How to Determine Whether the Manas Is Thinking and Investigating?

Master, may I ask: I feel that the questioning doubt has already arisen. At this point, my mind has condensed the question into a single point—such as "Who is dragging this corpse around?"—and handed it over to the manas. But I don't know whether the manas is pondering it. What should I do? For example, when I see others walking on the street, my mind consciousness can't help but wonder: how can an empty shell walk? Will this knowing faculty of the mind consciousness divide the manas's attention, preventing the manas from engaging fully in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā)? But if I don't let the mind consciousness think about the question, I always feel that although there is nothing in the mind, it seems empty and hollow. I have no idea what the manas is thinking at this moment. What should I do?

Answer: If you feel that this huatou is always present in your mind, that means the manas is pondering and investigating it. When your thought and attention are constantly on the huatou, without any obvious deliberation, analysis, or consideration—and yet you cannot shake it off even if you want to—that is the manas engaged in investigation. Even if the mind consciousness has simple thoughts, the manas still holds the questioning doubt, silently deliberating (manana) on the huatou. The thoughts of the mind consciousness will of course influence the manas—but sometimes there is simply no way around it!