The Meaning of the Manas as the Presently Manifesting Consciousness

"Manifesting consciousness" means a consciousness of direct perception (pratyakṣa)—that is, seeing dharmas through direct perception, discerning dharmas through direct perception, or manifesting dharmas through direct perception. Although the manas, like the tathāgatagarbha, possesses the function of manifesting images like a mirror, and has the capacity to display dharma-images as a mirror does, the images manifested by the tathāgatagarbha are images it gives birth to itself, whereas the images manifested by the manas are presentations of the images transformed by the tathāgatagarbha; the manas does not produce images. The relationship between the tathāgatagarbha as the mirror and the images is one of giving birth and being born: the one who gives birth must be a dharma that is unborn and unceasing, while that which is born is subject to arising, ceasing, and change. The relationship between the manas and the images, however, is not one of giving birth and being born—both are dharmas that have been born. Moreover, the images presented by the manas are fundamentally different from the images manifested by the tathāgatagarbha. What the tathāgatagarbha manifests is the essential object (the primary object), the most original dharma transformed and created by the tathāgatagarbha, whereas the images manifested by the manas are objects with an attached basis (tadālambana)—the tathāgatagarbha's second transformation of dharmas, which are no longer real.

Why is the manas said to be a consciousness of direct perception? Because when the manas sees dharmas, it sees dharmas that are presently existing; it sees dharmas as they truly are, and it has no capacity to see dharmas through inference or erroneous cognition. In the very first instant that the tathāgatagarbha conjures up a dharma, the manas can already see it—this is an object with an attached basis, close to the essential object, relatively real and reliable. After the manas sees the object with an attached basis, if it wishes to discern it further in detail, it then transmits the dharma to the six consciousnesses to be seen. What the six consciousnesses then see is no longer the relatively real object with an attached basis; what they see is a dharma that has already undergone alteration. The dharma they manifest is yet another layer removed from the essential object and the realm of the real, more illusory than the dharma seen by the manas. Furthermore, when the mind consciousness sees dharmas, there is also inference and erroneous cognition, so the dharmas it manifests are even less real.

If we compare this with the meaning of "manifesting consciousness," the tathāgatagarbha's seeing of dharmas is even more a seeing of direct perception, more real and reliable than the manas's seeing. Whatever dharma the tathāgatagarbha sees, it is a dharma that it has itself presently given birth to and upheld; there is not the slightest barrier between it and the dharma. Whatever dharma it gives birth to, that is the dharma it sees; whatever dharma it upholds, that is the dharma it sees. If it does not give birth, it does not see; if it does not uphold, it does not see. There is certainly no occurrence of seeing dharmas through inference or erroneous cognition. For the tathāgatagarbha, there are no dharmas of the past and no dharmas of the future—all are dharmas of the present moment; even dharmas from countless kalpas ago are dharmas of the present moment. But for the six consciousnesses, they are not dharmas of the present moment. In fact, the six consciousnesses cannot see dharmas of the present moment: whatever dharma they see is a dharma that has already undergone alteration, a dharma of the past.