The Deliberation of the Manas Has No Language or Words.

Question: When training the manas to contemplate the Buddha-dharma, is it better to leave behind language and words?

Answer: The manas itself operates apart from language and words; it does not correspond to language and words. What corresponds to language and words is the mind consciousness, which is relatively shallow. Whoever can contemplate apart from language and words must certainly have very good meditative concentration (samādhi), having already penetrated deep into the manas. This is not easy to achieve, but it makes realizing the Dharma easy. For a person of shallow concentration, once language and words are set aside, the mind can no longer function, so such a person's wisdom is also insufficient.

By observing a person's gaze and facial expression, one can know whether that person has concentration, and how deep it is. Because when in concentration, the gaze and facial expression differ from the ordinary state—they are more focused and profound. This is the expression of deep contemplation: the muscles are taut, the gaze is concentrated, language and words move little or not at all. When the mind consciousness contemplates superficially, the gaze is lively; when contemplating deeply, the gaze is fixed and profound, and the expression is solemn. What is called "fixed" is precisely concentration—this is the manas in operation.

The manas is the commanding officer that controls and directs the body faculty. Although ordinary people do not understand this principle, this is in fact how it is. Some say it is the eighth consciousness that controls the body faculty, but the eighth consciousness obeys the manas and follows its commands; He Himself has no intention of controlling the moment-to-moment changes of the body, such as facial expressions. If one can master this knack of contemplating the Buddha-dharma, it will remain useful all the way up to attaining the bhūmis as a bodhisattva. It is extremely practical and extremely fast, and one's wisdom will certainly penetrate deeply.