Denoting expressions and expressions Revealing Objects

Question: Can it be understood this way—that in the vast majority of circumstances, when we use nominal designations to contemplate various issues, including worldly and supramundane dharmas, the mental faculty (manas) is involved, but only superficially? If untrained, the mental consciousness struggles to engage in thought using direct phenomenal designations. Through training, such as cultivating concentration to attain a certain level of concentration power, one can then dispense with nominal designations and directly engage in thought using direct phenomenal designations. At this point, both the mental consciousness and the mental faculty participate, and the mental faculty can engage more deeply. Is the above understanding correct?

Answer: The meaning of "direct phenomenal designation" is that the seven consciousnesses and their concomitant mental factors can collectively manifest and reveal various experiential realms, enabling others to comprehend and understand them. All seven consciousnesses possess this function; it is not exclusive to the mental faculty. "Nominal designation" uses words, terms, and sentences to express internal thoughts and experiential realms, enabling others to comprehend and understand them. This is a functional characteristic of the mental consciousness; the mental faculty does not possess it, nor do the five sense consciousnesses.

Nominal designation encompasses both linguistic expressions and perceptual contemplation. Perceptual contemplation is also a characteristic of the mental consciousness. The mental consciousness can clearly apprehend the objects of the six sense fields and subsequently engage in perceptual contemplation and thought regarding them. The mental faculty does not possess this overt functional capacity; the function of the mental faculty is subtle, profound, hidden, and difficult to perceive, yet its influence is considerable. If the seeds of two consciousnesses are less dispersed and less differentiated towards other mental objects, their force of influence becomes substantial, enabling them to penetrate all dharmas, and the wisdom of discernment becomes more powerful. When concentration power increases, the function of direct phenomenal designation by the sixth and seventh consciousnesses becomes prominent, the function of the mental faculty becomes prominent, is fully utilized and expressed, and its discernment function becomes more powerful, potentially enabling thorough contemplation of all dharmas, with wisdom surging forth.