The Forthright Nature of the Mind-Root

Ruchun: Last night, I was thinking about my daughter's mental state and fell asleep without reaching any conclusions. I dreamed that my daughter said a lot of things, and her words slowly transformed into the shape of a snake—an artificial snake, standing tall and proud, like a lantern snake. Light shone from within, while the outside was covered in many black, flaky substances. I am afraid of snakes, so I woke up startled. Could this be Manas trying to convey some message through the dream?

Commentary: Often, mental and psychological illnesses are related to physical health conditions. By regulating the body, mental states can be improved. In your dream, your daughter’s words transformed into the shape of a snake, indicating that your daughter has a dark side psychologically, burdened by heavy afflictions and emotional knots that need to be resolved. Her emotional issues should be addressed through psychological counseling on one hand, and physical regulation on the other. Combining both physical and mental treatments should yield better results.

Manas creates a dream, yet consciousness struggles to grasp its meaning. Is this mainly due to insufficient receptivity of consciousness, or is it due to Manas’s inadequate ability to express and imply? There are two main reasons for the poor communication between Manas and consciousness: First, Manas itself lacks wisdom, causing the states it manifests in dreams, meditative concentration, and other contexts to be inappropriate, imprecise, vague, and unclear. Second, consciousness lacks the wisdom to fully understand the meanings and implications of the states manifested by Manas, failing to penetrate Manas’s intentions. Dreams are manifestations of Manas, expressing its own mental state and feelings. Manas has thoughts about these states but lacks the power to process them, aiming instead to make consciousness aware and take action.

Manas is not devoid of moral awareness at all times, nor is it entirely without a sense of right and wrong. It should be regarded as a normal mind-consciousness—whatever a mind-consciousness ought to be or possess, Manas should likewise be and possess. The characteristics of Manas as the sovereign mind-consciousness are still very evident and crucial; it is the self of sentient beings. Whether Manas possesses moral judgment of right and wrong depends on the individual and the situation, which is quite complex. Manas has weak discernment toward the six dust realms and requires assistance from consciousness. Due to this weak discernment, its perception of the six dust realms is not as clear and distinct as that of consciousness. In behavior, without the restraint of consciousness, it appears inappropriate and incongruous. For example, when drunk, consciousness can no longer restrain Manas, and Manas’s true nature is revealed, capable of acting without moral boundaries. However, this is the behavior of individuals with low moral quality; not everyone’s Manas is like this.

In dreams, Manas can manifest uninhibited scenarios without restraint—direct, straightforward, and candid—indicating that Manas is inherently honest and unpretentious. When Manas is cultivated to a more perfect state, a person’s behavior, primarily governed by Manas, reflects its will, consistently revealing a direct, straightforward, and genuine character. Bodhisattvas are like this—straightforward, with minds free from distortion. The more advanced a practitioner is, the more straightforward their disposition—upright, honest, without flattery or deceit, free from scheming or intrigue. They do not even engage in overt strategies, nor do they resort to cunning or calculation. They are spontaneous, natural, magnanimous, radiant, and candid, never giving others cause for vigilance or defense. Those with greater merit and higher wisdom are increasingly spontaneous and natural, straightforward and genuine—without calculation, free from ulterior motives, and utterly open.