A Brief Exposition on the Nature of Mind Consciousness (74)

8. The knowing of the eye consciousness among the knowing of the five sense consciousnesses is without names and signs, while the knowing of the mind consciousness involves names and signs. For example, the eye consciousness knows sunlight and knows it as glaring, yet without the name and sign of "sunlight," without verbal designation, without the name and sign of "glaring," without the verbal designation of "glaring." When the mind consciousness and the eye consciousness together discern sunlight, only then does the mind consciousness know that it is sunlight, and know that the sunlight is glaring. However, closing the eyes to avoid the sunlight is a decision made by the manas; the eye consciousness and mind consciousness merely execute it rapidly and involuntarily. Why can the manas make decisions so quickly? Because the discernments of sunlight made by the eye consciousness and mind consciousness in an instant are all transmitted to the manas, and the manas can know them in every instant—and know them correctly—so that it can make correct and reasonable decisions to seek benefit and avoid harm. If the material form discerned by the eye consciousness and mind consciousness is unfamiliar to the manas, the manas cannot decide so quickly, because the manas may not necessarily be able to understand the transmitted material form in accordance with reason; it must deliberate and examine it, and only after deliberating until it understands does it make a decision. There are also times when the manas cannot understand through deliberation; then it cannot truly understand the transmitted material form, and if it is forced to make a decision, it will make a wrong decision. Therefore, whether the manas' decisions are fast or slow, correct and reasonable or not, also depends on the manas' experience and wisdom.