Evidence that the Manas Has Three Types of Feeling (III)

If the manas were like the tathāgatagarbha, having only neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā), it should also be unmoved and undisturbed toward all realms, just like the tathāgatagarbha. No matter what realm appears, the eight winds could not move it; sitting upright on the purple golden lotus, it would not grasp pleasant realms nor abandon unpleasant ones, and would not discriminate between good and evil, beautiful and ugly in the mind. In that case, it would not impel the six consciousnesses to create greedy, angry, or deluded actions of liking and disliking, nor would it act impulsively. When encountering matters, it would not fly into a rage, throw punches and kicks, nor would it beam with joy and dance about. It should be plain and indifferent toward everything, with an attitude of "whatever" toward all things.

If the manas were indifferent in every situation and had only neutral feeling, then there would be no afflictions, and there would be no need to tame the mind's afflictions through contemplative practice. It would forever be pure, and would never lead the six consciousnesses to create karmic deeds of greed and anger, giving rise to thoughts and emotions such as joy, delight, craving, and attachment, or to thoughts and emotions such as anger, jealousy, and resentment. Then the manas would have equanimity, and the mind should be equal toward all realms, without deviation, treating enemies and relatives alike with no distinction between them, fairly and impartially. The mind would neither delight in the pure land of Sukhāvatī nor disdain the impure land of Sahā; it would neither enjoy becoming a Buddha or a patriarch nor be weary of the three realms and enter nirvāṇa.

If the manas had only neutral feeling, it itself should be as liberated as the tathāgatagarbha. Neither good nor evil realms could bind it, and it would be unaffected by all realms — this would be a liberated mind. But the actual situation is not like this. The manas is heavily burdened with greed, anger, and delusion. Its greed is so deep that it cannot extricate itself; its anger cannot save itself. It is tightly bound by the dharmas of the three realms, especially the three evil destinies, and cannot escape. Therefore, it is said that the manas is not merely neutral feeling — it has all three feelings. The time of neutral feeling is rare. To be able to cultivate to the point of abandoning the feelings of pleasure and pain is extremely difficult and extremely rare.

Many times there are inexplicable mood swings. Whether happy or unhappy, the mind consciousness does not know why, or where the happiness and unhappiness come from. Sometimes the mind consciousness has to ponder the cause, and sometimes no matter how much it ponders, it cannot figure it out, because the manas is truly difficult to fathom. When joy shows on the face, the mind consciousness says, "I should not let others see that I am happy," yet still one cannot help being excited. Who is so happy and joyful that the mind consciousness cannot stop it? It is the pleasant feeling of the manas. The mind consciousness is sometimes not easy to control, and the manas is even less able to control its own emotions. When joy shows on the face, the mind consciousness says, "I should not let others see that I am happy."

For example, with certain matters, the mind consciousness very much wants to endure, but in the end it cannot help exploding with emotion and losing control. This is the result of the painful feeling of the manas feeling depressed, bitter, and angry. Sometimes one is terrified by certain things, and the mind consciousness persuades itself: "Do not be afraid; it is nothing serious; nothing will happen." Yet one is still terrified beyond control. Whose terror is this that cannot be controlled? The terror of the manas is not easy to control. At this time the manas has painful feeling.