousness will observe the dharma, and in observing will discover that it has greed, hatred, and delusion—this "self" refers to the manas. The manas's greed, hatred, and delusion are reflected through the actions of the six consciousnesses; at this time the solitary consciousness has the power of observation or the power of introspection (pratyavekṣā-bala).
Generally speaking, when the solitary consciousness's awareness is not very strong, one only observes one's habits of greed, hatred, and delusion after the bodily, verbal, and mental actions have been completed—this is one step too late. If the solitary consciousness's power of awareness is strong, then at the moment of deciding to act, one discovers one's greed, hatred, and delusion, that what is about to be done is an unwholesome action of greed, hatred, and delusion, and decides not to do it. This decision is fed back to the manas, and the manas makes its own choice; what the final outcome is depends on the manas's awareness.
If the manas's awareness is not strong and its habits are heavy, it will still insist on its own choice, unwilling to change its bodily, verbal, and mental actions, letting the afflictions continue to manifest. But even so, the solitary consciousness's introspection is still effective: it plants a seed in the manas, perfumes the manas, letting the manas know that this behavior is greed, hatred, and delusion, is bad, and should not be done. The next time the manas wants to manifest afflictions, there will be hesitation and obstruction in its mind, and the force of the afflictions will be reduced.
Through the mind consciousness's repeated obstruction and persuasion, the manas's intention will change and it will no longer continue afflictive actions. Therefore practice is not a matter of a single morning or evening; every instance of the mind consciousness's introspection is a perfuming of the manas, planting seeds for eliminating afflictions, and these seeds will sooner or later take root, sprout, flower, and bear fruit. The manas's afflictions accumulated over countless lives are piled up like mountains and cannot be changed in a short time; patient, sustained perfuming and cultivation is necessary, and one should constantly maintain awareness.
9. The Levels of Perfuming by Theory
Study and practice divide into two levels: initially at the shallow level of the mind consciousness, and only finally can one reach the deep level of the manas. The study of any theoretical knowledge begins with the mind consciousness learning; at first it does not yet reach the manas. While the mind consciousness studies, it is simultaneously perfuming the manas; when the perfuming succeeds, the theoretical knowledge is mastered and becomes one's own genuine insight, becoming one's own learning and skill, available for use anytime and anywhere without obstruction, and never forgotten. Only knowledge held by the mind consciousness is forgotten, because it is learned, someone else's possession, not one's own. What belongs to oneself is not forgotten and need not be deliberately memorized or held; it is available whenever used—this is called the outflow from one's own mind, not a parrot repeating another's words. In the cultivation and realization of the Buddha-dharma, some also call it the outflow of self-nature (svabhāva).
10. The Feelings After the Manas Has Been Perfumed
Question: Disciple contemplated the suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and no-self of the material body, contemplating myself and contemplating others—birth, aging, sickness, death, eating, drinking, excreting—all beyond one's own control. While walking about normally, my contemplation was not deep; when I quieted down to contemplate, I felt joyful feelings arising in body and mind, as if entering a new world, as if body and mind had entered another realm, and I liked this feeling very much. Is this feeling a sign that the manas has been somewhat perfumed?
Answer: This is the joy factor among the seven factors of enlightenment, precisely a good phenomenon in the process of being perfumed by the Buddha-dharma. Only when the manas has been perfumed does the joy factor appear; with joy one can persist in long-term practice, and afterward the tranquility factor will appear. Joy arising from the depths of the heart all comes from the manas being perfumed, manifesting in the material body and the mind consciousness. Only when the manas has been perfumed do the various changes in body and mind occur, including feelings of suffering and happiness, as well as neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā), because the manas has gained new cognition and its thoughts and views have transformed, which then impels the transformation of body and mind. Frequently contemplating and observing the no-self of the five aggregates and other Buddhist principles, the changes in the manas and in body and mind will grow greater and greater and more and more numerous, finally going from quantitative change to qualitative change—a complete metamorphosis, the carp leaping over the dragon gate, transforming from ordinary to sage.
11. The Depth of the Manas's Perfuming Varies
Question: If one has heard a view or learned a dharma—for example, that the five aggregates are false and illusory, impermanent, suffering, empty, and not-self—and one's mind has truly changed in daily life, whether in adjusting the general direction of work and life, or in being less attached to things one previously craved, feeling very indifferent—does this count as a transformation of the manas?
Answer: This is a change at the stage of cultivating the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment; the practice has become fairly effective, the manas has been perfumed, and the mind has begun to turn toward the eightfold noble path, subduing some coarse and heavy afflictions of greed. When the world of body and mind is transformed, it is because the manas has been perfumed and transformed; that is to say, at any stage of practice, as long as the manas is perfumed, the practice shows results. The thirty-seven aids to enlightenment must also be cultivated to the level of the manas; otherwise it is false practice, not yet on the path. But this kind of transformation of body and mind is not yet sufficient to transform one to the point of complete metamorphosis, so as to be able to eradicate the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa). Therefore many people who claim to have eradicated the view of self show little improvement or change in body and mind afterward; since the bones have not changed, the ordinary person's embryo cannot be exchanged for a sage's embryo.
Before realizing the fruits, the Buddha-dharma must be perfumed into the manas; when the manas is perfumed by wholesome dharmas it will change, and body and mind will change—all the more so at the moment of realizing the fruit; that is what is called the power of meditative concentration (samādhi). If in the process of studying the Buddha-dharma the manas is not perfumed, and there is only the mind consciousness's absorption and understanding of knowledge, the manas will remain as before, and there will be no transformation of the world of body and mind; then the eradication of the view of self and realization of the fruits will remain indefinitely far off.
Even before realizing the fruits, if the manas has been perfumed but not to a sufficient degree, one still cannot eradicate the view of self and realize the fruits. Therefore, for the transformation of body and mind, the transformation of bodily, verbal, and mental actions, the eradication of the view of self, and seeing the mind and realizing one's nature, the manas must be perfumed to a considerable degree; the manas changing only a little is not enough. To achieve a complete metamorphosis, the manas must be thoroughly transformed, the manas's afflictive defilements of mind eliminated, and the five grades of contemplation-stage afflictions (kleśa) of the desire realm severed. Only then, with the karmic seeds stored in the eighth consciousness, can one in later lives be guaranteed rebirth in the wholesome paths of humans and devas and not enter the three evil paths. There are still people who cling stubbornly to the notion that the mind consciousness realizes the fruits, resisting the concept of the manas realizing the fruits, stubbornly refusing to change—truly beyond remedy.
12. The Mind Consciousness Should Effectively Perfume and Transform the Manas
Many people, when facing situations, unconsciously display emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, only noticing afterward, and then say that these emotions were arranged long ago and are beyond their control. In fact, they are all the afflictive habits of the manas, the manas's natural reactions, expressed through the six consciousnesses. Only after the emotions have manifested and the mind consciousness has awakened and become clear does it discover that it just experienced joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. When the mind consciousness discovers this, it feels as if it were not something it could control, and only reluctantly says these emotions were arranged long ago and are involuntary. If the mind consciousness's awareness is higher, its meditative concentration better, and its observational power stronger, it can observe some of the manas's emotions and mental states, and can even slightly control the emotions. Especially in ordinary times, one should do more self-education, thereby perfuming the manas and changing some of the manas's afflictive habits that should not exist.
Some people's mind consciousness's thoughts and emotions are also not upright, lacking the ability for self-education and effective psychological construction, so they make the excuse that no matter how the mind consciousness struggles, it cannot break out of the circle of the manas's habits. If no matter how the mind consciousness struggles it cannot escape the circle of the manas's habits, what use is practice? Practice is precisely to use the mind consciousness to change the manas. If the mind consciousness struggles diligently enough, the manas will have no choice but to comply with the mind consciousness, and the practice will be on track.
Because the manas's various mental activities, thoughts, and emotions give rise to all kinds of bodily, verbal, and mental actions, if one wants pure and wholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions, one must fully exercise the mind consciousness's initiative and guiding role, actively guiding the manas toward goodness, performing pure bodily, verbal, and mental actions and meritorious (puṇya) bodily, verbal, and mental actions. If the manas's habits are too heavy, the mind consciousness, though knowing what is evil, cannot change it—like a drug addiction flare-up: knowing the drugs harm oneself, yet still taking them. When sentient beings' afflictions are heavy, though knowing it is affliction, though knowing afflictions have faults, the afflictions still do not cease. This is the state of beginning-level practitioners; the road of practice is still long.
13. Playing the Lute to a Cow
Although the lute melody is melodious, elegant, and pleasing to the ear, the cow is very dull and at first cannot understand it, still less appreciate it. Because the manas, this cow, is too heavily ignorant—for beginningless kalpas, the vast majority of its time in the saṃsāra of birth and death has been spent receiving suffering retribution, without the opportunity to be perfumed by the true truths of both the mundane and supramundane—so it has never understood the principle of liberation. Even though the Buddha-dharma is so wonderful, the manas remains unaware of it, does not understand its meaning, and does not even seek the dharma of liberation; the mind consciousness's perfuming of the manas is like playing the lute to a cow.
At this time the mind consciousness must train its own playing technique and patiently continue playing over the long term; eventually one day the manas-cow will understand the flavor within. The mind consciousness must strengthen its training so that no matter what melody is played, the manas-cow can be guaranteed to understand it—this is very difficult and requires painstaking effort. Once the cow understands the melody, things become easy, and practice will proceed smoothly.
14. What Is Called "Deliberately"?
"Deliberately" means the mind consciousness suppressing the manas, subduing the manas, regulating the manas, perfuming the manas, leading the manas, guiding the manas, and admonishing the manas—at this time the manas has not yet been perfumed and has not developed good habits. Once the manas has been successfully perfumed and has developed good habits, the old ox, being obedient, will change its ox temper, and the mind consciousness no longer needs to manage the manas, suppress the manas, or subdue the manas; there is no need to deliberately do anything—one can follow the manas's good habits and will not transgress the rules.
15. The Power of the Mind Consciousness's Perfuming of the Manas
Having just finished listening to a song, the melody still echoes in one's head—this is the manas holding it in mind while the mind consciousness recollects the song. If studying Buddhism could be as fast and easy as listening to songs, how wonderful that would be! Worldly dharmas perfume so quickly, while the Buddha-dharma perfumes so slowly, because worldly dharmas have been perfumed for innumerable kalpas—how long exactly, we cannot calculate—whereas the Buddha-dharma has been perfumed for only a short time, far too short compared with worldly dharmas.
Is the contemplation of the sun really so difficult and intricate? Clearly not, yet it simply cannot be accomplished. Because one has never contemplated it before, the mind is not interested in it, the interference of worldly dharmas is too great, and one is also unfamiliar with the specific method of contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), so it feels difficult. Worldly dharmas, however, are extremely interesting because they are so familiar—one cannot suppress them even if one does not want them to appear. Practice is turning the unfamiliar into the familiar and the familiar into the unfamiliar: the unfamiliar is the Buddha-dharma, the familiar is worldly dharma; the key is knowing how to turn, and having the determination to turn.
16. How to Make the Manas Keep the Precepts
"Outflow" (āsrava) means having the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion; "without outflow" (anāsrava) means being without the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion. The six consciousnesses all have the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion, and the manas also has them. If the manas's greed, hatred, and delusion are not severed, it will direct the six consciousnesses to commit actions of greed, hatred, and delusion, and the six consciousnesses cannot be without outflow. Therefore, "without outflow" mainly refers to the manas being without outflow. From this one can see how important—extremely important—it is to transform the manas.
How to make the manas keep the precepts? The mind consciousness must study the Buddha-dharma, understand the function of the precepts, know the benefits of keeping them, and then constantly analyze and deliberate on the various merits of receiving and keeping the precepts, and deliberate on what kinds of bitter fruits result from not receiving and not keeping the precepts, thereby perfuming the manas and letting the manas understand this principle. Once the manas understands, it will voluntarily receive and keep the precepts—that is keeping the precepts in the mind, not merely the mind consciousness's verbal, false keeping of precepts. When the manas has not been successfully perfumed, it does not want to receive the precepts or keep them; sometimes it is passively incited by the mind consciousness to receive them, but it will absolutely not keep them.
When the manas does not understand cause and effect, it will absolutely not spontaneously and consciously keep the precepts; the mind consciousness must force the manas—this is called suppressing the manas—and the manas is not willing. It is like this when first receiving the precepts; later, when the manas understands the principle, it will keep the precepts automatically without violating them.
17. The Habits of the Arhat's Manas
If Mahākāśyapa's dancing upon hearing music arose spontaneously, then all sentient beings would dance upon hearing music, and would even jump up without hearing music. The fact is that dancing upon hearing music is not a phenomenon everyone has; it is not universal. Therefore dancing is not something arising spontaneously; it is a phenomenon that can only appear in someone with the afflictive habit of loving song and dance. A person who loved dancing in a previous life has deeply entrenched habits; upon hearing music, they will dance out of inertia, beyond the mind consciousness's control.
Habits are also called inertia. For example, when braking: the car has already braked, yet it still travels forward a stretch. Or when we walk on ice, our feet slip; clearly we have already stopped, yet we still slide forward a stretch, unable to control it. This is called having severed manifest afflictions, yet the habits still appear and cannot be stopped, arising unconsciously. The faster one drives, the greater the inertial force after braking; the heavier the afflictions, the greater the habits.
Although the arhat Mahākāśyapa had severed afflictions, he had not completely severed afflictive habits; having the afflictive habit of loving song and dance from previous lives, in this life he would unconsciously dance upon hearing music. Then for ordinary beings who have not severed afflictions, if they have an affliction of loving song and dance, upon hearing music their afflictions and habits will be even heavier. People whose craving for music and dancing is rather serious will, after death, go to the ghost realm to receive retribution; only the manifestation of habits alone does not require receiving retribution in the three evil paths.
18. The Manas's Eating Habits
Since beginningless kalpas the manas has been accustomed to eating and drinking, accustomed to eating at fixed times and in fixed amounts, accustomed to delicious flavors. If one wants the manas to fast and abstain from grains, changing the manas's eating habits, one must reduce food intake little by little; one cannot cut off food all at once. One must give the manas an adaptation period, letting Him be psychologically prepared. Once the manas has adapted to a small amount of food, then cut off food entirely; only then will He not resist or oppose. Even without eating for seven days, half a month, or one or two months, body and mind will not develop problems, and one may even be full of energy.
The manas's habits are too deep and subtle, difficult to detect; toward familiar people, affairs, objects, and principles, it is overly attached. Only by step-by-step, imperceptibly shifting His habits and lightening His habits can one change His habits and reduce attachment without one's awareness. Using the same method, one can also cultivate the pratyutpanna-samādhi, achieving ninety days without sleeping, lying down, or sitting, changing the manas's habits of sleeping, lying, and sitting, constantly being diligent in recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti), transforming body and mind, resonating with the Buddha's mind, and thereby seeing the mind and attaining enlightenment. In cultivation, first practice one day and one night without sleeping, lying, or sitting; then practice three days and three nights; after adapting, practice seven days and seven nights, then in sequence twenty-one days and nights, forty-nine days and nights, and finally ninety days without sleeping, lying, or sitting can be sustained. Because the mind recollects the Buddha single-mindedly without duality, with the Buddha's power's blessing, one can persist until seeing the mind and realizing realization.
19. The Power of Perfuming
The power of environmental perfuming is very great. If someone around you stutters and you always watch them speak, you may gradually be perfumed into a slight stutter; the same applies to appearance and living habits. Hence the saying, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red; one who stays near ink gets stained black." We must draw near to wholesome dharmas and wholesome people; only if we have the capacity should we approach evil people in order to deliver them. Emotions are also contagious; we should have more contact with optimistic, positive, upward-looking people with positive energy, and we ourselves will be infected with optimism and positive enterprise.
20. What State Is "Following One's Heart's Desires Without Transgressing the Bounds"?
"Bounds" means rules and standards. Some people can restrain themselves to keep the rules; others need no restraint—acting freely according to their nature, yet not overstepping or violating the rules. Once the manas has been tamed and afflictions severed, there is no afflicted mind, so no afflicted karma is committed; whatever one does will not exceed the bounds. When the mind does not correspond with afflictions, it will not commit afflicted karma—like an ox that, once tamed, will spontaneously refrain from trampling crops even without anyone watching or supervising; like a monkey that, once tamed, will never run wild again.
