The Unique Deliberative Nature of the Manas

The deliberation (manana) of the manas is the mind of luminous awareness free of thought; besides referring to the state in which the mind consciousness discerns the six sense objects when it is without thought, there is another mind that likewise has no language or surface-level thinking and analysis, yet can know the realms of the six sense objects as well as dharmas beyond the six sense objects. It is more nimble, more hidden, more profound, and more deliberative, with greater power of deliberation and a stronger capacity to solve problems—that is the manas. The manas cannot think about and analyze the realms of the six sense objects the way the mind consciousness does, but the manas has its own unique deliberative nature, and this deliberative nature is extremely strong. Sentient beings rely mainly on the deliberative nature of the manas to make decisions and to exercise dominion. For example, suppose one falls asleep at night with a problem unsolved; the next morning, the moment one opens one's eyes, the mind consciousness knows: "So that's all it was!" The problem has been solved. With many matters, when the mind consciousness cannot analyze and resolve them, it just leaves them alone, and at some unknown moment, one slaps one's forehead and knows it has been resolved. This is the deliberative function of the manas: He deliberates quietly and silently, without the mind consciousness knowing. For instance, when the manas resolves the matter of bones left over from a past life, the mind consciousness cannot know it no matter what; the manas deliberates on its own about how to resolve it. Another example: when the manas enters another person's dream, or expounds the Dharma to someone, or requests something of someone, these are all operations the manas carries out alone, and they all involve the deliberative nature of the manas, without the mind consciousness knowing. There are also many matters that the mind consciousness cannot think through clearly and does not resolve, so it lets them go and goes off to do other things; then at some unknown moment, suddenly a flash of inspiration comes—one slaps one's forehead: "Right, that's exactly how it is!"—and it is figured out. In fact, during this interval, the mind consciousness has temporarily given up and is no longer thinking and analyzing, so why is it later figured out? It is because the manas did not give up; He has been keeping it in mind all along, holding it in thought, deliberating on it, pondering it. The mental factors of the manas have been operating continuously. He does not have the obvious thinking-and-analyzing function that the mind consciousness has; there are some differences from the mind consciousness's thinking and analyzing function, but His deliberative nature is still extremely strong. In fact, the dharmas that the manas deliberates on are very, very many, and the scope is very, very broad; what the mind consciousness knows is only a very small part. When the mind consciousness lacks wisdom, it understands nothing at all of the deliberative nature of the manas. Whether or not the mind consciousness understands, the manas still has His own deliberative function and role, His own way of deliberating. As for the dharmas the manas deliberates on regarding the six sense objects, He can let the mind consciousness know, or not let it know—this is not a matter of allowing or not allowing; it depends on whether the mind consciousness has wisdom. There are many dharmas that even a person with wisdom has no way of knowing what the manas is deliberating on. As for the results of the manas's deliberation, sometimes the mind consciousness can know them, and sometimes it cannot; in fact, most of the time the mind consciousness does not know. When the manas deliberates out a result and reaches a conclusion: "This matter is important!"—an important problem must be handed over to the six consciousnesses to execute and resolve, so He must find a way to let the six consciousnesses know. If the matter is not important, and the manas can resolve it on His own, then He does not let the mind consciousness know. When the mind consciousness has no awareness, or its awareness is relatively dull and lacks knowing, the mind consciousness does not know the dharmas the manas has deliberated on or the conclusions He has reached. Even if the mind consciousness does not know, the manas still directs the six consciousnesses to carry them out just the same.