What Is a Subconscious Reaction?

The subconscious reaction is completed very quickly, without allowing the conscious mind any opportunity for analytical thought. The consciousness and the five sensory consciousnesses immediately comply with the directives of the manas (the mental faculty).

Because people are generally unaware and do not understand the manas, they refer to this function of the manas as the subconscious or subconscious reaction. When the habitual tendencies (vasana) of the manas are too strong, encountering something one likes triggers a phenomenon similar to a conditioned reflex. This leaves no opportunity for the conscious mind to reason, train, or regulate, resulting in a response entirely dictated by habitual tendencies.

All physical, verbal, and mental actions involve consciousness. Without consciousness, the manas alone cannot independently produce physical, verbal, or mental actions. Otherwise, when a person falls unconscious, they simply remain unconscious; the manas does not struggle to awaken. Consciousness and the five sensory consciousnesses exist in a parallel and simultaneous relationship. They arise simultaneously and work together to accomplish physical, verbal, and mental actions. None can command the others; all are directed by the manas.