The Distinction Between Activities of the Mental Faculty and Activities of Consciousness

When the manas (mind faculty) becomes active, it triggers various physical reactions such as blushing, palpitations, shyness, or bulging veins and trembling. If only the consciousness (the sixth consciousness) is active without the manas, the body remains relatively calm and shows no significant reaction. Manas activity consumes a certain amount of energy, while consciousness activity may not necessarily consume energy or consumes very little. Those who only speak without acting are solely driven by consciousness, with the manas remaining inactive. People who say one thing but do another speak with their consciousness while their manas has no intention to act, hence they do not follow through. Habitual deceivers perform with their consciousness while their manas remains entirely unmoved. Therefore, to assess a person's character, observe their actions rather than their words alone, as actions are more substantial than speech.

If consciousness activity consumes energy, it still involves the entire body because energy circulates throughout the body. The whole body uses the same pool of energy, which is undivided. However, those who prefer mental contemplation primarily consume energy from the brain first. When brain energy is depleted, the body's energy is then consumed. The brain drives the entire body; when the brain is fatigued, the whole body becomes weary, necessitating rest. In consciousness activity, manas activity is not entirely absent; it is always involved to some extent, thus requiring energy consumption. The greater the involvement, the more energy is consumed. If I do not engage deeply in contemplation and only perform superficial consciousness activities quietly throughout the day and night, I do not feel particularly tired or hungry. However, if I engage deeply in contemplation, I feel fatigued quickly and become hungry more easily. This is why I prefer not to engage with people or affairs, avoid deep thinking, and refrain from pondering unimportant matters unless they are meaningful and significant.

When engaging deeply in Chan meditation, significant energy is consumed. However, during meditation without active thinking (cultivating samadhi), energy consumption is minimal, and the body instead feels comfortable and relaxed. Meditation without thinking is less strenuous, while contemplative analysis is mentally taxing. When thinking with consciousness, the engagement is shallow and minimal, making it faster and easier. One can speak superficially, fluently, and eloquently, but the content tends to be shallow, reflecting the level of knowledge and memory recall rather than deep wisdom. In contrast, thinking with manas involves deep engagement, making the mental process slower and more laborious, but the content is profound and meaningful, reflecting a person's deep-seated wisdom.

To illustrate the difference between using consciousness and using manas with a metaphor: imagine a person walking through muddy ground. If the mud is shallow, only reaching the soles of the shoes, walking remains relatively fast and effortless. However, if the mud reaches the ankles, calves, or knees, pulling each foot out becomes difficult, making every step strenuous and the walking pace very slow. Thinking with consciousness is like walking on shallow mud, while thinking with manas is like walking through deep mud. Therefore, those who think with manas, constantly operating at its deep level with focused attention, find their thoughts slow to shift between ideas or problems. This process consumes more energy, feels somewhat exhausting, and thus they prefer tranquility, avoiding disturbances from external people or affairs.