The Perfect Clear Knowing of the Manas in the Attainment of Cessation

Original text of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra: The World-Honored One said: “诸灭尽定得寂声闻。如此会中摩诃迦叶。久灭意根圆明了知。不因心念。”

The cessation attainment (nirodha-samāpatti) is the ninth sequential meditative absorption, above the four dhyānas and eight absorptions. In the cessation attainment, not only are the six consciousnesses extinguished, but the feeling and perception mental factors of the manas are also extinguished; however, the manas still has the three mental factors of attention (manaskāra), contact (sparśa), and volition (cetanā) functioning. If all five universal mental factors of the manas were extinguished, then there would be no physical body and no first seven consciousnesses, leaving only the eighth consciousness—that would be entering Nirvāṇa without remainder (Anupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa). For the arhat of the fourth fruit, the great arhat who has entered the cessation attainment, because the six consciousnesses and the feeling and perception mental factors of the manas have been extinguished, there is no feeling, no grasping nature toward the six sense objects, and thus the mind attains tranquil cessation. Although only three mental factors remain, Mahākāśyapa is able to use these three mental factors to perfectly and clearly know all dharmas, substituting for the functions of the six consciousnesses, without any obstruction. There is no mindfulness mental factor of the six consciousnesses, nor the mindfulness mental factor of the manas; without stirring a thought, the manas can perfectly and clearly know all dharmas.