The Various Thoughts and Emotions of the Manas Are Manifested by the Six Consciousnesses.

Nowadays many people in society suffer from a depressed mental state; even middle school students have developed depression. Most of this problem belongs to karmic issues, while a small part belongs to individual causes and conditions. The main symptom of depression is an inwardly closed-off mind, with no communication with others, being unskilled at expressing one's inner thoughts, and a gloomy, uncheerful mood. With such a mental state, the mind consciousness is often bewildered, not knowing why one feels so gloomy. This is caused by the manas's mental state being obstructed and not flowing freely.

Because the manas has thoughts and emotions that cannot be vented, and no one understands its ideas and views, it may not even know how to find someone to talk to or ask for help, so no one can offer guidance. At the same time, it cannot communicate with its own mind consciousness; since the mind consciousness does not understand, the problem cannot be resolved, and thus the manas develops depression. For many people, the root cause is a karmic issue—the retributive results that should be received from the karmic actions created in the events the manas experienced in past lives.

As for individual causes and conditions: when the wishes in one's heart cannot be realized, one becomes depressed; when the environment cannot satisfy one's psychological needs, one becomes depressed. People with depression have a common characteristic: they think a lot but do little, so their ideas cannot be realized and their minds cannot be satisfied. When too many ideas pile up, they form a burden, and depression arises. Depression is also called "frustrated in one's ambitions"—having all kinds of desires yet being unable to fulfill them, leading to low spirits and a gloomy, oppressive mood.

Some people inwardly develop feelings of being at a complete loss and thoughts of not wanting to live. This too is dominated by the manas's emotions; what the mind consciousness manifests is precisely the mental activity of the manas. Being at a complete loss means the six consciousnesses do not know what to do or how to act, because the manas cannot make up its mind, hesitates, and persistently refuses to make a decision and give the command, so the six consciousnesses become panicked and anxious. When the six consciousnesses express and reflect the manas's thoughts and emotions, it is the six consciousnesses' panic—having no backbone, no sense of belonging—so one feels life is meaningless and no longer wants to live.

When emotions are agitated, the heartbeat quickens; this likewise results from the manas's emotions. For example, "anger arises in the heart, and malice grows by the gallbladder"—this is the manifestation of the manas becoming angry and giving rise to malice. The heart, the gallbladder, and all the five viscera and six bowels are mobilized by the manas through the brain's nervous system; the entire material body is mobilized by the manas through the brain's nervous system. The manas can control the whole body and guide its activities. When the mind consciousness is angry but the manas is not, it is feigned anger: no matter how "angry" one appears, there is no reaction in the heart and no reaction in behavior, or if there is behavior, it is merely pretending and putting on an act. When there is real anger, there will be behavioral activity and changes in body and mind—that is the manas's emotion.