Who Takes the Mind Consciousness and the Manas as the Self?

Question: My mind consciousness — who does this "I" refer to? To whom does the mind consciousness belong? My manas — who does this "I" refer to? To whom does the manas belong? My five aggregates — who does this "I" refer to? To whom do the five aggregates belong?

Ru Chun: In "my mind consciousness," this "I" refers both to the mind consciousness and to the manas; the mind consciousness belongs jointly to the seventh consciousness and the eighth consciousness. In "my manas," before one has realized the manas, this "I" mainly refers to the mind consciousness; the manas has coexisted with the eighth consciousness since beginningless kalpas, so it should be said that it does not belong to anyone, right? Or could one say that He belongs to Himself? In "my five aggregates," this "I" refers to the mind consciousness and the manas; the five aggregates belong jointly to the seventh and eighth consciousnesses. 

For example: the shop owner (the eighth consciousness) uses the seeds of the seven great elements as raw material, adds seasonings (causes and conditions), and then, according to the customer's request (the manas' thinking) and the amount paid (karmic seeds), makes a dumpling called the five aggregates and a dumpling called the mind consciousness. Then the five-aggregates dumpling and the mind-consciousness dumpling should be the product of cooperation between the shop owner and the customer, belonging to both of them; the shop owner and the customer have a cooperative relationship, not a relationship of subordination. I don't know whether this understanding is correct — lately this brain of mine likes to let its thoughts run wild.

Assessment: When a person says "my mind consciousness," there are two "I"s here: one is the solitary consciousness (mano-vijñāna-eka-citta), and the other is the manas. The self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana) of the solitary consciousness has the function of observing and validating itself; it has self-awareness and can take the mind consciousness' own functions and operations as "mine," and it will also take the functions and operations of the first five consciousnesses as "mine," and at the same time will also take the functions and operations of the manas as "mine." The other "I" that takes the mind consciousness as "mine" is the manas; the manas takes all dharmas as self, with imputed nature (parikalpita-svabhāva), and of course it will take the functions and operations of the mind consciousness as "mine."

When someone says "my manas," there are also two "I"s here: one is the solitary consciousness, and the other is the manas itself. Because the manas has self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana), it can observe and validate itself and has the function of self-perception; it will take its own functions and operations as "mine." Whether or not one has realized the manas, the manas has this kind of grasping nature. In summary, the "I" of sentient beings includes the mind consciousness and the manas; the "I" of the manas is stronger, is used more, and occupies the dominant position.

This question is not meant to discuss to whom the mind consciousness, the manas, and the five aggregates objectively belong, but rather to say who subjectively takes these dharmas as belonging to oneself. One must learn to read the question correctly, rather than relying solely on one's own speculation.