The Sovereignty of the Manas

If the manas wants to drink water, the six consciousnesses will come out to boil water, pour water, and brew tea, and then it is drunk; if the manas does not want to drink water, the six consciousnesses will not come out to do all these things. The mind consciousness is never as important as the manas and can never be the master, because the mind consciousness is a generated dharma, and it is the manas that determines whether it arises or not. It occupies a subordinate position and serves the manas, and moreover it must serve the manas well. If it does not serve well, the manas will feel uncomfortable and may perhaps throw a tantrum. When the manas truly throws a tantrum, the mind consciousness sometimes feels baffled. The mind consciousness is more rational than the manas, and the manas is more prone to emotional volatility than the mind consciousness. If the manas wants to hear a certain sound, the mind consciousness must obey the manas's command and come over to discriminate that sound. If the manas wants the six consciousnesses to appear, the six consciousnesses appear immediately; if the manas does not want the six consciousnesses to appear, the six consciousnesses will not appear; if the manas wants the six consciousnesses to act in a certain way, the six consciousnesses must act in that way.

If one's Buddhist practice and realization does not exert effort on the manas, but only exerts effort on the mind consciousness, then breaking ignorance on the mind consciousness is useless—once the effort is spent, the mind consciousness ceases. If attaining realization is done only on the mind consciousness, once the realization is attained it ceases, and the manas that remains is still covered by ignorance, so we will continue to transmigrate through birth and death. Because the problem of birth and death lies in the manas, and the key to the twelve links of dependent origination lies in the manas, cultivating the mind consciousness is ultimately for the purpose of influencing and changing the manas. The mind consciousness is like a mouthpiece, an advisor, and an assistant, helping the manas make decisions and devise strategies, ultimately reversing the manas's ignorance and changing the manas. After the manas has changed, the mind consciousness no longer needs to perfume the manas, and the two will then jointly engage in wholesome dharmas.

The mind consciousness occupies a subordinate position; the manas may use it or not use it, and when it is not used, the mind consciousness is nothing at all. From ancient times to the present, how many people have revolved on the mind consciousness and never found the gateway. We always want to attain enlightenment, but if our practice does not reach the manas, enlightenment cannot occur. No matter how excellent the Buddha-dharma is, it must be accepted by the manas. Once the manas accepts it, it will exercise some restraint and will selectively let the six consciousnesses create karmic actions; meaningless things it will no longer want to engage in. If the manas feels that everything is meaningless, the six consciousnesses will not only engage in less activity, they will not even arise, and finally the manas itself will also cease—nirvāṇa.