The Function of Mental Faculty

Question: Can one's own manas read the information of seeds flowing from the other party's Tathagatagarbha? The key still lies in the Tathagatagarbha, as the Tathagatagarbhas of sentient beings are interconnected.

Answer: Manas, relying on the seeing aspect of the Tathagatagarbha, can perceive all dharmas and thus read the information manifested by one's own Tathagatagarbha. Tathagatagarbhas interact and interconnect with each other; manas, relying on the Tathagatagarbha, can perceive all dharmas. To the Tathagatagarbha, nothing about all dharmas is secret; It knows everything, and manas can accordingly know all dharmas. Things that are invisible and intangible in one's surroundings can be known by manas, even if consciousness is unaware of them. All physiological reactions of the body are regulated by manas, yet consciousness does not understand why these reactions occur.

The ability for minds to communicate between sentient beings is also a function of the Tathagatagarbha. As Tathagatagarbhas exchange information, manas can accordingly know this information, thus understanding the other party's situation and state of mind. Manas then transmits this to consciousness, enabling consciousness to sense certain matters. The closer and more intimate the relationship between people, the more manas comprehends, the more consciousness senses, and the more shared understanding and affinity arise. The affinity and repulsion between sentient beings refer to the function of manas; karmic connection (affinity) also refers to the perceptual function of manas. Because manas has existed since beginningless kalpas, never ceasing, and knows all people, events, and things it has experienced—without the confusion of rebirth—therefore, when sentient beings meet, they experience feelings of affinity or aversion, and they know the nature of their karmic connection. All these are functions of the knowing capacity of manas.