Why Is the Body Honest?

The idea that what a person wants to eat indicates what their body lacks raises the question: who exactly is it that wants to eat, and how does it understand the body's needs so well? The body is the most honest; language can be highly deceptive. Why is the body honest and incapable of deception? Why is language prone to falsehood and easily deceives others? The neurons in the body are closely connected to the manas (mind faculty). Any subtle change in the body is known to the manas through the tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature). Thus, the body's demand signals prompt the manas to seek solutions, causing the manas to generate various thoughts and ideas. These signals originate directly from the body. Consciousness learns of them a step later than the manas, or may not become aware of them at all. Language, however, is a function of consciousness. Consciousness does not necessarily align with the psychology of the manas and may not represent the thoughts and ideas of the manas. When the two are inconsistent, falsehood arises.