Consciousness and Manas Perceive Differently

Question: Last night after finishing meditation, I prepared to sleep. Soon it began to rain, and the raindrops struck the glass with a crisp sound. Listening as I drifted off, just as I was about to fall asleep, I felt as if the rain was hitting my skull, and before long, it seemed to smash away half of it, leaving a dark, hollow space with only half a skull remaining. Knowing this in my mind, I wasn't particularly surprised and simply fell asleep. Was this due to the concentration from meditation not yet having dissipated, or was it an illusion?

Answer: When you rise from meditation, the mind is tranquil, and consciousness is without discursive thought. Especially before sleep, when consciousness remains still, the manas (mind-root) directly perceives the sound of the rain. It felt extremely loud, so it was exaggerated, using the imagery of smashing half the skull to indicate that the sound of the raindrops was immensely loud. What the manas perceives differs from what the conscious mind perceives; the difference may be very significant. Therefore, the dharmas (phenomena) we usually perceive are completely different, even opposite, from the same dharmas perceived upon realizing the truth. Only then do we realize that all our previous views and understandings were entirely wrong, causing such regret that we might slap our thighs in frustration.

Why is it that after cultivating insight meditation, when observing the same things—such as the breath, bodily activities, the appearances of the six dusts (objects of sense)—before and after realizing the truth, the perception of the same dharma is drastically different? Why is it that with the same acts—drinking water, bathing, seeing forms, hearing sounds, smelling scents, tasting flavors, feeling touches, knowing mental objects—the inner feelings and views before realizing the truth and at the moment of realization are completely opposite?

Before realizing the truth, one is so certain: form is form, sound is sound, scent is scent, flavor is flavor, touch is touch, dharma is dharma, and I am I. After realizing the truth, everything is negated: form is not form, sound is not sound, scent is not scent, flavor is not flavor, touch is not touch, dharma is not dharma, I am not I, and person is not person. Why is there such a vast difference? What consciousness perceives is entirely different from what the manas perceives in samadhi (meditative concentration). Therefore, the idea that consciousness can realize the fruition (of enlightenment) is a joke. Such realization is no different from non-realization; it is a foolish view. The more deluded sentient beings are, the more confident they tend to be. Confident in what? Confident in their own ignorance.

Before realizing the truth, consciousness is filled with rampant delusional thoughts, all kinds of knowledge and views, lengthy discourses, and extreme self-satisfaction. After realizing the truth, consciousness finally quiets down, and everything is turned upside down. Those who love to talk the most, who have the most knowledge and views, who are the most stubborn, are the most inverted.