How Should the Mind Consciousness Guide the Manas?

The dharmas that the mind consciousness and the manas take as objects are the same; whatever the mind consciousness discerns is necessarily a dharma that the manas is grasping at, otherwise there would be no need to give rise to the mind consciousness. The mind consciousness arises in order to serve the manas, that is, to obey the manas; but after the mind consciousness arises and discerns dharmas, through thinking and analysis it forms its own views, and may go against the manas, not according with the manas' intentions. If the mind consciousness has correct views and knowledge, it can gradually turn the manas around, though it also depends on how much the manas can accept; if the mind consciousness is too aggressive, it may enrage the manas, and then it will not be able to get the manas onto the Path.

Therefore, if the mind consciousness is clever and quick-witted, it will skillfully guide the manas; if the mind consciousness is dull, there will be no effect—perhaps it will backfire, or perhaps it will be led around by the manas. The mind consciousness of a Buddhist practitioner should hold this attitude toward the manas: "You lead me running around wildly, but I will not follow; you lead me into greed, anger, and delusion, but I will not follow." Gradually the manas will have no choice and will stop leading the way, and will instead be led by the mind consciousness.

If one wants the manas to have meditative concentration (samādhi), the mind consciousness must take dharmas as objects less, discern dharmas less, and think of dharmas less, or else not take dharmas as objects, not discern dharmas, and not think of dharmas. In this way the manas receives no feedback from the mind consciousness, and knowing that continuing to dwell on dharmas is useless, it stops stirring up mental activity; thus the manas gradually settles into concentration.