The Function of Manas as Seen from Jinghe's Contemplative Practice

Jing He: Let me describe a contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) experience while driving. This morning I was driving to work on a two-lane road, following the car ahead in the left lane, when a car on the right sped up and passed, after which the right lane was empty. At that moment, my eyes involuntarily turned to observe the right side (this was actually the manas detecting that the right lane had become empty and directing the eyes to observe in further detail). After observing, I immediately took in a mental sense-object (dharma-viṣaya) of "right lane empty" (it felt like it was in the brain), and then immediately a "force" appeared at the pit of the stomach (this force directs the hands and feet to act and change lanes—could this be the mental factor of volition (cetanā) of the manas?). If this force is observed, the hands and feet will not move; this force seems to be cut off by the power of introspection (pratyavekṣā-bala) of the six consciousnesses. If it is not introspected, it will make the hands and feet act (this is actually the phenomenon of the manas's mental factor of volition (cetanā) directing the body consciousness).

There is an interesting point in this whole process: after taking in the mental sense-object of "right lane empty," some people change lanes immediately, while others may not change lanes. How does this difference arise? This difference arises from each person's different "views and understanding" (jñāna-dṛṣṭi). This "view and understanding" is quite interesting.

Guan Wuwo: The manas changes lanes if it feels it is necessary, and does not change if it lacks that intention or feels it is unsafe. This depends on the manas's experience and decision. The mind consciousness merely collects and analyzes information according to the manas's wishes, and then hands it over to the manas to decide. "Views and understanding" should actually include both the manas and the mind consciousness; the two consciousnesses work together. First the manas's attention (manaskāra) arises, and only then does the mind consciousness arise, so it is not easy to use the mind consciousness to find the manas; practice deep and subtle observation in meditation (samādhi) more often.

Jing He: Right, that is what I meant; I just expressed this kind of experience with the word "views and understanding." I just find this view-and-understanding interesting. Observe it... it is formless and imageless, and cannot be observed at all. (I know that only by using the sixth consciousness (manovijñāna) to describe it can it barely be made to manifest a little appearance.) Yet it works behind each of our bodily and verbal actions. Why does the manas direct its attention toward "a" rather than toward "b"? It is determined by this view-and-understanding (my personal understanding).

Guan Wuwo: This is the mental factors (caittas) of the manas working together to judge and decide—experiences accumulated in the manas over beginningless kalpas. The wisdom of the manas is beyond ordinary people's imagination. Most people are accustomed to using the wisdom of the mind consciousness of this life, and in meditative concentration this obstructs the manas's wisdom from functioning.

Jing He: What is the basis of the decision? It is based on this view-and-understanding. What you mean by judgment is the mental factor of volition (cetanā), right? But the influence of this view-and-understanding should take effect at the same time as the attention (manaskāra).

Guan Wuwo: In my contemplative practice I have found that the mind consciousness's interference with the manas is very obvious; there are both the five universal mental factors and the five particular mental factors, and the mental factors generally work in mutual cooperation. So after I enter meditative concentration, I try not to pay attention to the states that arise, because they easily distract the manas's focus. Effective contemplative practice is much harder than entering meditative concentration, and it takes much more time; I am slowly groping my way forward.

Jing He: I think that in contemplative practice, what is needed is to let the weak mind consciousness gradually guide the changes in the manas, bit by bit.

Assessment: All of their explorations are very good, and the direction is right. By regularly making such observations, both meditative concentration and wisdom can be strengthened. When the force at the pit of the stomach is observed, the hands and feet that were about to act stop and cease; if this force is not observed, the hands and feet will move along with it. Why is this?

Because the pit of the stomach is very close to the heart, when the manas mobilizes the body faculty (indriya), it is at the location of the neural center in the brain. As soon as the manas's mind stirs, the neural center issues commands through all the nerves to the whole body, and the heart is responsible for supplying blood. If the manas has emotions, or the emotions are rather intense, the heart's delivery of blood will be affected and require a large supply of blood, which causes changes in facial complexion; if the blood supply is insufficient, phenomena such as shock will occur.

When one senses that something is abnormal with the heart, it is generally because the manas has developed some emotion, or the manas has some special thought that requires consuming more blood, and the heart or the pit of the stomach will react. People whose heart function is not strong must strictly control the manas's emotions. Who does the controlling? It is the rational, calm mind consciousness that controls them, so the role of the mind consciousness is still very great; it is usually far more rational than the manas. At the stage of ordinary beings (pṛthagjana), the manas's emotionality is much more severe than the mind consciousness's; it is like a small child that needs the mind consciousness to coax, soothe, and regulate it. After the manas eradicates afflictions (kleśa), its emotionality becomes lower and lower, its wisdom higher and higher, and it becomes more and more rational.

Most people know to use the mind consciousness for contemplative practice, but can the manas also engage in contemplative practice? When the mind consciousness becomes extremely weak, it can no longer engage in contemplative practice—at that point, is there still contemplative practice? Can contemplative practice still be carried out? The Buddha attained the Way and became a Buddha within the fourth dhyāna; the great bodhisattvas, arhats, and pratyekabuddhas accomplished all their superknowledges (abhijñā) and powers of the Way within the fourth dhyāna. Yet from the second dhyāna onward, the five sense consciousnesses have ceased, and the mind consciousness is extremely weak and unable to think; within the fourth dhyāna the mind consciousness is even weaker. So how, within the fourth dhyāna, did they attain the Way and bring forth the superknowledges and powers of the Way?

At the time of true enlightenment and true realization of the fruits, does the manas rely on the mind consciousness to attain the Way, or does the mind consciousness rely on the manas to attain the Way? Of the two consciousnesses, which attains the Way first, or do they attain it simultaneously? Of course, if it is merely intellectual understanding (解悟), whether Mahāyāna or Hīnayāna, it is all the function of the mind consciousness—something the mind consciousness works out through analysis, deliberation, inference, conjecture, organization, and induction. The manas does not really know these conclusions and does not agree with them, so the manas's doubt is not severed, its mental disposition cannot transform, and its bodily, verbal, and mental actions also cannot transform.

At the beginning of the contemplative practice of the four foundations of mindfulness (smṛtyupasthāna), one always uses the mind consciousness to initiate contemplation; when the power of meditative concentration appears, it will slightly touch upon the manas. Now you should train yourself to make the mind consciousness's contemplative function weaker and weaker, gradually letting the manas take its place. How is this skill to be accomplished? Consider it for yourself.