How Can the Mind Attain Tranquility?

After the manas directs its attention (manaskāra) toward the six sense objects, if it does not contact them, the subsequent mental activities will not arise, the six consciousnesses cannot come into being, and the six faculties have no mind toward the six sense objects. After the manas directs its attention and makes contact with the six sense objects, if it does not receive or accept them, the subsequent mental activities also do not arise, the six consciousnesses do not come into being, the six faculties have no mind toward the six sense objects, and the mind is tranquil (praśama). After the manas directs its attention, makes contact, and experiences feeling toward the six sense objects, if it does not think about or grasp them, the subsequent mental activities do not arise, the six consciousnesses do not come into being, the six faculties have no mind toward the six sense objects, and the mind is tranquil. If, however, the manas grasps the six sense objects, the deliberation (manasikāra) mental factor will necessarily manifest, a decision will necessarily appear—giving rise to the six consciousnesses and either moving toward the six sense objects or avoiding them—and mental activities of liking and disliking will necessarily appear, and the mind is not tranquil.

If the six consciousnesses subdue the afflictions and feel neither liking nor disliking toward the six sense objects, this is also being without mind, and the mind is tranquil. When the six consciousnesses face the six sense objects, they may also direct attention and make contact, but not receive, not think, not deliberate, and not decide to act, and the mind attains tranquility. When the six consciousnesses direct attention, make contact, and experience feeling toward the six sense objects, but do not think about or grasp them, the mind attains tranquility. This is cultivating the mind amid sense objects; only thus can one subdue and eradicate the afflictions.

When the six consciousnesses face the six sense objects, they direct attention, make contact, experience feeling, and perceive; if afterward they can subdue their own mental activity and control themselves so as not to deliberate and not to act, they can avoid creating karmic formations—but the mind is already no longer tranquil.

The subduing at this point is the subduing of the manas, so that the manas does not make the decision for the six consciousnesses to create karmic formations; if the manas has not been subdued, then even if the six consciousnesses do not wish to create karmic formations, they must still obey the manas's command and will inevitably create karma. But sometimes, when the six consciousnesses do not decide to act, the manas complies, the mind rests, and no bodily, verbal, or mental actions are created.