Ignorance and Faults of the Manas

The ignorance of the manas is not because the mind consciousness lacks wisdom; rather, it is precisely because of the ignorance of the manas that the mind consciousness lacks wisdom. Therefore, the one who tied the bell is not the mind consciousness, although untying the bell requires the mind consciousness to untie it. The ignorance of the manas has existed since beginningless kalpas and has never been illuminated. In the very beginning, there were only the tathāgatagarbha and the manas, without the mind consciousness—so how could the ignorance of the manas be the fault of the mind consciousness? The ignorance of the mind consciousness is precisely the fault of the manas.