What Does the Manas' Ātma-grāha Cling To?

The ego-clinging of the manas is innate and is termed "innate ego-clinging." It primarily clings to the five aggregates and eighteen dharmas as the self and as belonging to the self, believing them to possess real functions. It clings to self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan; clings to the objects of the six dusts (sense objects); clings to the functions of the six sense faculties; clings to the knowing and seeing of the six consciousnesses; clings to feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness; and clings to the physical body. Attachment to other, more subtle dharmas is termed "dharma-clinging," clinging to dharmas as real, as belonging to the self, and as having actual functions. Naturally, when many dharmas are still unknown or uncomprehended, there is no way to cling to them. As the degree of practice deepens continuously, and the dharmas understood become more numerous and increasingly subtle, the dharma-clinging in the mind will continuously arise and intensify, necessitating continuous contemplation and practice to subdue and eliminate it.

The consciousness (mano-vijñāna) also has clinging, though it is not as severe as that of the manas. It arises only when encountering specific circumstances and constitutes clinging to those circumstances. The more contact there is with the objects of the six dusts, the more numerous and heavier the clinging becomes; this is termed "discriminating ego-clinging." The discriminating ego-clinging of the consciousness is intermittent, sometimes present and sometimes absent. When the consciousness ceases, the clinging ceases. When the consciousness comprehends the principle, the clinging can be subdued or eliminated. The clinging of the consciousness to circumstances is lighter than the clinging of the manas, less stubborn; it can be relinquished upon command, perhaps forgotten after a night's sleep. The clinging of the manas, however, cannot be forgotten or eliminated even after a lifetime of sleep; it is utterly stubborn. Sometimes, the more it is opposed, the more stubborn it becomes.