The Specific Mental Factors of the Manas

Anger includes the conscious mind's false anger and the manas's true anger; the degree of hatred indicates whether it is true hatred or false hatred. The mental factors (caittas) of the manas and the mind consciousness are not difficult to observe and distinguish. Yet nowadays some people study Buddhism like memorizing textbook passages, reciting them everywhere and treating them as one hundred percent correct, without engaging in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and deliberation. If the manas lacked determination (adhimokṣa), how could it make so many correct decisions? Especially regarding the decision to eliminate self-view (ahaṃkāra-mamakāra-parityāga) and to see one's true mind and awaken to one's nature—without determination, how could the manas investigate together with the mind consciousness and finally break through to awakening? Only when the manas has gained determination regarding the abundant information provided by the mind consciousness can it correctly discern and make decisions; otherwise, all its decisions would be wrong, and how could sentient beings survive normally?

Even when the mind consciousness is not deliberating, if a major event occurs, the manas can immediately grasp its seriousness and make a decision on the spot. Without determination there is no wisdom; determination is the prerequisite for wisdom. As for the manas's deliberation (manana), no one has been able to state precisely what its content is or how it operates; one can only say that deliberation means decision-making. As for the specific content of deliberation, and how deliberation operates, that is even less known.

The same applies to the manas's mental factor of recollection (smṛti). Sometimes at night, when thinking about something and then about to sleep, that matter keeps turning over in the mind; the mind consciousness keeps reminding: "Go to sleep early, stop thinking about it, otherwise you may not be able to get up tomorrow morning." But this only controls it for a while, and at some unknown point the mind starts thinking about that matter again, and in the end one suffers insomnia. The manas's characteristics of grasping, habitual tendencies, and attachments must ultimately be manifested in its mental factors.

To observe the manas's operation directly through valid direct perception, one must possess the wisdom of the seed-wisdom of Yogācāra, and must at least have the observational wisdom of a bodhisattva who has attained the first bhūmi. It is precisely because the manas cannot be observed and cannot be truly known that controversies arise. Shallow dharmas have no controversies, because everyone can easily observe them; it is only toward what cannot be observed that people dispute—otherwise, what is there to dispute? White is white, and black is black. Only when one cannot distinguish black from white does one dispute. As for what mental factors the manas actually possesses, who can actually observe and verify them? Both the sixth and seventh consciousnesses are defiled with afflictions, and with such heavy obstructions, what capacity do they have for actual observation? If there were someone capable of verification, simply describing the verification process would put an end to the controversy.

Relying on the Dharma means relying on the true reality of the manas's operation. If one cannot observe the manas, how can one define the manas according to its true reality? How can one truly rely on the actual dharma of real suchness? If one cannot rely on the dharma of real suchness, then one is relying on people; relying on people does not accord with the fundamental purpose of Buddhist practice and realization, and it will contain errors and omissions, be inconsistent with the Buddha's intent, and all the less lead to attaining the Way.