The False Self of Sentient Beings

From any aspect and any angle, the manas is the false self upon which sentient beings truly rely, the primary self. Moreover, this self has always taken the five-aggregate body as the self, taken the functions and activities of the six consciousnesses as the self, and taken the functions and activities of the eighth consciousness as the self, regarding all meritorious functions as His own meritorious functions, and regarding the functions of all dharmas as His own functions.

The mind consciousness is also a false self, with evident functions of seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing. Sentient beings all take the mind consciousness's seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing as primary, and take the mind consciousness's actions and activities as primary. When the mind consciousness lacks seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing, they say, "I no longer have seeing, hearing, perceiving, or knowing." When the mind consciousness has no actions or activities, they say, "I cannot speak or think." This sentient being is the manas. He relies on the mind consciousness's seeing, hearing, perceiving, knowing, and its actions and activities to accomplish His own aims and wishes. When there is no mind consciousness and no actions and activities of the mind consciousness, the manas cannot accomplish anything within the six sense objects, and the surface functions and activities of the five-aggregate body also cease. This is something the manas is unwilling to accept. Therefore, when practicing meditation to make the six consciousnesses reduce their activities or cease them altogether, the manas at first cannot bear it, and meditation becomes very difficult—the manas always struggles and resists.

From another perspective, the mind consciousness's seeing, hearing, perceiving, knowing, and its actions and activities are all the result of the manas's direction and dominance. The two consciousnesses cooperate with each other, one in the open and one in the dark. Almost everyone takes all these activities to be the mind consciousness's activities alone, observing not the slightest trace of the manas's hidden functions, thereby burying the manas's merits, not knowing that the manas is the master of these activities, not knowing that the manas is the true master, the true false self of sentient beings. Resolving the problem of the manas can resolve all problems.