The Deliberation of the Manas Is Difficult to Observe

The deliberation (manasikāra) of the mind consciousness is overt and easy to observe, while the deliberation of the manas is covert and not easy to observe. Because the mind consciousness has a relatively strong power of introspection (pratyavekṣā-bala), the solitary consciousness (mano-vijñāna-eka-citta) can observe some of the operational characteristics of the consciousness accompanied by the five senses (pañca-sahagata-mano-vijñāna) and of the solitary consciousness itself, but it cannot observe them all, because the mind consciousness has not transformed consciousness into wisdom. The Buddha can observe them all, and the wisdom of the varieties of paths of bodhisattvas who have attained the bhūmis can observe most of them.

However, when the solitary consciousness is obscured by afflictions, lacks sufficient meditative concentration (samādhi), and has not transformed consciousness into wisdom, it cannot observe the operational characteristics of the manas. That is why one has to say that the deliberation of the manas is hidden and secret. In fact, for the Buddha and for bodhisattvas who have transformed consciousness into wisdom, the operational characteristics of the manas are still easy to observe. Whether hidden or overt depends entirely on the observational wisdom of the mind consciousness, not on the manas itself.

The manas also has self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana) and a weak capacity for introspection, and it can observe its own operational characteristics, but the manas cannot express them, so the mind consciousness (that is, what we call "we") does not know. Since the mind consciousness does not know the operational characteristics of the manas, whether the introspective power of the manas is strong or weak, the mind consciousness still does not know.

Regarding things the mind consciousness does not know, many people's mind consciousness habitually denies them, saying they do not exist. Then, since the mind consciousness cannot observe the Earth's revolution and rotation, one could also say the Earth is motionless—there is nothing wrong with saying so, but it does not accord with the facts. How many facts and truths can the mind consciousness of an ordinary person actually observe? Not many. Ignorance is too abundant and too thick, and the obstructions are too heavy. Yet the more ignorant a person is, the more precisely they refuse to admit their own ignorance and the more they trust their own judgments—this is truly helpless.