The Uninterrupted Mental Engagement of the Manas and Buddhist Cultivation and Realization

Question: Uninterrupted mental engagement (manaskāra) seems to be something that only the manas can accomplish, once the dharma teachings have penetrated deep into the manas—engaging in uninterrupted mental engagement, never letting go thought after thought. In fact, isn't merit precisely the inevitable product of the manas's acceptance or transformation? As long as the manas genuinely accepts and takes on the dharma, the merit of realizing the fruit comes naturally, and wisdom comes too. This is a series of naturally occurring events; the root of realizing the dharma still lies in the manas. Is that correct?

Answer: That's right. Uninterrupted mental engagement—"uninterrupted" means without cessation. Only the manas can take the dharma teachings as its object without interruption, throughout the six periods of the day and night, from morning to evening, thought after thought without pause. This requires the mind consciousness to cultivate and immerse itself in the Buddha's teachings until the conditioning successfully permeates the manas. When the manas considers the Buddha's teachings to be important, it will hold the dharma in mind thought after thought, its attention never departing from the dharma, and one day it will certainly realize the Buddha's teachings. If the manas does not hold the Buddha's teachings in mind, the mind consciousness's thoughts about the dharma will inevitably be cut off, and it cannot engage with the dharma without interruption.  

Using hypnotic methods, one can also bring the manas to accept something, after which the manas undergoes a transformation. Each person's degree of acceptance and realization of the Buddha's teachings by the manas differs, so the impressions received differ, the transformations differ, and the wisdom differs as well. Therefore, fundamental wisdom still refers to what the manas brings about.