Mental Factors of the Mind base\: A Practical Compass (Second Edition) (with over 30,000 additional words, reorganized)
Section 5: The Mental Factor of Meditative Concentration (samādhi)
1. When There Is Meditative Concentration, the Manas Has the Mental Factor of Concentration
Whether the manas has the mental factor of concentration depends entirely on one's personal cultivation. For a person who has meditative concentration, the manas has the mental factor of concentration, the mind consciousness also has the mental factor of concentration, and even the five sense consciousnesses also have the mental factor of concentration; for a person without meditative concentration, the consciousnesses have no mental factor of concentration. Within meditative concentration, the five sense consciousnesses are subdued and do not cognize multiple objects; the mind consciousness is also subdued and does not cognize multiple objects, focusing single-mindedly on the object currently being cognized, or not cognizing any object at all. This is the result of the manas not wanting to cognize multiple objects: the manas has been subdued, does not chase after things in all directions, does not take interest in many objects, and only attends to the present object. Only in this way can the six consciousnesses refrain from cognizing objects everywhere and all abide in concentration; otherwise, if the manas is scattered and distracted, the six consciousnesses will inevitably be scattered and without concentration.
When the manas understands from the mind consciousness that concentration is to be cultivated and that it may only attend to the objects the mind consciousness intends toward, and is guided by the mind consciousness, it will try its best to reduce or stop its chasing after objects. Even if the manas does chase after objects, the mind consciousness is unwilling to attend to them. Over time, the manas stops chasing after objects and only attends to the objects the mind consciousness intends toward, and meditative concentration appears. Because the manas has heavy habitual tendencies toward chasing after objects, it takes a very long time; the mind consciousness continuously restrains the manas to attend to only one object, and the manas's chasing becomes useless. Finally, when it is restrained by the mind consciousness, it reduces its attention and chasing, and thus gradually approaches concentration—but it cannot, like the mind consciousness, attend to only one object or to no object at all.
When the manas's mental factors of attention (manaskāra) and volition (cetanā) arise and chase after mental objects (dharmāyatana), the eighth consciousness will necessarily give rise to the mind consciousness to cognize them; if the manas chases after objects everywhere, the mind consciousness will cognize everywhere, and then there is no concentration. Therefore the manas must also accord with concentration for the six consciousnesses to have concentration. If the manas attends and chases, thinking of some dharma, the mind consciousness will necessarily arise mindful of the dharma the manas is thinking of, and then it cannot enter the concentration of no-perception (asaṃjñi-samāpatti), and even preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) is hard to achieve. If the manas is not subdued, no one can have concentration. The degree to which the manas is subdued determines the degree of concentration; the depth of the mind consciousness's concentration varies, and the depth of concentration lies in the manas. For example, if there are five people in front of you and the manas takes interest in all five simultaneously, attends to all of them, and gives rise to the mental factor of volition toward all of them, then the eighth consciousness will give rise to the eye consciousness and mind consciousness at the location of those five people, and the eye consciousness and mind consciousness must simultaneously cognize all five people—then it is very difficult for the eye consciousness and mind consciousness to have concentration.
Concentration is called "one-pointedness of mind" (cittaikāgratā), meaning the mind consciousness attends to only one dharma, occasionally two or three dharmas, with one dharma as the primary. If there are ten people before you and the mind consciousness is to have concentration, it can only concentrate its energy on cognizing one or two people in order to cognize those two people clearly and completely. If the manas attends to all ten people simultaneously, the mind consciousness must cognize all ten people simultaneously, and then it is impossible to cognize all ten clearly and completely at the same time. Therefore, if the mind consciousness is to cognize clearly, it must devote one period of time to single-mindedly cognizing one person; then the manas cannot simultaneously attend to ten or nine people, otherwise the mind consciousness cannot focus.
Contemplate this principle: you must know how the mind consciousness is born and what the precondition for its birth is; then contemplate and practice contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā): what is the principle by which the mind consciousness attains concentration? In this way you can correctly understand the nature of the manas, and perhaps even realize the Buddha-dharma. When the manas contacts the mental objects, the eighth consciousness gives birth to the mind consciousness, and the mind consciousness cognizes the mental objects. If the manas simultaneously contacts ten mental objects, the mind consciousness must cognize ten mental objects—then how can the mind consciousness have concentration? The mental objects the mind consciousness cognizes are also the mental objects that the manas attends to, contacts, and volitions. Therefore, for the mind consciousness to have concentration, the manas must cooperate by reducing its attention and chasing, and try not to deliberate (manasikāra) on mental objects; then body and mind will accord with concentration.
2. The Manifestations of the Manas's Concentration
Concentration means the consciousnesses do not move, or move little, or move slowly, or cease. Movement means the arising and operation of bodily, verbal, and mental actions; non-movement means bodily, verbal, and mental actions do not operate; little movement means little operation; slow movement means bodily, verbal, and mental actions operate slowly and weakly; cessation means the stopping and disappearance of bodily, verbal, and mental actions. Who directs and decides these states of moving and not moving, moving little, moving slowly, and ceasing? None other than the manas. The mind consciousness does not have this function, and the five sense consciousnesses even less so; the eighth consciousness follows the manas's arrangements and never stirs up trouble without cause or seeks out matters unnecessarily.
When the mind consciousness has subdued the manas, the manas becomes settled, its tendency to chase after objects lightens, the dharmas it chases gradually decrease, so that in terms of mental activity, some mental activities are extinguished, fabrication is reduced, and it no longer wields the baton, directing the eighth consciousness on one side and the first six consciousnesses on the other, busying itself to the point of confusion. In this way, bodily actions and fabrications decrease, slow down, and lighten: the eyes do not look, the ears do not listen, the nose does not smell, the tongue does not taste, the body does not touch, the limbs do not move, the head does not move; finally all external bodily actions completely stop and the five sense consciousnesses cease. When cultivation reaches the fourth dhyāna, the manas no longer wants to control the physical body, no longer grasps at the body, and does not want the body to move any more; thus breathing stops, the heartbeat stops, the pulse stops, like a dead person. But because the manas still does not want to extinguish its capacity to know, still wants to know, the mind consciousness maintains its knowing capacity without ceasing, only the knowing capacity is very faint, moving extremely slowly and gently.
In verbal actions, the voice becomes lighter and lighter, slower and slower, lower and lower, weaker and weaker, and finally disappears, becoming silent. If a little sound is made again, the mind consciousness feels very, very tired, and the manas is unwilling to take charge of speaking and making sounds anymore, and thus decides to stop making sounds. In mental actions, from the initial profusion of wandering thoughts, thoughts gradually decrease and become unified, and finally weaken and disappear, leaving only a single awareness; the power of introspection (pratyavekṣā-bala) weakens, and finally even the knowing capacity and the power of introspection disappear, entering the concentration of no-perception. After the concentration of no-perception, the manas also no longer wants to receive and perceive objects, and so extinguishes two mental factors, entering the cessation attainment (nirodha-samāpatti).
From this it can be seen that concentration is primarily about concentrating the manas; concentrating only the six consciousnesses is useless. Because whatever the manas wants the six consciousnesses to do, the six consciousnesses must do; whatever it wants the six consciousnesses to cognize, the six consciousnesses must cognize; however much it wants the six consciousnesses to cognize, the six consciousnesses must cognize that much; to whatever degree it wants the six consciousnesses to cognize, the six consciousnesses must cognize to that degree—what autonomy do the six consciousnesses have? If the six consciousnesses want concentration but the manas does not, the six consciousnesses will fabricate; if the manas does not want to sleep, the six consciousnesses must work—they absolutely cannot escape the manas's control. Therefore, if the manas is not subdued, how can there be concentration, how can one concentrate? Cultivating concentration has only this one gateway, no other path. Concentration is the concentration of the manas!
3. Precepts, Concentration, and Wisdom Are Ultimately Accomplished by the Manas
The three unconditioned studies of precepts (śīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā) are not only to be studied, cultivated, and perfected by the mind consciousness; mainly, the manas must also study along with the mind consciousness and perfect them. Keeping precepts can be superficial precept-keeping, or genuine inner precept-keeping without violation. Genuine precept-keeping means the manas keeps the precepts without violation, guarding the precepts inwardly; superficial precept-keeping may be pretending to keep the precepts while the mind violates them. In studying the three unconditioned studies of precepts, concentration, and wisdom, if the manas does not observe the precepts, and the mind is scattered, dissolute, and lax, wanting to commit evil deeds, then the manas, being in charge, will certainly make the six consciousnesses' bodily, verbal, and mental actions commit evil deeds, satisfying the manas's wishes. Therefore the precepts primarily restrain the manas. If the manas is not restrained and only the six consciousnesses are restrained, ultimately precept-keeping cannot be accomplished. The six consciousnesses cannot be their own masters; if the manas wants to violate the precepts, the six consciousnesses can do nothing but obey. If the manas keeps the precepts, the six consciousnesses will inevitably keep the precepts and not move chaotically.
Only when the manas has concentration and is not scattered can it refrain from chasing after objects everywhere, and only then can the six consciousnesses have concentration. If the manas is scattered, even if the mind consciousness wants to concentrate, it cannot settle. Only when the manas's mind is settled on the Buddha-dharma can the mind consciousness cultivate single-mindedly and intensively, settled on the Buddha-dharma without wavering; if the manas wavers and is unsettled, the mind consciousness can do nothing. Concentration arises from precepts, and wisdom arises from concentration; when concentration is strong, both the mind consciousness and the manas can give rise to great wisdom, and finally transform the consciousnesses into wisdom (āśraya-parāvṛtti); without concentration, great wisdom cannot arise, and the consciousnesses cannot be transformed into wisdom.
4. Only When the Manas Is Concentrated Can the Six Consciousnesses Be Concentrated
Since great wisdom is manifested not only in the mind consciousness but also in the manas, and the transformation of the consciousnesses into wisdom includes not only the mind consciousness's transformation but even more the manas's transformation, then which consciousness does meditative concentration concentrate, and with which consciousness does it accord? Both the mind consciousness and the manas have meditative concentration, and both accord with it. First, the manas hands the dharma over to the mind consciousness to contemplate; the mind consciousness is at first scattered, then gradually gains concentration; its contemplative practice draws the manas's attention, which gradually focuses on what the mind consciousness is contemplating, and thus there is initial concentration. The mind consciousness can then gradually focus on contemplative practice; as the manas's attention strengthens, meditative concentration becomes deeper and deeper, the mind consciousness becomes more and more focused, and contemplation becomes more and more subtle and meticulous; the manas, relying on it, contemplates deeply and subtly, can understand the principles, and thereby realizes the dharma. This is the method of using contemplative practice to induce meditative concentration, and then strengthening the power of contemplative practice.
On the other hand, the mind consciousness cultivates concentration, prompting the manas to reduce chasing and gather its attention; afterward, when the manas decides to contemplate the meaning of the dharma, the mind consciousness concentrates its attention on contemplating and contemplating-practicing one dharma-meaning. The content of the mind consciousness's contemplative practice is transmitted to the manas instant by instant; the manas may or may not have determination (adhimokṣa) regarding the transmitted information, and thus wisdom may or may not arise. Whether wisdom arises also depends on many factors such as whether the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment are complete, how the practice of precepts, concentration, and wisdom is going, whether afflictions have been subdued, whether the mental disposition has been softened, and so on.
If one can contemplate single-pointedly and practice contemplation deeply and meticulously, it shows that both the mind consciousness and the manas can concentrate their attention, and both have a certain power of concentration. When the six consciousnesses manifest meditative concentration, the manas must have concentration; if the manas has no concentration, the six consciousnesses' meditative concentration cannot appear, because whether the six consciousnesses have thought or no thought is decided by the manas. If the manas chases after objects everywhere and wants to cognize all objects of the six sense-objects, not wanting to cognize only one object, it is impossible for the six consciousnesses to be without thought or to focus on one object.
When the six consciousnesses are habituated by studying the Buddha-dharma, if the habituation can reach the manas and influence and lead the manas, the manas will also have concentration. The manas's concentration first means the manas can settle on the dharma—settling on the dharma that the five aggregates are without self to study intensively, settling on the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment, or settling on the bodhisattva's six perfections. Once the manas becomes diligent, the six consciousnesses can be diligent; if the manas is lax, the six consciousnesses cannot possibly be diligent. If the manas perfects the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment, the six consciousnesses will inevitably perfect them. The manas is the commander who supervises and controls the six consciousnesses; the six consciousnesses must follow the manas's commands and deployments, so the key to cultivating the path lies entirely in the manas.
After the manas attends and settles on the dharma, the six consciousnesses can settle on the dharma without scattering, and only then can the six consciousnesses attend and practice contemplation on the dharma. Wherever the manas settles, the six consciousnesses settle, because the six consciousnesses turn with the manas; the manas's baton must direct the six consciousnesses at every moment, instant by instant. If the manas is not concentrated, He wields the baton directing everywhere chaotically—can the six consciousnesses be concentrated? They absolutely cannot. Therefore concentration first refers to the manas's concentration, the concentration that accords with the manas.
When the manas settles on the Buddha-dharma for cultivation, constantly mindful of contemplating the falsity of the five aggregates, then the six consciousnesses can practice contemplation; if the manas wants to investigate Chan (canchan), considering the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha important and wanting to realize it, the manas supervises the mind consciousness to investigate Chan, and only then can the mind consciousness settle on the dharma of investigating Chan and diligently cultivate the Mahāyāna dharma. Therefore, if the manas is not concentrated, the six consciousnesses have no way to be concentrated. In the four dhyānas and eight samāpattis cultivated specifically through sitting meditation, whose concentration does concentration mainly refer to? Of course it also refers to the manas's. If the manas has not been subdued, is not settled on sitting meditation, and still chases after dharmas everywhere, chasing after and worrying about other dharmas, with miscellaneous and chaotic thoughts, then for the six consciousnesses to sit in meditation and cultivate concentration, eliminating distraction, is impossible.
Being able to read, contemplate, and do things with single-minded devotion is all the mind consciousness's concentration. But if the manas is not interested in this, is not settled on reading and doing things, and does not attentively attend to the content of the book, can the mind consciousness be concentrated? Absolutely impossible. If the manas is not concentrated, the six consciousnesses are as scattered as monkeys and cannot be concentrated. Even though the mind consciousness constantly attends single-mindedly, it is useless; it is still dragged around everywhere by the manas. Therefore subduing the manas is the extremely crucial point of cultivation; hearing, contemplating, cultivating, and realization must all be implemented in the manas for the effort not to be wasted (akṛta-abhyāgama) and for there to be results and retribution.
Therefore, whether it is the concentration of the four dhyānas and eight samāpattis, or the concentration settled on the dharma, the focus on the dharma—these mainly refer to the manas, and only then can the six consciousnesses be concentrated, rest the mind, eliminate initial application and sustained examination (vitarka-vicāra), and even extinguish the consciousnesses. Only when the manas moves can the six consciousnesses move; wherever the manas points, the six consciousnesses will certainly strike. To subdue the six consciousnesses, one must subdue the manas; to subdue the five aggregates, one must first subdue the manas.
Becoming a Buddha also mainly means successfully habituating the manas, letting the manas realize all dharmas and know all dharmas, extinguishing beginningless ignorance and the delusions of ignorance as numerous as dust and sand; when the manas perfects and fulfills precepts, concentration, and wisdom, the sentient being will inevitably become a Buddha. Who does this sentient being refer to? It refers to the manas. Therefore, the knowing of sentient beings' mental activities spoken of in the Vimalakīrti Sūtra—the tathāgatagarbha's knowing of sentient beings' mental activities mainly means knowing the manas's mental activities. The sentient being is the manas, and the manas is the sentient being; the manas takes the five aggregates as self, and so the manas's view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) must be eradicated.
5. The Principle of Cultivating Concentration
When the mind consciousness first sits down, it prepares to concentrate, but after sitting for a long time it still cannot settle, and is worried and frustrated. Only by tethering the manas so it does not run around everywhere can the mind consciousness gradually settle. How does the mind consciousness tether the manas? When the mind consciousness wants to cultivate concentration, it forcibly fixes the mind on one point to counteract the manas's chaotic chasing. After a long time, the manas knows that moving chaotically is useless, that the six consciousnesses are unwilling to comply, and the manas slowly settles down; only then can the mind consciousness truly have concentration.
The mind consciousness's discriminating wisdom is very strong; it knows the various faults of the scattered mind and thus develops the desire to cultivate concentration. At this point, it can forcibly fix the mind on one point to tether the manas, letting the manas slowly become obedient and tamed. The manas must first attain tranquility (praśama) before the mind consciousness can truly settle; but for the manas to become tranquil, it must first rely on the mind consciousness's habituation and fixing the mind on one point. The two complement each other; lacking either one's cooperation, the mind cannot settle.
After the manas-ox has been slowly tamed by the mind consciousness, it does not eat grass indiscriminately or trample others' seedlings and crops, and the mind consciousness can be at ease. The mind consciousness is the herder-boy riding on the manas-ox's back; when the mind-consciousness herder points from afar to Apricot Blossom Village, the manas-ox carries the herder slowly toward Apricot Blossom Village—studying Buddhism is just like this. The mind consciousness subdues the manas in order to let the manas lead oneself along the right path, because the mind consciousness, riding on the manas-ox's back, cannot act on its own and cannot get down to walk alone; it must rely on the manas to reach the destination.
6. Concentration Comes from the Manas's Reduced or Absent Chasing After Objects
Only when the manas's chasing after the six sense objects decreases and lightens can concentration appear; if the manas attends to only one dharma, its power of concentration can be as strong as can be. In reality this is very difficult; the manas can attend to only one dharma, two dharmas, or few dharmas among the six sense objects. The manas also attends to dharmas beyond the six sense objects: for example, when some karmic seed matures and the eighth consciousness manifests the karmic condition, the manas also knows it; when it is time to emerge from concentration, the manas also knows; certain changes occurring in the body faculty, the manas likewise knows. In fact, the body faculty is also one of the six sense objects the manas attends to; the manas cannot not attend to it, especially when the manas still grasps at the body. If the body faculty undergoes some changes, the manas can know them, and will also prompt the mind consciousness to cognize the larger changes.
Every little bit of concentration the mind consciousness cultivates is due to the manas's merit and power of merit (puṇya-bala). If the manas's chasing is heavy, constantly chasing and worrying everywhere at all times, the mind consciousness cannot possibly have concentration. What is called concentration is precisely the result of the manas reducing its chasing, precisely the result of the manas's reduced attention toward the six sense objects, precisely the result of the manas's mental factors of contact, feeling, perception, and volition toward the six sense objects manifesting less—and this is precisely the result of the manas's virtue appearing. Subduing afflictions is virtue; not scattering and chasing the six sense objects is virtue; not craving or lightly craving the six sense objects is virtue. With virtue there is merit; that merit is the mind's purification and the manifestation of wisdom. When sleep is clear and lucid, it is the merit induced by the manas's virtue of chasing less—not being deluded, not being inverted, not having wandering thoughts, not being confused, not being afflicted—that is merit and virtue (guṇa).
In the concentration before the first dhyāna, the mind consciousness can attend to two or three mental objects, with primary and secondary, light and heavy; as long as there is primary and secondary, light and heavy, there is concentration. If there is no primary/secondary or light/heavy, and the manas considers all dharmas important, that mind is extremely scattered and cannot have the slightest concentration. Then the manas also cannot possibly attend to only one dharma; reducing and lightening the attended dharmas can yield concentration, and having primary and secondary can yield concentration. The best concentration is when the mind consciousness attends to only one dharma, and the manas attends to only one dharma among the six sense objects; beyond the six sense objects, it must also attend to some dharma in order to maintain and uphold the operation of the five-aggregate body together with the tathāgatagarbha.
7. The Powerful Function of the Manas's Power of Meditative Concentration
In cultivating concentration, body and mind mutually influence each other; the body faculty, the manas, and the six consciousnesses all mutually influence each other; material form and mind, matter and spirit, mutually influence each other. For example, when sitting in Chan, if the environment is quiet and not noisy, the cushion is especially comfortable, and the body has no illness or pain obstructing it, entering concentration naturally becomes easy. When the body's Conception Vessel (ren mai) is severely blocked, wanting to attain concentration is absolutely impossible; likewise, when the back's Governing Vessel (du mai) is severely blocked, wanting to attain concentration is also very difficult—one cannot even sit straight, let alone attain concentration. When internal organ problems are severe, the mind is vexed and confused, and attaining concentration is extremely hard. When the brain's qi and blood circulation is not smooth, wanting to investigate Chan and contemplate the Buddha-dharma deeply simply will not work—this is the body influencing the mind. As for the mind influencing the body: for example, if one is open-minded, magnanimous, and transcendent toward all people and affairs, then the physical body is healthy; even if there is illness, if the mind does not care and does not take it seriously, the illness can also heal quickly.
The many methods of cultivation taught by the Buddha in the Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment (Yuanjue Jing)—those methods of transforming body, mind, and world—all refer to the mind consciousness in concentration, transformed by the tathāgatagarbha directed by the manas; they are transformations of the tathāgatagarbha cooperating with the manas's mental factor of volition. Without concentration, the manas's volition function cannot become powerful; it can be distracted by chaotic mental objects. When the manas attends to too many dharmas, the consciousnesses are divided into streams, and their power inevitably weakens; the tathāgatagarbha cannot cooperate with the manas's volition to transform body, mind, and world.
As for the various supernormal powers' realms, apart from the manas, not a single power exists. If the mind consciousness wants the body to rise into empty space, the body cannot move even an inch; only when the manas has power and its volition is strong can it direct the physical body, and with the tathāgatagarbha's cooperation, various supernormal realms appear. For the manas's volition to be strong, there must be meditative concentration; the manas chases less, its power is concentrated, its mind-consciousness is strong, and the tathāgatagarbha cooperates to fulfill the manas's wishes.
There is no dharma's operation that can depart from the manas; it is only that the manas does not operate on the surface, and most people simply cannot observe it. Why does the manas not operate on the surface? The tathāgatagarbha also does not operate on the surface—why? Because most people cannot observe them, they say the manas and tathāgatagarbha are both hidden and secret; if one could observe them, and easily so, then the manas and tathāgatagarbha would be in broad daylight. With the Buddha, there is not a single secret, because the Buddha's wisdom is incomparably powerful, having realized all dharmas, knowing every dharma, understanding every dharma; therefore the Buddha is a sage possessing omniscience/wisdom of all aspects (sarvākārajñatā).
If sentient beings could all observe the manas's operation, the manas would not be called the subconscious or hidden consciousness; because sentient beings cannot observe it, they say the manas operates behind the scenes, operates in the dark, and is also a kind of consciousness—a concealed consciousness. That is to say, the manas's functional consciousness-nature is relatively close to and similar to the mind consciousness, so people take the manas's function to be the subconscious and hidden consciousness. Likewise, if everyone could observe the tathāgatagarbha's operation, the tathāgatagarbha would not be mysterious, and would not be a hidden consciousness-mind. People who have awakened can all observe the tathāgatagarbha operating brightly, not hidden in the slightest. Whether hidden or secret depends on one's own mind consciousness, not on the manas and tathāgatagarbha. They have no intention of hiding themselves; they all operate openly and uprightly—it is only that sentient beings' wisdom and meditative concentration are insufficient and they cannot observe them.
If there is concentration, chasing less, concentrated on one point, the mind consciousness will inevitably also be concentrated on one point, and a person's mental power will be strong; the sixth and seventh consciousnesses can join forces to change another person's intentions and thoughts, as well as the state of their physical body. What is called strong mental power means the consciousnesses are in meditative concentration, mental power concentrated and undispersed; the realm toward which the mind is directed can be changed at will. Among these, the mind consciousness plays the role of analysis and guidance, the manas plays the role of decision and command, and the tathāgatagarbha accords with the manas and can change the realm. When the tathāgatagarbha changes the realm, it first changes the external realm, and then the internal realm changes accordingly, and only then can one notice it.
The decision to change realms and others' thoughts is made by the manas's mental factor of volition—it is the manas's wish. By mobilizing its own tathāgatagarbha, the manas can control others, though of course also with the mind consciousness's cooperation; the mind consciousness is responsible for selecting targets and directions, and for analysis, planning, and research.
Gallstones on another person's body, if one's mental power is strong, can be eliminated through contemplation and visualization, including eliminating cancer cells on another's body; even at a distance of two planets away it can be done; even if they are not the same kind of sentient being, it can be done; changing the physical body and mental state of ghosts and spirits—when there is power of meditative concentration, none of this is difficult. For a person with strong mental power, bestowing a blessing on others with a single mental thought is also not difficult. The change of all dharmas is the result of the manas's impetus, the result of the manas's volition's fabrication, the result of the tathāgatagarbha according with and cooperating with the manas.
8. The Manas Is Difficult to Enter Concentration Because of Its Chasing After Objects
When we sit in meditation cultivating concentration, why can we not enter concentration, why is the concentration we enter shallow? It is because the manas refuses to rest, its chasing is unceasing, the mind worries about every kind of dharma and cannot let go—this is ignorance (avidyā). Sentient beings all believe there truly is an external world, that people, things, and affairs truly exist, and only therefore does the mind's thinking continue unceasingly. When sitting in meditation, the manas always chases after the myriad dharmas, and the mind consciousness must cognize these dharmas, and therefore cannot settle down.
If the manas had no ignorance and knew that all dharmas are false and unreal, it would be unwilling to chase after objects; the manas would settle down, no longer chasing mental objects, and the mind consciousness would not need to cognize them, and the mind would settle. All the people, affairs, and objects seen in concentration also appear because of the manas's chasing; they are still false dharmas and must not be grasped. If one no longer grasps, those realms will gradually disappear, and the concentration deepens. When cultivating concentration, remember the World-Honored One's admonition: All marks are false and illusory. Constantly reminding oneself will reduce chasing; when ignorance becomes thin, concentration deepens.
9. Only When the Manas Is Fixed on One Object Can There Be Concentration
In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra (Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra is Laṅkā; here Lengyan Jing), the World-Honored One said the manas silently encompasses all dharmas, meaning the manas can attend to all dharmas manifested by the eighth consciousness; the range of dharmas it attends to is extremely broad. He internally grasps the eighth consciousness as self and, following the eighth consciousness, can attend to all dharmas, and thus takes the dharmas the eighth consciousness attends to as its own attended objects, thereby appropriating the eighth consciousness's merits as its own. The manas also grasps the six consciousnesses as self and what belongs to self, mistaking the six consciousnesses' seeing, hearing, knowing, and awareness as its own seeing, hearing, knowing, and awareness, appropriating the six consciousnesses' merits as its own.
Because the manas attends to too many dharmas and cannot focus, its wisdom for cognizing the six sense objects is inferior, and it cannot clearly know the realms of the six sense objects. Therefore, when it wants to cognize the six sense objects specifically, it lets the mind consciousness come out to help cognize; the eighth consciousness accordingly produces the mind consciousness to cognize those realms the manas chases after, and thus one thought after another continuously surges forth; following the manas, now up in the heavens, now down in the earth, now in the past, now in the future—whatever the manas chases, the mind consciousness follows and cognizes, never at rest. The six consciousnesses every day run east and west following the manas; wherever the manas points, the six consciousnesses strike; the manas is the commander-in-chief, directing the six consciousnesses to go to all six sense-object realms to cognize, and the six consciousnesses can only obey.
If one wants to cultivate concentration and have wisdom, one must tether the manas to a few or one realm, and the mind consciousness will then achieve single-mindedness without confusion. Subdue the commander, and one can subdue a thousand armies and ten thousand horses; to catch bandits, first catch the king—whoever is in charge, win that one over, and subsequent matters become easy. To cultivate concentration and gather the mind-consciousnesses, one can only restrain the manas, letting Him attend to only one realm; then the mind consciousness can concentrate on one realm—this is the concentration of the consciousnesses, called fixing the mind on one point.
Although the manas grasps the eighth consciousness's functions as "mine," before seeing the mind (mingxin), He does not know that He must attend to the eighth consciousness to have His own seeing, does not know that He takes the eighth consciousness's seeing as His own seeing, appropriating all the eighth consciousness's merits as His own. If only the manas knew to attend to the eighth consciousness, the tathāgatagarbha—then sentient beings would have no beginningless ignorance. But sentient beings' manas has never known there is an eighth consciousness, the tathāgatagarbha; after studying Buddhism they know there is a tathāgatagarbha, but do not know where it is; without realizing the tathāgatagarbha, it is impossible to actively attend to the eighth consciousness. Having realized the tathāgatagarbha and attending to it, the mind consciousness can observe the tathāgatagarbha's operation and contemplate the tathāgatagarbha's nature; following the mind consciousness's observation, the manas can also know the tathāgatagarbha's operation at any time, and thus can obtain the wisdom of specific characteristics, the wisdom of subsequent realization (post-enlightenment wisdom), and the wisdom of the varieties of paths.
10. Only by Subduing the Manas Can Meditative Concentration Be Well Cultivated
When sitting in meditation and entering concentration, the manas is not extinguished and still chases after all dharmas; the eighth consciousness still produces mental objects. When the chasing becomes severe, the mind consciousness emerges from concentration and the mind becomes scattered. Therefore, if the manas is not subdued, meditative concentration cannot be well cultivated. Subduing the manas relies on the mind consciousness persuading and educating it; first the mind consciousness itself must understand the principles before it can persuade and educate the manas. For the mind consciousness to understand the principles, it must be much habituated in the Buddha-dharma, especially the principles of the true Dharma. The day the manas is persuaded and accepts the Buddha-dharma principles it has been habituated in, cultivation will make great progress—that counts as success.
If the manas accepts that the five aggregates and eighteen realms are indeed false and illusory, not self, not different from self, and not mutually contained, then the view of self that takes the five aggregates as self is severed; with the view of self severed, the three fetters are all subsequently severed, the karma of the three evil destinies is eliminated, and in future lives one will never fall into the three evil destinies. If the manas knows the self is false and all dharmas are false, and no longer grasps at itself or at any dharma, it will sever self-grasping and become an arhat of the fourth fruit, attaining liberation. When the manas is subdued and no longer chases after objects, its grasping lightens, and the cultivation of meditative concentration will make great progress. When sitting in meditation, if the manas no longer chases mental objects and stirs up many matters, then the mind consciousness need not cognize so many mental objects, and meditative concentration will be well cultivated.
11. The Meaning of "The Mind Not Being Present" and "The Mind Unable to Settle"
"The mind not being present" means the mind is not here, not on the matter one is currently facing; it is similar to having no mind for what one is doing and should be doing. Actually there is a mind, only it is not focused, with attention dispersed elsewhere. This shows the manas is not interested in the current matter, so the mind consciousness's attention cannot focus on it, but is instead attending to other matters the manas is interested in. Because the mind consciousness cannot focus, seeing the people and things before one is like not seeing them—called seeing yet not seeing; hearing is like not hearing—called hearing yet not hearing; when eating, one does not know the taste; when the six faculties contact the six objects, the six consciousnesses' knowing capacity is all rather weak.
This can be divided into two situations. One is that the manas has more important matters to chase, so the mind consciousness must focus on what the manas is attending to. The other situation is that, through cultivation, the practitioner's mind tends toward non-action (asaṃskṛta); the manas is no longer interested in the six sense objects, the six consciousnesses also tend toward non-action, are unwilling to make specific discriminations of the six sense objects, and deal with things perfunctorily.
"The mind unable to settle" also means attention cannot focus on what one is currently doing, with other more important matters being worried about in the mind; it is also that the manas has other matters to attend to and chase, so the mind consciousness has no way to focus on the current matter—called distraction of mind, or using one mind for two or many purposes. Therefore, if we want success in what we do, we must subdue the manas, letting the manas reduce its chasing as much as possible; then the mind consciousness can concentrate its attention to resolve the current matter—this requires cultivating concentration. Cultivating concentration starts from the manas; severing afflictions starts from the manas; eradicating the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa) starts from the manas; seeing the mind and seeing the nature starts from the manas. When the manas's problems are solved, all matters can be solved; accomplishing the Buddha-way lies entirely in the manas.
12. Only by Reversing the Manas's Habitual Mind Can the Mind Settle
Sometimes one wants to quietly think about a problem, but the ears always hear faint noises, insect sounds, and so on, and one feels a bit disturbed, with attention dispersed. Why do sounds the mind consciousness does not like to hear linger and refuse to leave? This is the manas's habitual chasing, purposeless chasing; its habits are too powerful, and the mind consciousness has no way to control it. Only long-term cultivation of concentration, immersing the mind in matters of great interest, can screen out the sense objects the mind consciousness does not want to know. When meditative concentration is very deep and the mind consciousness is very focused, if the manas chases dharmas the mind consciousness dislikes and is unwilling to cognize, the manas, knowing this, will gradually stop chasing; when the mind consciousness ignores its attended objects, He gives up those objects, and only then does attention concentrate. Such is the principle of cultivating concentration: when the mind consciousness no longer obeys the manas, the manas has no choice but to restrain itself and revolve around the mind consciousness, and thus both settle down.
If one cultivates too urgently and the mind consciousness contradicts the manas too severely, the manas will become very irritable and uncomfortable, feeling depressed, and sometimes will lose its temper. At such times the mind consciousness should slow the pace, not force the manas too hard, choose a dharma the manas is interested in to immerse in, slowly change the manas's habits, and then return to the proper track of cultivating concentration.
13. Only After the Manas Is Subdued Can Concentration and Wisdom Appear
What does "settling the mind down" mean? Settling the mind down means the mind has excluded distracting thoughts and concentration has appeared. At this time, the mind consciousness's chaotic and scattered thoughts have been suppressed; the mind is not restless, but unified and deep; the mind consciousness's contemplation is meticulous and penetrating; the manas reduces its chasing, continuously digests the information transmitted by the mind consciousness, and can continuously examine and weigh it. When the mind consciousness settles into calm and its thoughts are not chaotic and disordered, the contemplated dharma can penetrate into the manas, and the manas can also understand the contemplated dharma.
When encountering problems, if the mind is rather flustered, it is because the manas has no confidence, the mind consciousness has no ideas, cannot reassure the manas, and has not provided the manas with any reliable, trustworthy information; the manas is then insecure and unstable in doing things. The more flustered the mind, the less the mind consciousness can think clearly, and no wisdom arises. Steady people have wisdom, and people with wisdom are steady—this is because the mind has concentration and wisdom; with strong power of concentration, one can see through the essence of matters; the manas is calm and can keep body and mind stable. What does "seeing through" mean? Only the mind consciousness's seeing clearly is rather superficial and not yet "through"; only when the manas also sees clearly is it "through." And when concentration is strong, the manas can well exercise its deliberation (manasikāra/manana) and decision-making nature, and can make wise decisions.
Concentration and wisdom are closely linked; apart from concentration there is no wisdom, and a person with wisdom must have concentration. Why? Suppressing the mind consciousness's chaotic thoughts and superficial thinking, going single-pointedly deep, entering the manas, exercising the manas's function, the two joining forces to solve problems—thus wisdom manifests. Besides the mind consciousness's wisdom, the manas's wisdom is even more necessary. Those people of unyielding perseverance, firm will, indomitability, and great accomplishment are all people with concentration and wisdom, all displaying the courage and wisdom deep within—by no means merely the superficial wisdom of the mind consciousness.
People of great merit (puṇya) often also appear steady and wise, with concentration and wisdom, resourceful and ingenious; this power of concentration and wisdom is the ability obtained after the manas has been subdued. Being fearless in the face of danger, decisive and quick-witted, courageous and resourceful—all are manifestations of the combination of concentration and wisdom. Why fearless in the face of danger? The manas's stability is the result of the mind consciousness's training and habituation; ordinary superficial mind-consciousness training cannot train the manas—one must enter deep concentration and contemplate single-mindedly to successfully habituate the manas, giving the manas confidence, decisiveness and resolve, and wise decision-making power.
The Buddha-dharma encompasses worldly dharmas. Having studied the Buddha-dharma well, with the equal cultivation of Samādhi and Prajñā, when studying worldly knowledge one's thinking is clear and goes straight to the point. Teaching is the mind consciousness teaching one's own manas, or teaching another's manas; success in teaching lies in being able to persuade the manas and tame the manas.
14. Whether the Manas Can Attend to One Dharma
The manas cannot possibly attend to only one or two dharmas, but the dharmas it attends to must have priorities and emphases—caring about some, not caring about others, applying mind to some, not applying mind to others. In this way the key points can be highlighted, letting the six consciousnesses cognize the key parts—this is concentration.
The mind consciousness also cannot possibly attend to only one dharma; in many cases it exceeds two or three dharmas and so on. For example, when the mind consciousness is in the recollection-of-the-Buddha meditative absorption (buddhānusmṛti-samādhi), it primarily attends to the Buddha's name and mindfulness of the Buddha, yet the mind consciousness also knows day and night, also knows walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, also knows east, west, south, and north, also knows the surrounding situation, also knows what to avoid—it is not like a fool who knows nothing but reciting the Buddha's name; yet the mind consciousness is in the samādhi of meditative absorption. When the eye consciousness is in concentration, it attends only to one object before the eyes, but the eye consciousness also knows brightness and darkness and so on. This shows that concentration is not called concentration only when attending to one dharma; attention concentrated and focus sufficient—that is the state of concentration. Some people with strong power of concentration have strong focus and can handle several things simultaneously well, without being distracted toward useless things.
Although the manas has the nature of attending universally, it does not necessarily have to attend to all dharmas and every dharma simultaneously; when its energy is insufficient, it must have a certain selectivity. What it currently feels is important and meaningful, it attends to; dharmas it is habituated to attending to, due to inertia, it must attend to, but not necessarily allocating much energy and attention—just a light touch of the mind suffices. For example, I have the authority to manage five hundred people, but at the same time I may not have the energy and interest to attend to all five hundred; at each moment there will be some selection. The manas is the same: authority is authority, ability is ability, interest is interest. Because the manas's power of meditative concentration and energy are insufficient, and its power of wisdom is also insufficient.
15. The Manas Accords with the Mental Factor of Concentration
The manas accords with the mental factor of concentration, but the manas of the vast majority of people has no concentration; only those who have cultivated meditative concentration have the mental factor of concentration in their manas; those without meditative concentration have no mental factor of concentration in the manas. If it were said that even a person with meditative concentration has no mental factor of concentration in the manas, then how could his six consciousnesses be held in concentration? For example, if the manas is interested in the violets in front, letting the six consciousnesses appreciate them, and at the same time is interested in the birdsong nearby, the six consciousnesses must disperse their attention to listen to the birdsong; a moment later the manas becomes interested in a person, and the six consciousnesses must disperse their attention to observe and appraise that person—in this way, how could the six consciousnesses have concentration?
The Master Kuaiji (Kuiji) in a past life entered concentration for several thousand years—if the manas had no mental factor of concentration, how could he remain in concentration for thousands of years? In that concentration there were no six consciousnesses; with the six consciousnesses present, one could not remain in concentration long. The non-Buddhists' meditative concentration is also formidable, able to remain in concentration for eighty thousand great kalpas—all with the manas in concentration. If the manas does not accord with the mental factor of concentration, what use is cultivating concentration? However one cultivates, there will be no concentration; if the manas is not good, no matter how the mind consciousness habituates it, it is useless, and sentient beings can never become good.
If the manas could only have inferior wisdom, then it could never transform the consciousnesses into wisdom, and could never have wisdom like the Buddha's. Could it be that the Buddha's manas is also so inferior and weak? Then how did the Buddha accomplish the Sambhogakāya Buddha (saṃbhoga-kāya-buddha) through the manas?
