All spiritual practice includes the practice of the manas.

Question: Whenever the fruits of realization are attained in either the Mahāyāna or the Hīnayāna, the sixth and seventh consciousnesses must both be transformed together. If only the mind consciousness has understood the principles while the manas remains untransformed, at most it is the accomplishment of the wisdom of reflection (manana), and it cannot be called genuine realization. However, in the Hīnayāna teachings such as the Satipaṭṭhāna Sūtra, the various contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) methods taught by the World-Honored One are clearly cultivated by the mind consciousness, and nothing is said about the manas. May I ask how the manas is transformed into the untainted when the fruit of realization is attained?

Answer: Although the World-Honored One did not explicitly point out that the manas should also participate in contemplative practice when he taught the Dharma, all cultivation includes the cultivation of the manas. It is only that when a person lacks meditative concentration (samādhi), the cultivation remains at the level of the mind consciousness; when there is meditative concentration, it will inevitably reach the manas. Even if one does not understand the manas or know its nature, the practice will naturally be implemented in the manas. It is the same principle as the fact that all sentient beings do not know of the existence of the eye consciousness, yet all sentient beings have always been using the eye consciousness.

When the World-Honored One taught the contemplation of the four foundations of mindfulness, as long as sentient beings earnestly practiced according to this teaching, meditative concentration would arise. Only when there is meditative concentration will the contemplative practice be implemented in the manas; the manas will then engage in contemplative practice and attain the fruit of realization together with the mind consciousness. Afterwards, the manas will transform the body, mind, and world, abiding in the samādhi of purity of the Dharma eye. If one does not earnestly practice according to what the World-Honored One taught, but instead harbors a mentality of seeking shortcuts, meditative concentration will certainly not arise, the manas will not be permeated, will not engage in contemplative practice along with the mind consciousness, and thus one will not attain the fruit of realization, and the samādhi state of purity of the Dharma eye will not appear.