The Hidden Mental Factors of the Manas

In the Great Mindfulness Sūtra (Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sūtra), when the Buddha taught the contemplation of feeling, He spoke of two kinds of feeling: inner feeling and outer feeling. Outer feeling refers to the feeling of the mind consciousness that is easy to observe, especially the feeling of the mind consciousness with respect to the objects of the six sense objects; inner feeling refers to the feeling of the manas, which is hidden more deeply and is not easy to observe. Although the vast majority of people cannot distinguish between the mind consciousness and the manas, the mental activities deep within the mind can still be perceived and observed, as long as the mind is very subtle and meticulous.

When the Buddha taught the contemplation of mind, observing the mind meant observing the afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion in the inner mind and the outer mind, and observing whether the inner mind and the outer mind are concentrated or scattered, expansive or narrow, surpassed or unsurpassed, concentrated or unconcentrated, liberated or not liberated. This shows that the inner mind, the manas, has the afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion, can be concentrated or unconcentrated, and can be liberated or not liberated. This proves from the Hīnayāna sūtras that the manas possesses these mental factors, even though the World-Honored One did not state it explicitly. Because the dharma of the manas is something that even Mahāyāna disciples cannot understand and realize, how could Hīnayāna disciples deeply and correctly understand the dharma of the manas? Therefore, the World-Honored One had no choice but to teach the mental factors of the manas in a hidden manner.

Regarding the affliction of doubt, there is inner doubt and outer doubt; when severing doubt, it must be severed exhaustively and completely—it must certainly be the severing of the manas's doubt. Therefore, the three fetters refer entirely to the fetters of the manas; only by severing the manas's doubt is one severing the three fetters. By severing greed—severing the manas's greed—can the mind correspond with the devas of the form realm and be reborn in the form realm heavens. Severing anger must certainly mean severing the manas's anger; only then is one a person of the third fruit (anāgāmin). Severing delusion must certainly mean severing the manas's delusion and ignorance; only then can one transcend the three realms.

The Hīnayāna Buddhist sūtras are the easiest to understand, yet what person can truly comprehend the Hīnayāna sūtras? Let alone the Mahāyāna sūtras—what person can truly and completely understand them? Even having attained the fruit of arhatship, one still cannot completely believe one's own mind; when wisdom is insufficient and the manas's understanding is not exhaustive, completely trusting it easily leads to errors.