Chapter Eight: Manifestations Perfuming Seeds and Seeds Perfuming Manifestations (2)

14. In psychology, there is a method for communicating with the subconscious, which introduces techniques for guiding the manas (seventh consciousness) with the mental consciousness (sixth consciousness). Learning this method can be applied to the practice and realization of the Buddha Dharma, enabling the manas to acknowledge the principle of the non-self of the five aggregates and to accept any truth taught by the Buddha, thereby facilitating a quicker realization of the Dharma.

Subduing the manas and overcoming oneself lies in how effectively the mental consciousness guides and directs the manas, thereby successfully transforming it. Transforming the manas sometimes requires firmness, sometimes gentleness; it must be guided according to circumstances and skillfully instructed. This requires the mental consciousness to possess much skillful means, with appropriate methods, learning to employ both soft and hard approaches. Just as a leader knows how to lead others, one should also know how to lead oneself. Between the mental consciousness and the manas, who is the leader and who is the led? In reality, they lead each other. Once the manas is thoroughly transformed, the mental consciousness no longer needs to act as the leader; the manas will forever act autonomously.

15. The Burden of Manas on Mental Consciousness

If the mental consciousness could take charge and not be controlled by the manas, then our practice of Buddhism would be a very easy, simple, and swift matter. Once the mental consciousness learns the Buddha Dharma, it understands what should be done and acts accordingly, regardless of whether the manas agrees or supports it. How simple that would be! If the mental consciousness comprehends the principles, it need not concern itself with whether the manas understands or accepts; enlightenment would occur immediately, afflictions would be swiftly removed, meditative concentration would arise quickly, and the transformation of consciousness into wisdom would occur rapidly. If the mental consciousness could accomplish whatever it thought of, how effortless and straightforward the study and teaching of the Buddha Dharma would be! Each person's transformation would be extremely rapid, and attaining Buddhahood would not be difficult. However, the reality is not so. The difficulty in practice lies precisely with the manas. The manas is extremely troublesome, hard to manage and change. It is deeply obscured by ignorance, does not understand principles, constantly grasps and clings everywhere, yet insists on being in charge at all times and places, making it very difficult for the mental consciousness to deal with it.

Initially, when one begins learning Buddhism, it is the mental consciousness that occasionally encounters the Dharma by chance, while the manas does not know what the Dharma is. After the mental consciousness learns it, it then informs the manas that this is the Dharma and explains its benefits, enabling the manas to accept it and understand a little. Actually, it is the manas that first encounters the Dharma, but it does not recognize it as the Dharma nor understand it, so it hands it over to the mental consciousness. Thus, the mental consciousness shoulders the responsibility of self-study and teaching the manas, which is very arduous. It constantly faces obstacles and burdens from the habitual tendencies of the manas. Upholding precepts is not easy, cultivating blessings through giving is not easy, and cultivating meditative concentration goes without saying; trying to eliminate afflictions is extremely difficult.

After great difficulty, the mental consciousness finally reaches the stage of severing the view of self, removing some of the manas's deep-seated sense of self, and only then does it find some relief, no longer having to follow the manas into the three lower realms to suffer. However, when generating the great vehicle bodhicitta and practicing the bodhisattva path, it again faces obstruction from the manas's selfish mentality. After much persuasion and reasoning with the manas, it finally manages to practice the six perfections to a reasonable degree and attains enlightenment, truly entering the gate of Buddhism. Then, it contends with the manas's grasping at self and dharmas, finally subduing the manas completely and thoroughly. Only after eradicating all its ignorance, removing all its armor, and triumphantly ascending the throne of the Dharma King, experiencing complete inner and outer ease and freedom, does the arduous journey of three asamkhyeya kalpas come to an end. It is incredibly difficult, and when one fully awakens from the dream, it seems to have happened in the blink of an eye.

16. How Should Mental Consciousness Perfume Manas? The mental consciousness must engage in proper attention, proper contemplation, and wholesome contemplation regarding all matters and principles. Simultaneously, this allows the manas to understand correct principles, enabling it to gradually align with them. This is called perfuming the manas. The mental consciousness must contemplate; without contemplation, it cannot perfume the manas, because the content of contemplation is transmitted to the manas moment by moment, upon which the manas conducts its own thinking, weighing, and forming its own cognitions. The mental consciousness should constantly contemplate correct principles to induce the manas to comply. Once perfumed, the manas can form new habitual tendencies, and its old unwholesome habits will change.

17. The habitual seeds of the manas reside in the tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature). Transforming the afflictive habits of the manas essentially changes the karmic seeds within the tathāgatagarbha. When the karmic seeds change, the habits of future lifetimes change. Manifestations can perfume seeds. By learning correct Buddhist views, the mental consciousness gains wisdom. Using this wisdom to guide and perfume the manas, the manas, being perfumed by the mental consciousness, can change its habits. The mental activities of the manas are then stored as seeds in the tathāgatagarbha. In the future, the manas will manifest these changed mental activities, and its physical, verbal, and mental actions will change. Therefore, it is said that transforming the manas transforms the karmic seeds.

18. How to Subdue the Manas's Nature of Pervasive Discrimination and Grasping

The manas universally discriminates and grasps all dharmas as "self" and "belonging to self." The scope of "all dharmas" is extremely broad; as long as they are manifested by the eighth consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna), the manas can perceive and grasp them as its own. However, it grasps selectively. If it grasped everything simultaneously, the mind would be utterly confused and the spirit would collapse, ultimately gaining nothing. Therefore, based on specific circumstances and its own conditions, it chooses to grasp certain dharmas, sometimes these, sometimes those. It regards all dharmas manifested by the eighth consciousness as belonging to itself, as its own functions. This is erroneous grasping, a state of non-valid cognition, which is why it cannot attain liberation or Buddhahood. In the state of an ordinary being, the manas primarily grasps the five aggregates and eighteen elements (āyatanas) as the self, grasps the functions of the six consciousnesses as its own, and claims all dharmas for itself. This precisely demonstrates its ignorance.

To attain liberation, we must gradually eliminate its ignorance, transform its deluded nature, and enable it to recognize the true reality of the Dharma realm. Only then can its grasping nature be severed, leading towards liberation and the accomplishment of Buddhahood. Our mental consciousness should constantly contemplate the Buddha Dharma, informing the manas that this is empty and without self, that is empty and without self, that all dharmas are not the self nor belong to the self, and that there is no need to grasp or crave them. Everything one encounters is manifested by the eighth consciousness, all is illusory and unreal. If the mental consciousness constantly contemplates in this way, the manas will relax its grasping. By contemplating the emptiness of the five aggregates, it will not grasp them as the self, and liberation becomes possible. Furthermore, by diligently realizing the eighth consciousness, enabling the manas to know that all dharmas are manifested by the eighth consciousness and do not belong to "me," the manas will subsequently develop right view, be able to eradicate ignorance, delusion, and afflictions, gradually attain liberation, and gain great wisdom, transforming consciousness into wisdom, ultimately attaining Buddhahood.

19. After beginning to learn and practice Buddhism, the mental consciousness is the first to change because its capacity for wisdom is relatively strong. It can contemplate, analyze, judge, reason, compare, etc. Its ability to accept is strong, and its comprehension is high. Therefore, it is the first to be influenced and educated, changing relatively quickly. Transforming the seventh consciousness, the manas, is very difficult because it is the self-grasping consciousness. It has existed continuously from beginningless kalpas until now, without interruption. All afflictions and habits are accumulated very deeply, as stubborn as solid ice. Moreover, it insists on making decisions for everything, big or small. This stubbornness is difficult to change in the short term. Grasping primarily refers to this mind. To change it, the mental consciousness needs long-term influence, constantly persuading and educating it.

In practice, one must first use the mental consciousness's contemplative observation (vipassana) to enable both the mental consciousness and the manas to confirm that the five aggregates are indeed empty and not the self. Once the manas confirms this principle, its mental activities will gradually change. It will no longer grasp the five aggregates as the self, grasping will lessen, self-conceit (asmi-māna) will be completely severed, and the manas's grasping at self will also be completely severed. Only then can one transcend the suffering of birth and death within the three realms. If one has not severed the view of self (sakkāya-diṭṭhi) to become a stream-enterer (sotāpanna) but talks about severing grasping, it is merely empty talk and can never be accomplished. If one could sever the manas's grasping at self without first severing the view of self, then the non-Buddhist ascetics (tīrthika) during the Buddha's time would have already severed it long ago. Why then would the World-Honored One himself need to come to this fivefold defiled world (pañcakaṣāya), putting on sullied robes, enduring hardships, to teach the path to liberation?

20. Why Does One Stop Feeling Sleepy When Encountering a Favorite Game?

The manas enjoys playing games; its mind clings to the game, craving the pleasure of gaming. It continuously directs attention and makes choices towards the game. The mental consciousness continuously engages in play without ceasing. The more interested the manas is, the more intensely concentrated the mental consciousness becomes. Thus, the mental consciousness generates excitement and no longer feels sleepy. If the manas is not interested in the game, the mental consciousness loses interest, and sleepiness sets in.

All matters are decided by the manas. Whether to sleep or not is determined by the manas. If it likes something, the mental consciousness must focus on it, mental energy becomes excited, and the mental consciousness cannot cease to sleep. Based on this principle, we must make the manas like the Buddha Dharma. This "making" refers to the mental consciousness using contemplation of Buddhist principles to perfume and educate the manas, causing the manas to become interested in the Dharma. When the mental consciousness is perfumed by wholesome dharmas and then perfumes the manas, the manas can change, removing unwholesome mentalities and habits, transforming into wholesome mentalities and habits. Wholesome seeds are stored in the eighth consciousness, and unwholesome seeds within the eighth consciousness are eliminated. This is "manifestations perfuming seeds."

After the manas becomes wholesome, if it encounters unwholesome dharmas, it will not allow the mental consciousness to engage in them, thereby controlling and changing the mental consciousness. This is called "seeds perfuming manifestations." Therefore, we should be clear about what cultivation entails. If the manas is not perfumed and transformed, no matter how much the mental consciousness understands, the theories it comprehends are useless because the mental consciousness is not the master. Only by changing the master's mind, the leader's mind, and the decision-maker's mind can everything be changed.

21. To transform the manas, one must use the mental consciousness's right contemplation to correct and influence the manas's wrong contemplation, perfuming the manas so that it also possesses right contemplation, understands correct Buddhist principles, enabling it to make correct choices and reduce greed, hatred, delusion, afflictions, and habits. Especially in important matters, the mental consciousness should contemplate correct principles more often, transmitting wholesome, reasonable, and feasible viewpoints and perspectives to the manas for its consideration, reference, and decision-making. If it is found that the manas's decision is still incorrect, action should be postponed. Contemplate the correct principles again, find more evidence to persuade it. Perhaps then it will be convinced and make choices according to the mental consciousness's right contemplation. Only then can one agree with the manas's decision and execute it.

22. The Power and Result of Repentance

Face-to-face repentance can eliminate the seeds within the tathāgatagarbha of both individuals. However, it requires that the person repenting does so sincerely and the person receiving the repentance accepts it sincerely. Only then can resentment be resolved and knots untied. Why must repentance and acceptance be sincere? Sincerity and genuineness represent the manas repenting from the heart outward and accepting from the heart outward. Only when the manas repents and accepts will the tathāgatagarbha of both individuals re-record, thereby changing the previous karmic seeds within their tathāgatagarbhas. Because the original karmic seeds in the tathāgatagarbha are eliminated, there is no longer resentment between the two individuals.

Bodhisattvas on the bhūmis (stages) change the karmic seeds within their own tathāgatagarbha by utilizing the mental consciousness to perfume and persuade the manas, enabling the manas to see the harmfulness of its own afflictions and habits, thus resolving to repent. In this way, their own mental nature changes, and the karmic seeds within the tathāgatagarbha are eliminated. Due to their profound meditative power, wisdom power, and merit power, Bodhisattvas on the bhūmis can eliminate the karmic seeds within their own tathāgatagarbha by changing their manas's mental activities and habits, purifying their own minds.

Pretentious, false repentance by the mental consciousness has little practical effect and is often seen through by others. What should be done if the mental consciousness wishes to repent but is hindered by the manas's afflictions and habits? Then one should frequently condemn the manas. If one knows how to condemn others, one can know how to condemn oneself. Condemning oneself means condemning the manas; one must expose and reveal all one's unwholesome mental activities. Even if the manas is unwilling or unhappy, sometimes this must be done. If the manas truly cannot accept it due to excessively heavy habits, do not force it. Proceed step by step, testing the waters; do not be impatient, otherwise it may backfire, and the manas might act recklessly, which can be very troublesome.

23. Manas is the last of the six sense faculties. It is the self-grasping consciousness, constantly grasping all dharmas everywhere. Afflictions and habits from life after life lie dormant and follow along. Therefore, the manas possesses an inertial force. There is a saying: "It is easier to move mountains than to alter one's nature." This implicitly refers to the extremely strong habitual force of the manas, which can manifest even in the womb, without requiring postnatal learning or environmental influence. All our physical, verbal, and mental actions have a habit, which is the habitual force of the manas. To change this inertia, one must learn correct Buddha Dharma. Once the mental consciousness gains correct knowledge and views, when encountering events, it will contemplate, analyze, and make choices. This process is the process of perfuming the manas. The mental consciousness constantly contemplates whether this matter accords with the Dharma and that does not. Initially, the manas may not accept it, but over time, as understanding grows in the mind, the manas can recognize it and change itself. Mental activities will then change, and physical, verbal, and mental actions will change accordingly.

The mental consciousness's proper attention and contemplation can perfume and influence the manas. By constantly contemplating correct Dharma principles, the manas can gradually accept the correct principles contemplated and analyzed by the mental consciousness. Afflictions and habits can then lessen and change. Everything done by the six consciousnesses, big or small, is transmitted to the manas. The manas then decides what to do next and how to do it based on this information. It may follow the choices of the six consciousnesses, or it may not, still making decisions according to its own inherent habits. In that case, the six consciousnesses have to act according to the manas's afflictive habits. Only by long-term perfuming of the manas, with the six consciousnesses constantly transmitting correct reports to it, can the manas gradually change, and practice will then become effective.

24. The acquired self-grasping nature of the mental consciousness arises from acquired external conditions and erroneous teachings and discriminations. This self-grasping nature of the mental consciousness inevitably perfumes the manas, in turn increasing the manas's innate self-grasping nature and strengthening the force of its innate self-grasping seeds. If the mental consciousness receives proper teaching and influence, it is relatively easy to subdue this self-grasping nature. However, this is only subduing it. As long as the manas's self-grasping is not severed, it will continuously control the mental consciousness, making the mental consciousness's self-grasping nature also difficult to sever.

In terms of discriminative nature, the mental consciousness is the most powerful due to its agility, depth, subtlety, and breadth in thinking. However, the manas also has discriminative nature. Self-grasping and the nature of grasping at self, although present in the mental consciousness, primarily belong to the manas. The nature of grasping mainly refers to the manas's; "I" and "self-nature" primarily refer to the manas's. This is because the manas regards all dharmas as "me" and "belonging to me," takes the functions of the eighth consciousness as its own functions, takes the functions of the six consciousnesses as its own functions. In reality, the manas takes itself as "me," and all dharmas belong to and are used by the manas. The eighth consciousness, the six consciousnesses, and the five aggregates are merely tools used by the manas, belonging to it. Therefore, the manas's self-grasping is grasping at itself and grasping at all the tools it possesses. From this perspective, the manas must have self-verifying awareness (svasaṃvedana), it's just that the mental consciousness lacks sufficient wisdom to perceive the manas's function of self-verifying awareness.

Because the mental consciousness has a strong capacity for discernment, it easily accepts the influence of reality and present circumstances. Therefore, the mental consciousness is subdued relatively quickly, and its thoughts change swiftly. Once the mental consciousness changes its thoughts, it must transmit its ideas, views, and information to the manas to perfume it and induce change in the manas. Once the manas changes, the karmic seeds change, and subsequent mental activities transform. If the manas has not yet been successfully perfumed by the mental consciousness, when conditions arise, it will manifest its original inherent habitual inertia, and the mental consciousness will be powerless to stop it.

If the mental consciousness is powerless to stop it, how will the manas's habitual inertia manifest? The manas must manifest its habitual inertia through the mental consciousness and the five sense consciousnesses, which are its tools. It will fully utilize the tools of the six consciousnesses to operate; otherwise, it cannot express itself, reveal itself, or act out. Therefore, in practice, if only the mental consciousness is subdued while the manas remains unsubdued, there is little practical effect. The mental consciousness supervising the manas constantly will inevitably lose control at times. The wild nature of the manas-ox is indeed very difficult to tame.

25. The mental consciousness knows good and bad, but the manas does not synchronize with it. Regardless of what the mental consciousness thinks, the manas acts according to its own inherent views. The manas is very stubborn. What it deems good is good, and it will do even what is not good. What it deems bad is bad, and it will not do even what is good. This is due to the habitual inertia of the manas.

How should the mental consciousness influence and transform the manas? Sometimes the power of the mental consciousness is relatively strong, its control over the manas is significant, and it can manipulate the manas, forcing it to follow the mental consciousness's ideas and decide to act accordingly. But the manas will inevitably break free from restraint one day; it cannot always obey the mental consciousness. Therefore, the mental consciousness must subdue the manas with reason; it cannot always rely on coercion. Once the manas understands the principles, it will automatically and consciously make choices according to reason. The process of persuading the manas with reason is the process of perfuming and influencing it.

When the manas is hesitant and indecisive, it is willing to listen to the mental consciousness's analysis and opinions. Its behavior can then be rational. Acting despite knowing it is wrong is irrational behavior of the manas. If it listens to the mental consciousness's advice, it is the mental consciousness's rationality prevailing. Acting knowingly against better judgment is the manas's ignorant habits prevailing.

26. Those who have attained the third and fourth fruits (anāgāmi, arhat) are born with pure minds because the manas has already severed afflictions and will not generate them again. However, if the mental consciousness is influenced by the environment and then perfumes the manas, minor afflictions might still arise. After re-attaining the fruit and developing the first dhyāna, neither the mental consciousness nor the manas will be influenced to generate afflictions, although habits may still manifest occasionally.

Once the manas's mind is pure, the external appearance becomes irrelevant. Bodhisattvas who have severed afflictions often do not care about appearances. They only pay attention to appearances to influence and guide sentient beings, but their minds are already free from appearances. Therefore, often, to liberate sentient beings, Bodhisattvas can accommodate sentient beings with their body and speech while their minds remain pure. After attaining Buddhahood, the mind is extremely pure, as pure as the tathāgatagarbha. Therefore, no precepts are needed to regulate the Buddha's physical, verbal, and mental actions, just as no precepts are needed to regulate the tathāgatagarbha. Because the tathāgatagarbha's nature is originally pure, without any non-normative mental activities, then any unwholesome actions or precept violations performed by the tathāgatagarbha in accordance with the seven consciousnesses do not constitute unwholesome karma for the tathāgatagarbha; the tathāgatagarbha does not bear any karmic retribution. Similarly, the Buddha's mental activities are utterly and completely pure. All appearances of evil people, ghosts, etc., manifested to liberate sentient beings, and all actions performed, bear no unwholesome karmic retribution because the mind is extremely pure.

Bodhisattvas on the bhūmis can manifest any kind of body in the six realms and perform any kind of action. Perhaps in the eyes of ordinary people, this seems impure, but Bodhisattvas have their own principles and standards. As long as their minds are pure, everything is for the sake of Buddhism and sentient beings, their purpose is pure, selfless, and without ego, they do not violate any precepts. For example, to liberate a gambler, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva manifested as a gambler and gambled with him, ultimately guiding him into the Buddhist path. Although Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva participated in gambling, there was not a single mental activity of liking gambling; it did not resonate with the gambler's mind, so there was no unwholesome karmic result of gambling. On the contrary, by using this special means to liberate the gambler, the merit is immeasurable. If the gambler later becomes a pillar of Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva's merit is also immeasurable.

When Śākyamuni Buddha was a Bodhisattva, to save a person who wantonly intended to murder him from falling into hell, having no other choice, he killed that person. He preferred to risk falling into hell himself rather than letting the killed person suffer the evil result of hell. Śākyamuni Buddha, by such means, not only saved the lives of five hundred Bodhisattvas but also saved the evil person who intended to murder him, sparing him from many kalpas of hellish retribution. The Bodhisattva Precepts in the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra stipulate that if one encounters a sentient being who should be liberated, one should liberate them even if it means violating precepts. If one fears violating precepts and does not liberate them, one violates the Bodhisattva Precepts. However, throughout all these actions, the Bodhisattva's mental activities remain pure, solely for the sake of sentient beings' happiness, not for one's own liberation. With a mind almost like the tathāgatagarbha, what precept could be violated!

27. Because the seventh consciousness, manas, constantly grasps at all dharmas, the mental consciousness must discern all dharmas. After discernment, various thoughts arise; this is how thoughts come about. If the grasping nature of the manas is subdued, the mental consciousness will become quiet and not generate various thoughts. Therefore, only by subduing the manas can meditative concentration be successfully cultivated, and deeper dhyāna be attained. To subdue the seventh consciousness, manas, one must have the mental consciousness contemplate the empty and impermanent nature of all dharmas, then transmit this to the manas to perfume it.

The deeper and more subtle the mental consciousness's contemplation, the easier it is for the manas to be perfumed and the clearer it becomes. Its grasping nature will weaken, and its clinging will lessen. To make the manas understand principles more, the mental consciousness itself must first understand principles more. Constantly engage in correct hearing and contemplation (śruta and cintā), then transmit the contemplated and understood principles to the seventh consciousness to perfume and transform the manas. The manas will then be effectively subdued.