Chapter Ten: Mental Factors of the Manas

I. Evidence that the Manas Possesses Mental Factors of Remembrance and Afflictions

A person constantly ponders a question in their mind. Suddenly, when they become aware of the thoughts in their mind, they feel startled, even experiencing a sense of guilt as if caught stealing. They quickly shake their head to dismiss the thought, thinking, “How could I have this idea?”

From this example, it can be seen that a person has two streams of thought. One stream of thought arises autonomously and operates covertly; this is the mental activity of the manas (意根). The other stream of thought initially remains unaware of the first stream. When it suddenly becomes aware, it feels surprised; this is the mental activity of consciousness (意识). This indicates that the two streams of thought are not consistent. The thoughts and views of consciousness and the manas are not entirely identical; the two minds are not always in a state of mutual understanding, coordination, and harmony. It also shows that the mental activity of the manas can arise at any time, may not be controlled by consciousness, and sometimes can be controlled by consciousness. After consciousness discovers it and deems it wrong, it provides feedback to the manas, which then temporarily ceases that mental activity. As for whether it will arise again in the future, it depends on the controlling power of consciousness and the effect of persuasion and habituation. Why does the manas constantly generate thoughts? How can the manas be made to generate thoughts of the Buddha Dharma, thoughts of Chan meditation, and to generate doubts about the Mahayana and Hinayana paths?

Ordinary people lack sufficient concentration and wisdom in their consciousness, making it difficult to perceive the mental activity of the manas. They are unaware of their own thoughts but are unconsciously driven by them, muddling through and doing some things or saying some words. Upon realization, they regret it. When a thought of killing arises in the manas, consciousness, upon becoming aware of it, suddenly jolts with fear and suspicion. This indicates that the manas possesses hatred, which consciousness was unaware of. Once aware, consciousness thinks, “Do I have such thoughts?” Subsequently, the two communicate, interact, and mutually influence each other. When the mental activity of the manas gains the upper hand and consciousness decides to submit, they collude to formulate and implement a plan to kill.

The formulation and implementation of a plan to steal operate similarly, with the manas dominating and consciousness submitting and assisting. All afflictive actions arising from greed, hatred, and delusion are produced in this way. If afflictive thoughts of greed, hatred, or delusion arise in consciousness while the manas remains pure, the thoughts in consciousness will not persist for long and may even be forgotten. These are unwholesome thoughts influenced by the external environment. If the manas firmly maintains its original nature, the thoughts in consciousness are like floating clouds, dispersing as soon as they appear. If consciousness is persistently exposed to a polluted environment, unwholesome thoughts continuously arise and accumulate to a certain degree. The manas may then be influenced and corrupted, resulting in it colluding with consciousness to create afflictive and polluted karma of greed, hatred, and delusion. Therefore, the environment in which a person resides plays a significant role in their development and greatly influences their thoughts and views. One must choose to reside in goodness to follow virtue and avoid evil.

The fact that afflictions continue and flow through life after life proves that the manas possesses afflictions. The cycle of birth and death in the six realms proves that the manas possesses afflictions. The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination prove that the manas possesses afflictions—indeed, all afflictions. The fact that sentient beings are born with afflictions proves that the manas possesses afflictions, all afflictions. If the manas had no afflictions or lacked certain afflictions, how did all afflictions or certain afflictions arise? When did they begin to arise?

II. Proof from the *Medicine Buddha Sutra* that the Manas Possesses Good and Evil Nature

Original text from the *Medicine Buddha Sutra*: “In the period of the semblance Dharma, there are beings afflicted by various sufferings, long ill and emaciated, unable to eat or drink, with parched throat and lips, seeing all directions as dark, with signs of death appearing. Parents, relatives, friends, and acquaintances weep and surround them. Yet the being themselves lies in their original place, seeing the envoys of Yama leading their consciousness to appear before King Yama, the Dharma King. However, all sentient beings possess an innate spirit (俱生神) that records all their deeds, whether sinful or meritorious, and presents them entirely to King Yama, the Dharma King. At that time, the king questions the person, calculates their deeds, and judges them according to their sins and merits.”

Explanation: In the period of the semblance Dharma, beings have little merit. The karmic seeds of evil deeds planted in past lives and the present life ripen, trapping them in the retribution of evil karma. They lie ill for a long time, emaciated, unable to eat, with dry mouth, seeing everything as dim and gloomy, with signs of death appearing. Their parents and family weep around them. However, while the patient’s body lies ill in bed, their consciousness is escorted by the black and white impermanent ghosts to appear before King Yama. The patient’s innate spirit manifests all the sinful and meritorious karma created in their lifetime and presents it to King Yama. At this time, King Yama interrogates the patient, judges the quantity of sinful and meritorious karma from their deeds, determines their karmic retribution, and decides their destination.

Sentient beings all possess an innate spirit. This refers to the seventh consciousness, the manas, the master consciousness that has always existed and never ceased. The impermanent ghosts who seize people also guide the master consciousness, the manas, to King Yama. Before King Yama, the manas of all people automatically manifests the meritorious and sinful deeds performed in their lifetime. Because King Yama possesses supernatural powers, he knows with his mind all the various deeds performed by the person, browsing through them swiftly as if watching images on a silver screen. Then King Yama begins the judgment.

This shows that it is the manas that creates sinful and meritorious karma, good and evil karma. The judgment is of the manas. The consciousness from when they were alive has long since ceased and cannot follow to King Yama. What accompanies the manas is the consciousness temporarily born in the intermediate state (中阴身). This shows that the manas possesses good and evil nature. Otherwise, how could good and evil karma arise? At this time, consciousness has already ceased and is non-functional. Even if it functions, it is merely a servant and assistant of the manas, aiding the manas in its tasks. King Yama does not concern himself with consciousness but only seeks the manas to determine sinful and meritorious karma and their retribution.

When a person dies or is half-dead or in a coma, consciousness is almost non-functional. Regardless of the situation, the manas is forever the master of sentient beings, the master consciousness. After death or apparent death, the manas is led by karmic forces to appear before King Yama. After King Yama reviews the sinful and meritorious karma of the manas, if he sees that there is still some remaining merit not exhausted and that the person should not yet die, he returns the person’s manas to their physical body, and the person revives. Reviving means the manas returns to the physical body and then summons consciousness to resume activity.

King Yama judges the dead, knowing to seek the master of the dead, not the assistants or underlings. Debts have their master; karma even more so has its master. Only a fool would seek out subordinates, assistants, underlings, laborers, servants, or nannies. Therefore, the manas can create all karmas of good, evil, and non-defined (无记) nature. It possesses good and evil nature and mental factors of good and evil.

III. The Master Function of the Manas Determines that it Possesses Good and Evil Nature

The manas silently accommodates all dharmas, meaning the manas corresponds, harmonizes, integrates, and relates to all dharmas, including good and evil dharmas. This is easy to understand. If the manas did not correspond to good and evil dharmas, how could consciousness correspond to them? If there are dharmas the manas does not correspond to or relate to, how could consciousness correspond to or relate to them?

In terms of the actual function of the manas, if the manas only has non-defined nature, then washing clothes and cooking—these non-defined karmas—are chosen and decided by the manas, while doing good deeds and helping others for joy are not chosen and decided by the manas. Stealing, robbing, and false speech are also not chosen and decided by the manas. This would mean that the manas can only master and decide upon some dharmas but not others. Then what causes the manas to only master some dharmas and not others? Are the dharmas the manas cannot master decided by consciousness? Has consciousness also become the master consciousness? Is there any logic in splitting the manas and splitting dharmas like this?

If a good person exists, is it the manas that is good, or consciousness, or both? If a person’s goodness is only due to consciousness being good while the manas is not good, then after consciousness ceases, only the manas remains. Is this person still good at this time? If the manas is not good, then at this time, they are not a good person. If a good person, after falling asleep and lacking consciousness, is no longer good, how are the good deeds they performed counted? Isn’t this situation bizarre? It’s utterly inconceivable and completely illogical.

According to this reasoning, after a good person dies, the consciousness of this life permanently disappears, and they are even less likely to be a good person. A person who did good deeds all their life, after death, is not recognized as a good person—isn’t that unfair? If they died for the country or the people, their death would not be honorable because the consciousness that was honorable is gone, making it impossible to confer any honorary titles or provide spiritual and material compensation to their family. If, with the disappearance of a good person’s consciousness, all their good deeds and contributions vanish because the remaining manas is not good, then good people might become most afraid of death, unwilling to make sacrifices easily. They might also fear sleep and coma because once consciousness ceases, the label and reputation of being good vanish, and after death, they would not go to a good realm to enjoy blessings. Conversely, once an evil person dies, they are no longer evil and do not need to go to the three evil realms. How profitable would it be to commit evil? Such a thing is truly illogical. Therefore, the manas of a good person possesses good nature, and the manas of an evil person possesses evil nature. Alternatively, the manas of both good and evil people possesses good and evil nature, plus non-defined nature—three natures in total.

If only consciousness possesses good and evil, and the manas does not, then consider a good person acting in a play, portraying an evil person doing evil. At this moment, is the actor a good person or an evil person? In work and daily life, some people are particularly skilled at disguise, presenting one facade while acting differently behind the scenes. They appear very good on the surface, like upright gentlemen, and their behavior compels praise, but secretly they scheme and harm others. So, is this person good or evil?

When sentient beings perform good deeds or create evil, it is a time of dual operation—open and hidden. The six consciousnesses operate openly, while the manas operates hidden in the background. How do the two cooperate seamlessly? Superficially, it appears that the six consciousnesses are performing good and evil, but what is the manas doing? What is its mental activity? How is it operating? Does it exercise mastery over these good and evil matters? Does it allow consciousness to master the creation of good and evil karma? How does the manas cause the six consciousnesses to arise and operate? How does it cause the six consciousnesses to arise precisely on the good and evil dharmas being operated? If these matters cannot be observed, how can it be affirmed that the manas has no good and evil mental activity or good and evil nature?

IV. The Silent Accommodation of All Dharmas by the Manas Shows that it Possesses Good and Evil Nature

Original text from the fourth volume of the *Shurangama Sutra*: “For example, the manas silently accommodates all dharmas of the ten directions and three periods of time—all worldly and transcendental dharmas. It encompasses everything, whether sacred or ordinary, without exception, exhausting all boundaries. You should know that the manas perfects twelve hundred merits.”

Explanation: For example, the manas can silently accommodate all dharmas of the ten directions—past, present, and future—all worldly dharmas and transcendental dharmas, encompassing both the ultimate truth and conventional truth, the dharmas of sages and ordinary beings, exhausting the boundaries of all dharmas. Therefore, you should know that the manas perfects twelve hundred merits.

“Silently” means quietly, covertly, without publicity. “Accommodates” means to contain, accept, possess, attend to, contact, perceive, think, deliberate, correspond, relate, know, and see. Why does the manas silently and covertly relate to all dharmas, contact all, see all dharmas, know all dharmas, and not reject any dharmas? It is silent because the manas does not speak, does not write, and cannot use words, language, or sound to convey or express its mental activities. It is covert because consciousness, most of the time, does not understand it, is unaware of its mental activities and operations, and its merits. Therefore, it is called covert. If consciousness could fully comprehend the merits of the manas and its operation in all dharmas, it would not be covert.

The manas accommodating all dharmas means it can relate to all dharmas, contain and accept all dharmas, discern all dharmas, know and see all dharmas, and operate its five universal mental factors on all dharmas. It corresponds to all dharmas, including good and evil dharmas, and can accommodate good and evil, possessing good and evil nature itself. The scope of dharmas the manas can relate to and does relate to is extremely vast and boundless. The dharmas consciousness relates to cannot compare to those the manas relates to. Neither compares to the vastness of the dharmas related to by the Tathagatagarbha.

What do all these dharmas the manas relates to include? First, the dharmas of the ten directions and three periods of time—this is the largest spatial scope in the conventional world, and the temporal scope of past, present, and future is also the largest. Within this largest spacetime, the dharmas the manas relates to include all worldly dharmas, i.e., the resultant dharmas generated by the Tathagatagarbha using the seven great seeds, such as form dharmas, mind dharmas, and mental factors. They also include transcendental dharmas that must operate and manifest within the world, such as the Tathagatagarbha, Buddha-nature, Suchness, the path practiced by sages—the ultimate truth, the first truth—encompassing both sages and ordinary beings, extending to the very edge of all dharmas, where the manas can no longer relate. Only dharmas that the Tathagatagarbha alone can relate to and dharmas lacking worldly characteristics, not operating within the world, remain beyond.

Because the manas can accommodate dharmas of such vast scope, already exhausting the boundaries of dharmas operating within the world, it possesses twelve hundred merits in full, the most perfect, second only to the merits of the Tathagatagarbha. Therefore, without doubt, the manas also accommodates the dharmas of sages and ordinary beings, accommodates good and evil dharmas, and possesses good and evil nature, mental factors of good and evil, and mental activities. If this were not so, the merits of the manas would not exhaust the boundaries of all dharmas; there would be dharmas it cannot accommodate, and its merits would be incomplete.

This passage was spoken by the World-Honored One when explaining the merits of the manas. The manas can perfect twelve hundred merits; he did not say consciousness perfects merits because consciousness arises and ceases, lacks autonomy, cannot span the three periods of time, and cannot even fully cover dharmas of the present life—many dharmas cannot be related to or discerned, let alone dharmas of the ten directions and three periods of time, which are beyond its reach. Therefore, consciousness is an incomplete dharma, not a fundamental dharma, and not worthy of reliance. Cultivation must focus on fundamental dharmas, reliable dharmas, dharmas capable of autonomy. Only by eliminating the ignorance of the manas and perfecting its wisdom can one become a Buddha.

V. Proof from the Origin of the World as Explained in the *Shurangama Sutra* that the Manas is Not of Non-Defined Nature

In the *Shurangama Sutra*, the World-Honored One explains the origin of the world. Innumerable kalpas ago, in the time of primordial chaos before creation, only the eighth consciousness and the manas existed. There was no threefold world, let alone five aggregates bodies or six consciousnesses. The manas combined with the eighth consciousness constituted the life form of sentient beings. At that time, due to ignorance, the manas gave rise to a mind that outwardly grasped, wanting to explore something. Only then did the eighth consciousness, following the manas’s mental activity, gradually form the world. This process was extremely prolonged because the world was not formed by the mental activity of a single sentient being’s manas but by the mental activity of the manas of many sentient beings.

Many great kalpas after the world formed, the five aggregates bodies of sentient beings were able to be born because there was a suitable environment for survival. Before the world formed, all ignorance already existed; not a single type of ignorance was generated later. Therefore, it is said that all ignorance is the ignorance of the manas. Since the manas possesses all ignorance, this ignorance inherently contains the factors for all afflictions, which arise when conditions are met. The ignorance and afflictions of the manas then influence consciousness, and consciousness gradually becomes tainted with afflictions. This is also a prolonged process. Thus, the initial afflictions were entirely those of the manas; consciousness merely followed the afflictions of the manas. Only after consciousness was successfully tainted did afflictions appear in it.

Ignorance is non-understanding; the mind of the manas does not understand principles; it is muddled. What principle is this referring to? According to the *Shurangama Sutra*, it is the true reality of the Dharma realm. The manas does not understand the principle of the eighth consciousness, the true reality of the Dharma realm. It does not understand that it is a dharma within the eighth consciousness, born and sustained by the eighth consciousness, and that apart from the eighth consciousness, there are no dharmas and no Dharma realm. This is the beginningless ignorance of the manas, also the fundamental ignorance. Due to this beginningless ignorance, it gave rise to a mind seeking outside the eighth consciousness, causing the world to form. This was gradually formed over long kalpas, not within short kalpas.

Many great kalpas after the world formed, the five aggregates bodies of sentient beings appeared, and the five consciousnesses and consciousness also arose with the five aggregates bodies. Only after the five aggregates bodies appeared did the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the six consciousnesses cooperate with the manas to create actions. Therefore, due to ignorance, the manas developed greed, hatred, and delusion, directing the six consciousnesses to create afflictive evil karma. Evil karmic seeds were thus left behind, leading to the causes, conditions, and effects of the cycle of birth and death in the six realms. This is the origin of the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination. From this, it can be seen that consciousness appeared very late, far later than the manas. It is impossible for consciousness to have ignorance and afflictions immediately upon appearing, without cause. The cause for the later appearance of afflictions in consciousness is the tainting by the master consciousness, the manas, which guides it. Alternatively, the ignorance and afflictions manifested by consciousness are actually those of the manas, the result of the manas’s control. Therefore, the manas indeed possesses afflictions; it is not merely of non-defined nature. It possesses all three natures: good, evil, and non-defined.

Ignorance is an evil dharma, not a good dharma nor a neutral dharma of neither good nor evil. Therefore, one must eliminate all ignorance and afflictions through learning and practicing Buddhism to become a Buddha of perfect, constant, blissful, pure, and luminous nature. No one would consider ignorance a good dharma or a non-defined dharma, right? The greed, hatred, and delusion of sentient beings arise from ignorance, meaning they come from the manas. If the manas had no ignorance, it would not create afflictive karma of greed, hatred, and delusion. It is ignorance that causes greed, hatred, and delusion to manifest. Thus, the manas is not of non-defined nature. What about the manas after becoming a Buddha? After becoming a Buddha, the manas is even less of non-defined nature; it is purely good, without evil nature. It is of great compassion, compassionate toward all sentient beings. From this perspective, it should be easy to determine the nature of the manas; there should be no more misunderstanding.

VI. Proof from the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination that the Manas is Not of Non-Defined Nature

The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination: Ignorance conditions formations; formations condition consciousness; consciousness conditions name-and-form; etc. The first link is ignorance, the source of the power that created heaven and earth. From this power, heaven, earth, and all things sprouted, and the five aggregates life form began to operate. This is the origin of the birth and death cycle of the five aggregates body—the ignorance of the master consciousness, the manas. The second link is formations. Due to ignorance, the manas generates mental formations, wanting to create, similar to the stirring before heaven and earth were born. Once the mental formations of ignorance stir, subsequent creations follow. These mental formations fully possess the three natures: good, evil, and non-defined. Even good formations contain ignorance; without ignorance, worldly good deeds would not be performed, and the mind-ground would be pure and non-creating. The third link is the six consciousnesses. Because the mental formations of the manas stir, making the choice to create bodily, verbal, and mental actions, the six consciousnesses arise to cooperate with the manas in creating bodily, verbal, and mental actions. The fourth link is the karmic seeds left behind after the six consciousnesses create bodily, verbal, and mental actions. These karmic seeds determine the birth of name-and-form in future lives.

The bodily, verbal, and mental actions of sentient beings, with their three natures of good, evil, and non-defined, sprout and are created according to conditions. Karmic seeds are stored in the Alaya consciousness according to conditions and time, causing the cycle of birth and death to flow continuously without cease. The three-natured bodily, verbal, and mental actions come from the mental formations of the manas and are determined by them. How, then, could the mental formations of the manas only have non-defined nature and not good and evil mental activity? If so, the chain of the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination would have no cause to connect and perpetuate; birth and death would necessarily cease, and the cycle would end. The mental formations of the manas are the driving force for the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the six consciousnesses. The good and evil of the six consciousnesses must come from the good and evil mental formations of the manas, mastered and decided by them; they cannot be separated from the good and evil mental formations of the manas. And the good, evil, and non-defined mental formations of the manas all arise due to the ignorance of the manas. Good is ignorance, evil is ignorance, non-defined is still ignorance. Without ignorance, the actions of birth and death karma and karmic seeds would necessarily cease, and the cycle of birth and death would permanently end.

If the manas were not good, the six consciousnesses would have no cause to create numerous good actions like giving and precept-keeping, and sentient beings would have no cause to ascend to heavens to enjoy blessings and happiness. If the manas were not evil, the six consciousnesses would have no cause to create various evil actions like killing and arson, and sentient beings would have no cause to fall into the three evil realms to suffer retribution. Some might say this is determined by the good and evil mental activity of consciousness. But where does the mental activity of consciousness have such great power to exercise the mastery of the manas, usurping the host’s role? Moreover, if the manas had no mental activity, consciousness would have no cause to arise at all. The arising of consciousness entirely depends on the choice of the manas. If the manas does not choose, consciousness has no opportunity to arise. How could it create good and evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions, reversing the initiating sequence of the Twelve Links? If it could reverse it, wouldn’t that mean the Buddha taught the Dharma incorrectly? When good mental activity arises in the manas, it necessarily wants to create good karma. The six consciousnesses will then comply with the manas’s choice to arise and create good karma to fulfill the manas’s wish. The six consciousnesses are subordinate to the manas and serve it; they cannot have independent actions. The principle is the same for the six consciousnesses creating evil karma. Therefore, the manas is not merely of non-defined nature; it fully possesses both good and evil natures. Only then is the six-realm rebirth cycle possible, and the Buddha could accordingly teach the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination.

VII. The Difference and Connection Between the Mental Factor of Perception (想) and the Mental Factor of Remembrance (念)

The five universal mental factors: attention, contact, sensation, perception, and volition. The five object-specific mental factors: desire, conviction, remembrance, concentration, and wisdom. The mental factor of perception belongs to the five universal mental factors. It operates at all times, places, and situations. Whenever a conscious mind arises, the mental factor of perception operates because the primary function of the conscious mind is to recognize and know the contacted dharma. Perception is discerning, knowing, and forming mental images. After mental images are formed, choices are made. After dharmas are chosen, the five object-specific mental factors operate.

The operation of the five object-specific mental factors begins with generating desire, interest, seeking, or inquiry toward the chosen dharma. After gaining some conviction regarding the dharma, remembrance of the dharma arises, and the mental factor of remembrance appears. Without the prior knowing of the dharma, there would be no subsequent conviction in the dharma. If one cannot be convinced of the dharma, one will not remember it. Without understanding the dharma or desiring it, how could one keep it in mind and remember it? Being able to keep it in mind and remember it shows that one has already understood the dharma, considers it important, and needs it. This means that because of the mental factor of perception, the mental factor of remembrance arises. Hence, there is the compound word “xiangnian” (想念, “think-remember”), perception first, then remembrance.

This mental factor of remembrance corresponds to the enlightenment factor of mindfulness in the Seven Factors of Enlightenment. For example, after studying the Four Noble Truths, only by fully understanding them, knowing the importance of the Four Noble Truths for the flow of birth and death, and having attained a considerable degree of conviction, can the enlightenment factor of mindfulness arise, enabling one to constantly remember and contemplate the Four Noble Truths, comparing them with the activities of the daily five aggregates. If one has not yet fully discerned and understood the principles of the Four Noble Truths, it is impossible to remember them. Thoughts are the mental factor of remembrance; they do not exist constantly and can be interrupted. If uninterrupted and prolonged, regardless of what dharma is remembered, it means concentration is fixed on that dharma, and concentration power arises. Therefore, after the mental factor of remembrance comes the mental factor of concentration.

From this, it can be seen that the operation of the five universal mental factors has no prerequisite; they can operate constantly and everywhere, accompanying the conscious mind. The appearance of the five object-specific mental factors necessarily requires prerequisites; they cannot appear constantly and everywhere but only occasionally when conditions are sufficient. The mental factors of desire, conviction, remembrance, concentration, and wisdom each have different required conditions. The five mental factors are also prerequisites for the appearance of subsequent mental factors; the preceding mental factors determine whether the subsequent ones appear. Therefore, the mental factor of wisdom is not possessed by everyone and does not appear in all dharmas. The same applies to the mental factor of concentration, the mental factor of remembrance, the mental factor of conviction, and the mental factor of desire.

VIII. Do the First Five Consciousnesses Have the Function of Thinking?

The first five consciousnesses also have the five universal mental factors: attention, contact, sensation, perception, and volition—only they are simpler and coarser than those of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. The sixth and seventh consciousnesses deliberate on dharmas (法尘), which can be very subtle and profound. The first five consciousnesses deliberate on the five sense objects (五尘), and their deliberation is very coarse and simple. As long as one can distinguish the five sense objects from dharmas and avoid confusing them, one can discern the difference between the deliberation of the five consciousnesses and that of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. The deliberation of the five consciousnesses is not the same as the thinking function of consciousness; the two are different, and the difference is significant. Distinguishing the five sense objects from dharmas is extremely difficult, so distinguishing the discernment of the five consciousnesses from that of consciousness is also very challenging. Distinguishing the functions of the manas and consciousness is similarly impossible for ordinary people.

What people commonly call “thinking” generally refers to the thinking of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses regarding dharmas, especially the solitary consciousness (独头意识) contemplating solitary images (独影境), with the five consciousnesses inevitably participating to some extent. The volition of the five universal mental factors of the five consciousnesses primarily functions to judge and decide. After the five consciousnesses discern their corresponding five sense objects and form mental images, they make simple, coarse judgments and then decide whether to continue discerning or to stop and avoid, while consciousness simultaneously participates in the discernment. The reason the discernment of the five consciousnesses is said to be coarse is that the five sense objects are coarse, requiring no fine discernment. Therefore, discernment is rapid, requiring little mental effort from the five consciousnesses, as if it bypasses the brain. The dharmas accompanying the five sense objects, however, are more subtle, requiring the subtle discernment of consciousness. Therefore, the discernment and analytical thinking of consciousness are slower and require more mental effort.

If the five sense objects are significant and impactful, the manas will primarily follow the judgment and decision of the five consciousnesses to decide, having no time to process the analysis and judgment of consciousness. Thus, it neglects the discernment and thinking of consciousness. Usually, the discernment of the five consciousnesses is more direct and faster; the discernment of consciousness is subtler and slightly slower than that of the five consciousnesses. For major events, the manas prioritizes the reaction of the five consciousnesses and cannot attend to the reaction of consciousness. Therefore, in some sudden incidents, without time for the analytical thinking of consciousness, the manas directs the completion of the action, causing consciousness to realize it only afterward. In summary, thinking refers to the thinking of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. The volition of the first five consciousnesses is simpler, coarser, and more direct than thinking; it is not deep, nor does it need to be, because the dharmas of the five sense objects are shallow, coarse, and direct.