Comparison of Manas and Mind Consciousness

Question: Whatever suggestion is given to the manas, the manas will realize it, whether positive or negative. The manas has no moral cognition, no sense of right or wrong, only habitual tendencies. The mind consciousness has moral restraints, a sense of shame, and a sense of responsibility—all of these the manas lacks and is incapable of possessing. The manas is a direct mind; He has accumulated the traces of all actions performed over beginningless kalpas, and whenever the occasion arises, He carries them out, without any constraints of value regarding right or wrong, high or low, responsibility, honor, loss, or gain. Instinct, intuition, spontaneity, and so forth are all inherent qualities of the manas. He does not conceal Himself, does not adorn Himself, has no pretense or insincerity, and no element of self-interest. Is this correct?

Answer: That is correct. The manas is primarily neutral (avyākṛta) in nature; it does not know concepts of good and evil and has no capacity for judgment of right and wrong. From this point of view, its discriminative wisdom is inferior. The manas belongs to the most primordial kind; what is primordial is also simple, also ignorant, also direct in nature—it depends on what was cultivated through habituation in the past.

The mind consciousness is cunning, intelligent, and wise; its mind is not direct, and it too depends on what was cultivated through habituation in the past and present. It can be good or evil; when evil, it may be more evil than the manas, instigating the manas; when good, it is more good than the manas, guiding the manas. The mind consciousness is relatively scheming, because it has the capacity for thinking and analysis. If others try to probe into one's private matters, the mind consciousness, when alert, will absolutely conceal them; when the mind consciousness is not alert, the manas cannot be instigated by the mind consciousness, and whatever there is will be revealed without concealment, because He cannot judge good or evil, benefit or harm, and has no value orientation—He is relatively genuine and pure.