Saṃyukta Āgama (359)

Original text: 如是我闻。一时。佛住舍卫国祇树给孤独园。尔时。世尊告诸比丘。若思量。若妄想生。彼使攀缘识住。有攀缘识住故。有未来世生老病死忧悲恼苦。如是纯大苦聚集。若不思量。不妄想。无使攀缘识住。无攀缘识住故。于未来世生老病死忧悲恼苦灭。如是纯大苦聚灭。佛说此经已。诸比丘闻佛所说。欢喜奉行。

Explanation: The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: If a person's mind gives rise to deliberation and delusive thinking, this will cause the six consciousnesses that grasp at the six sense objects to arise and abide upon the six sense objects. Because the six consciousnesses abide upon the six sense objects, there will be future lives of birth, aging, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress (śoka-parideva-duḥkha-daurmanasyopāyāsa)—thus the great mass of suffering entirely gathers together. If a person no longer deliberates and has no delusive thinking, then the six consciousnesses that grasp at the six sense objects will not arise and abide upon the six sense objects. Because there are no six consciousnesses grasping at the six sense objects and abiding there, the future lives of birth, aging, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress—the entire great mass of suffering—will cease and no longer appear.

The deliberation and delusive thinking spoken of here both refer to the deliberative nature and delusive-thinking nature of the manas. When the manas deliberates upon and delusively thinks about all dharmas, the six consciousnesses will arise to satisfy the manas's delusive thinking and actualize the manas's delusive thinking. Consequently, the six consciousnesses will abide upon the deluded states and continually engage in bodily, verbal, and mental actions; karmic seeds are retained, and there will be a five-aggregate body in future lives to undergo birth, aging, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress. If the manas no longer deliberates upon dharmas and has no delusive thinking, the six consciousnesses will not arise, bodily, verbal, and mental actions will not appear, no karmic seeds will be retained, and there will be no birth, aging, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress in future lives.