The Key to Properly Managing Bodily, Verbal, and Mental Actions

If one manages one's own mind consciousness and manas well, one can manage the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the six consciousnesses. The arhat's manas has long been tamed, having eradicated afflictions; there is nothing in the world to linger over or crave. From the stage of anāgāmin onward, the mind is liberated, and the bodily, verbal, and mental actions are pure. When going out on alms rounds to beg for food, the arhat keeps the eyes on the ground about a foot ahead, with lowered brows and downcast eyes, not glancing left or right or toward other directions; the eyes do not contact objects carelessly, the mind does not think randomly—either single-minded or without mind. When the eyes inevitably contact material sense-objects, one knows the form and stops there, without generating feeling or perception, much less grasping; no karmic seeds remain, and there is no reception of future existence. The four postures of dignified bearing move the great assemblies of humans and devas.

If there is external conditioning from the environment, the mind consciousness is not influenced by it, and the manas even less so. Even if the mind consciousness stirs slightly, the manas does not stir, because afflictions have been completely eradicated. There is no need for the mind consciousness to supervise, monitor, and regulate; rather, the manas can regulate the mind consciousness. As for ordinary sentient beings whose practice is relatively on track, they must use the mind consciousness at all times and in all places to supervise, regulate, and restrain the manas, because the manas has not yet been influenced by wholesome conditioning; without regulation it will transgress against others, and its fundamental nature will be exposed. Therefore, those who always need to remind themselves with the mind consciousness are still far from genuine cultivation. As for those whose mind consciousness is even confused and unclear, there is simply no question of any practice at all. Only after the manas has been influenced by wholesome conditioning and ignorance has been broken through can the bodily, verbal, and mental actions gradually become pure—spontaneous and self-aware, without needing to be watched over.