The Manas Can Make Fine Discriminations — Clarifying Misunderstandings about the Manas (II)

Without superknowledge, the mind consciousness does not know matters of past lives, but the manas knows them. If something is especially important, the manas will display it in dreams or in meditative concentration, alerting the mind consciousness to know. What the solitary consciousness knows in dreams and meditative states all comes from the manas, and then it is transmitted to the consciousness accompanied by the five senses to be expressed in words, language, and sounds. Thus, the subtle dharmas that the mind consciousness knows are all known first by the manas and then transmitted to the mind consciousness.

Therefore, the one who first knows all things must be the manas, not the mind consciousness. Especially regarding past lives, since the mind consciousness has not experienced them, it does not know them. The details that the mind consciousness comes to know all originate from the manas; the manas is able to discern the details of dharmas. After developing superknowledge, the mind consciousness can know matters of both past and present lives, but it still knows them through the manas. Thus, superknowledge is the state after the mind consciousness has connected with the manas, which is the "spirit." Because the mind consciousness frequently ceases, the dharmas it can perceive are limited. The dharmas He has not perceived must be transferred from the manas before He can know them. Anything that is known without having been experienced is presented by the manas, or actively unearthed from the manas. When the mind consciousness forgets things it has experienced and later recalls them, it seems as if it recalled them by itself, but in fact the manas prompted the mind consciousness to know, enabling the recollection. This includes the details of recollection; the manas is capable of discerning details and making fine distinctions.

For example, when encountering an old acquaintance, the manas first recalls it, and then drives the solitary consciousness to recollect related past events, even reproducing the details. The manas has previously discerned all the details that are reproduced. Whether it is a rough outline or details of experienced matters, the manas knows them all. When the mind consciousness forgets, the manas, upon meeting the right conditions, recalls and prompts, and the mind consciousness can suddenly remember. Therefore, the mind consciousness's recollection of past and present life events is influenced by the manas's prompting and hinting; the details recalled are also what the manas had previously discerned. The mind consciousness cannot recall on its own; it must rely on the manas's prompting.

Regarding recollection, first a thought or idea arises in the manas, taking past matters as its object, prompting the tathāgatagarbha to produce the solitary consciousness to also take them as objects. Then the solitary consciousness is led and prompted by the manas to recollect the past. In other words, the manas points and the consciousness follows; the mind consciousness cannot escape the guidance of the manas, otherwise it could not arise. The mind consciousness definitely arises on the dharmas designated by the manas; it cannot arise independently. This is the fundamental condition and reason for the arising of the mind consciousness: it arises to fulfill a command, because the manas needs it. It arises on the dharmas designated by the manas, contacts mental objects, then discerns, discriminates, judges, and draws conclusions for the manas to use.

This proves that the mind consciousness is not autonomous; arising and ceasing are its norm. The manas needs to handle dharmas, and only then does the mind consciousness appear to complete the task. The entire process is like this. The functions of the manas and its mental factors are not, as some people claim, merely a very weak wisdom. If the manas's wisdom were weak, all sentient beings would have inferior wisdom and could not accomplish anything. The mind consciousness's subtle discernment of dharmas is guided by the manas, indicating that the manas has deliberation and discrimination regarding subtle dharmas, which causes the mind consciousness to recall details.

When the manas is subtle, the mind consciousness is far from being able to match it. People with rich experience and strong intuition can see the slightest sign and discern the whole, perceiving the subtlest details of others' psychology. What the mind consciousness does not understand, the manas can directly perceive, then quietly handle and respond. The mind consciousness can only passively obey, unaware of the reasons. For people with deep and subtle wisdom, the manas's perception and judgment of the environment, situation, and trends surpass the mind consciousness's thinking. The mind consciousness often has no experience of this, but the manas is experienced and as subtle as a hair. The gap in wisdom among people lies entirely in the manas. Sentient beings in the three lower realms are far inferior to those in the three upper realms; those who occasionally obtain a human body are far inferior to those who constantly dwell in the human realm; those with little experience are far inferior to those with much experience; novices are far inferior to seasoned practitioners, and even more inferior to old hands from past lives. Those who carry past-life destiny are the darlings of heaven. Therefore, do not say that the manas cannot discern subtly; the manas is so subtle that it leaves the mind consciousness utterly bewildered.

In Buddhism, those who achieve success in contemplative investigation and contemplative practice do so as a result of the manas deliberating day and night; the mind consciousness subsequently knows based on the manas. True awakening has never been a matter of the mind consciousness investigating and awakening first. The manas's investigative and awakening mind is extremely fine and dense. Therefore, the manas of ordinary people lacks this wisdom and cannot but be mediocre. The ancient Consciousness-Only masters, because they did not possess the wisdom of Consciousness-Only, could not directly observe the manas, the mind consciousness, and the activities of the five consciousnesses within the concrete operations of the five aggregates and dharmas. They misunderstood several consciousnesses considerably. It can be said that their conclusions about the manas were too crude and arbitrary. If the ancient Consciousness-Only masters and modern Consciousness-Only scholars could directly observe the operations of the several consciousnesses through the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of sentient beings, and observe the arising and ceasing of the six consciousnesses, they would know why the six consciousnesses arise and cease, what the conditions for their existence are, and how thorough and subtle the functions of the manas are. Then they would not misunderstand the manas so seriously.

The ancient Consciousness-Only theory is indeed rich and lofty, but its detachment from reality is also obvious. It cannot touch the psychological problems and afflictions of sentient beings, nor can it touch the fundamental problems at various levels of society. It is somewhat disconnected from the current practice of sentient beings. The Buddhist study and practice today, as well as the circulating Consciousness-Only theories, are strong in theory but of little practical use. Whether they are correct or not, I will not judge for now, but the problem of disconnection is indeed very obvious. The root of learning Buddhism and practicing is to cultivate body and mind. If Buddhist theory does not involve the practice and transformation of body and mind, then the theory is merely knowledge for entertainment, self-satisfaction, and numbing, and is of no use.