The Interdependence of Body and Mind

Why does poor rest of the physical body affect the manas? The body and mind rely on each other. Superficially, this mind seems to refer to the six consciousnesses or the mental consciousness, but in reality, the manas depends on the physical body, using it to perceive external states, after which actions arise. A more apparent manifestation occurs when the six consciousnesses are absent: the manas relies entirely on the physical body for survival. When its own capacity proves insufficient, it awakens the six consciousnesses to act on its behalf, thus giving rise to bodily, verbal, and mental activities.

The body, composed of the "four elements," is merely like inert wood. If the body could feel sensation, a corpse should also feel sensation, and wood or stone should feel sensation too. What can perceive sensation must be the conscious mind, not material form. The body and mind mutually influence each other. Because the state of the "four elements" in the body differs, the inner six dusts manifested by the Tathagatagarbha accordingly differ, and the feelings experienced after the conscious mind discriminates them also differ. Similarly, the conscious mind can also influence and alter the material "four elements" of the body.