The Mental Factors of the Manas

Whatever kind of mind sentient beings have, the manas has the corresponding mental factors (caittas). If sentient beings are good people with wholesome minds, the manas has wholesome mental factors; if sentient beings cultivate meditative concentration and have meditative power, the manas has the concentration mental factor; if sentient beings have the wisdom to deal with all dharmas, whether worldly or transcendent, the manas has the wisdom mental factor.

If the manas did not have wholesome mental factors, there would be no good people in the world, Buddhist practice could not lead to any accomplishment, sentient beings could not ascend to the heavens to enjoy blessings, and there could be no wholesome karmic retribution. If the manas is unwholesome, no matter how the mind consciousness permeates and influences it, it is useless—sentient beings could never become wholesome. If the manas does not correspond with the concentration mental factor, cultivating meditative concentration would be of no use; no matter how one cultivates, one would never attain concentration. If the manas could only have inferior wisdom, then it could not make any wise choices, could not do anything correctly, and in practice one could not realize the fruits or see the mind. Without wisdom, or with inferior wisdom, one could never transform consciousness into wisdom, and could never have wisdom like the Buddha's. Could it be that the Buddha's manas was also so inferior and weak? Then how did the Buddha, through His manas, achieve the Sambhogakāya Buddha (saṃbhoga-kāya-buddha)?