What is the difference between the cessation of the six consciousnesses in Nirvāṇa and the cessation of the six consciousnesses in the attainment of non-perception and the attainment of cessation?

In nirvāṇa, not only do the six consciousnesses cease, but most importantly the manas also ceases. In the meditative concentration of no-perception (asaṃjñi-samāpatti), although the six consciousnesses cease, the manas still remains, and the five universal mental factors are still operating, so it is a state with mind. In the cessation attainment (nirodha-samāpatti), the six consciousnesses have ceased, and the manas still remains, but among the five universal mental factors, the functions of feeling and perception have ceased; it is half with mind and entirely without mind—and that is nirvāṇa.

The cessation of the six consciousnesses is divided into temporary cessation and permanent cessation. In the concentration of no-perception and the cessation attainment, the six consciousnesses cease temporarily because the manas temporarily does not engage with objects. However, the manas has not given up the world of the five aggregates, so it will still allow the six consciousnesses to arise and emerge from concentration. During sleep, the six consciousnesses cease because the manas needs the physical body to rest; this is temporary—if the manas does not cease, it will allow the six consciousnesses to arise and wake up again. In a coma, it is because an obstruction has appeared in the physical body, and the supreme faculty (indriya) cannot normally receive the six sense objects, so the six consciousnesses cannot continue to discern; yet the manas still wants to possess the functions of the six consciousnesses and the functions of the physical body, so when the obstruction to the physical body disappears, the manas will still impel the six consciousnesses to arise. At death, when the four great elements separate, the realms of the six sense objects can no longer be transmitted into the supreme faculty, and the functions of the six consciousnesses can no longer be sustained; only then, having no alternative, does the manas leave the body of the five aggregates and produce the neutrino-body (antarā-bhava) to continue using the functions of the six consciousnesses—this is the passive behavior of the manas.

The state of nirvāṇa, however, arises because the manas no longer has any mental activity; the six consciousnesses cannot continue to operate and thus cease, and the manas itself also ceases—this is the active behavior of the manas.

The six consciousnesses are like the wind over objects, which can blow the great ocean of the Ālayavijñāna into waves of the seven consciousnesses. When the realms discerned by the mind consciousness are transmitted into the manas, the manas is perfumed by them, and thereby gives rise to mental activity; the ocean of the mind is no longer calm, with billowing waves and surging surf. Therefore, when the mind consciousness no longer continues to discern, the manas becomes purified and gradually turns toward nirvāṇa.

The same principle applies when sentient beings are born into the land of bliss (sukhāvatī): in the land of bliss, the mind consciousness, over a long period, does not come into contact with defiled realms similar to those of the Sāha world, so the mind becomes purified and no longer perfumes the manas with unwholesome dharmas; when the mind consciousness is purified, the manas is also purified. When the manas is purified and accords with the land of bliss, it will emerge from the lotus flower to see the Buddha and hear the Dharma, and awaken to non-arising.