The Parikalpita-svabhāva of Manas

Mahākāśyapa practiced the dhūta asceticism, sitting under trees. He never meditated under the same tree for more than three days; by the third day, he would invariably move to another tree, fearing that attachment to the tree might arise, thereby binding him to the cycle of birth and death. Since the minds of fully liberated great arhats are already emancipated and they can enter parinirvāṇa without remainder at any time and place, why did he still so vigilantly guard his mind?

The mind that does the guarding is consciousness (vijñāna), which possesses strong awareness and rationality. The mind being guarded is the mental faculty (manas), which has weak awareness and rationality, characterized by parikalpita-svabhāva (the nature of conceptual proliferation), and easily clings to all dharmas. For ordinary people, the mental faculty tends to cling to whatever dharmas it encounters. Why is the mental faculty so prone to clinging?

Since beginningless kalpas, the mental faculty has been deeply shrouded in ignorance (avidyā), unaware of the principles of Dharma, failing to perceive the true substance and essence of dharmas, recognizing only their superficial appearances, and mistaking illusory appearances as ultimate reality. Furthermore, due to ignorance and delusion, it remains unaware of its own folly, stubbornly clinging to its own views and refusing to relinquish them. Thus, the mental faculty is difficult to transform, resistant to changing its perceptions, habits, and tendencies.

Regarding the habits and tendencies of the mental faculty: whenever it encounters phenomena that resonate with its inclinations, it easily forms habits after more than three exposures. So-called habits refer to the inertial force of the mental faculty, which prefers and enjoys continuing previous thoughts, actions, and inclinations without flexibility or adaptability. Some habits of the mental faculty are not even liked by it, but with repeated exposure, they become mechanized patterns of thought and mental activity.

Why does the mental faculty possess this mechanical inertia? Because the mental faculty is deluded and unskilled in contemplation. When exposed to dharmas that mature over long periods, it automatically accepts them, then clings to and acts upon them, thereby forming habits and natural tendencies. As for the six consciousnesses, they unconsciously speak, act, or think without restraint. How could it be easy to control, given the mental faculty’s stubbornness? Moreover, the consciousnesses themselves lack awareness and do not even possess the thought or intention to exert control.

In the world, there were originally no paths; they became paths only after being trodden by many people. The mental faculty originally had no habits; they formed through frequent exposure and repetition. Once a habit is established in the mental faculty, it becomes difficult to remove or correct, regardless of whether the activity is meaningless. Once the mental faculty becomes accustomed to something, it will continue doing it without fail. It does not contemplate whether the matter is meaningful, whether it is worth doing, or what cost should be paid. It disregards all such considerations. From this perspective, the mental faculty is deluded and possesses inferior wisdom.

Judging from the mental faculty’s deluded nature and its tendency to form habits easily, it possesses the characteristic of parikalpita-svabhāva (conceptual proliferation). If it were wise, it would not have parikalpita-svabhāva; wisdom does not cling, much less engage in conceptual proliferation. Due to the mental faculty’s deluded nature, it does not easily form habits with wholesome dharmas, nor does it readily develop attachment to them. Of course, attachment to wholesome dharmas also binds one to the cycle of birth and death, preventing liberation. However, spiritual practice is progressive. Using the wholesome to subdue the unwholesome is the initial stage of practice. Once unwholesome dharmas are eliminated, wholesome dharmas are also not retained. The mind becomes empty and attuned to the Way (Dao), fully endowed with the power of the Way.

Since beginningless kalpas ago, the environment in which the mental faculty existed was predominantly filled with unwholesome dharmas, with few or no wholesome dharmas. Thus, the mental faculty resonated with unwholesome dharmas and did not resonate with wholesome ones. It became accustomed to unwholesome dharmas and unaccustomed to wholesome ones. Transforming it through the influence of wholesome dharmas is difficult. Nevertheless, to escape the cycle of suffering in saṃsāra, no matter how difficult it is, one must persist in steeping the mental faculty in wholesome dharmas. Persistence leads to success.