Only When the Sixth and Seventh Consciousnesses Simultaneously Realize the Dharma Is the Perfuming Successful

True realization of all dharmas is attained and acknowledged simultaneously by the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. If only the mind consciousness thinks this or that, but the manas does not acknowledge it, does not know and does not understand the principles that the six consciousnesses have acknowledged, then the manas has not been successfully infused, He has not realized the Buddha-dharma, and the body-mind world cannot undergo transformation. Because the mind consciousness merely floats on the surface and its deliberation is relatively shallow, and because the mind consciousness cannot act on its own, being entirely dependent on the deep-level manas for direction, if the manas has not been successfully infused, He will still direct all the actions and deeds of the mind consciousness with His original, pre-existing cognition, and the mind consciousness's independent views cannot play their proper role.

The manas is the decision-making consciousness, that is, what we usually call the deep subconscious. If something or some principle is acknowledged in the depths of the manas's mind, it can prompt the bodily, verbal, and mental actions to act in accordance with the acknowledged principle. Although before eradicating the grasping on self, the manas still has attachments and afflictions and cannot make choices entirely according to the realized principle, after all, the manas has already undergone some transformation in its views. When the manas eradicates afflictions and the grasping on self, there is no longer a self within the mind, and the infusion can then be considered fully successful.

The process of the mind consciousness's deliberation is precisely the process of enabling the manas to understand the principles; this is a process that must be undergone. The mind consciousness must deliberate, and must deliberate deeply; without deliberation, the manas cannot understand the principles. When the mind consciousness understands a principle but the manas does not yet understand it, the bodily, verbal, and mental actions cannot change. The manas must rely on the specific information contained in the mind consciousness's deliberation in order to know these principles that the mind consciousness has understood. If the mind consciousness does not deliberate, no information is transmitted to the manas, and the manas cannot discern these principles; He cannot understand them, cannot be prompted to change His views, and the bodily, verbal, and mental actions cannot change either. Therefore, in studying and practicing the Buddha-dharma, we must be adept at deliberation and make good use of the mind consciousness, deliberating and engaging in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) in accordance with the Dharma. In practicing the Buddha-dharma, we must not let the mind consciousness remain constantly in a state of no thought and no awareness, nor let the mind consciousness sit idle and useless; otherwise, we cannot deeply understand the principles, and our wisdom cannot grow.