The Constant Deliberation of the Object-Aspect, Perceiving-Aspect, and Manas

Question: Is the object-aspect (nimitta) the result of the perceiving-aspect (darśana-bhāga)? The object-aspect of eye consciousness is the visible forms such as colors that are seen; then what is the object-aspect of the manas? What are the mental-activity dharma-marks of the manas' constant deliberative reflection (恒审思量)? How do the manas' mental-activity dharma-marks connect with the results of its constant deliberative reflection? What is the relationship between the activity-marks (行相) and the object-aspect?

Answer: The object-aspect is the object perceived by the perceiving-aspect; it is not the result of the perceiving-aspect. Even when the perceiving-aspect does not appear, the object-aspect still exists; it simply does not manifest in the conscious mind.

The result of the perceiving-aspect is the self-cognition (svasaṃvitti): having already perceived the object-aspect, this is called the self-cognition.

The object-aspects of the manas are very extensive. Whatever the eighth consciousness can perceive, the manas can also perceive, except for the seeds in the eighth consciousness whose conditions have not yet ripened and the seeds of the seven great elements. The manas is called the consciousness of imputed nature (parikalpita-svabhāva) because it can perceive all dharmas, and only because it can perceive all dharmas can it universally reckon and grasp, universally clinging and attaching, silently containing everything. Because it can perceive all dharmas, it can silently contain all dharmas. This includes the object-aspects of the six sense-objects that the six consciousnesses can perceive, the object-aspects of the six sense-objects that the six consciousnesses cannot perceive, object-aspects that do not belong to the six sense-objects, and object-aspects of the past and future—as long as the eighth consciousness can perceive and manifest them, the manas can perceive them.

When the manas engages in constant deliberative reflection, the most essential factor is the continuous present operation of the volition mental factor (cetanā), with continuous attention (manaskāra), contact (sparśa), feeling (vedanā), and perception (saṃjñā) directed toward the dharma being deliberated; the memory mental factor (smṛti) also operates continuously, with the desire mental factor (chanda) playing a guiding role; perhaps meditative concentration (samādhi) and wisdom (prajñā) mental factors may appear, and it is also possible that wholesome and unwholesome mental factors will manifest. The dharma-marks of the manas' mental activity are precisely the activity-marks of the mental factors' operation.

Only when these mental factors of the manas operate together in harmony can there be continuous constant deliberative reflection, and only then can a result of deliberation be produced.

The activity-marks of a conscious mind's operation can be observed and known by the mind consciousness, and therefore they are the object-aspects of the mind consciousness. The operating activity-marks are the object-aspect; whatever can be observed by a conscious mind is its object-aspect. The eight consciousnesses themselves can also be observed by the mind consciousness, and therefore the eight consciousnesses are also object-aspects of the mind consciousness.

If all eight consciousnesses can introspectively observe themselves and their own mental factors, then the eight consciousnesses and their mental factors are also the object-aspects of themselves.