眾生無邊誓願度
煩惱無盡誓願斷
法門無量誓願學
佛道無上誓願成

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Dharma Teachings

30 Jul 2019    Tuesday     4th Teach Total 1740

Only when the mind consciousness can know the content known by the manas is it called supernatural power

<h2 style="text-indent: 2em;">Question: Can the manas mentally engage with one's own body across the past, present, and future in the ten directions (or with people and affairs one has karmic connections with)? For example, if the manas gives rise to a mental engagement (manaskāra), will the other person receive the information?</h2>

Answer: Sentient beings take the mind consciousness's knowing as their knowing; if what the manas knows is unknown to the mind consciousness, it is as if it were not known at all. The manas, relying on the tathāgatagarbha, can know all dharmas, but it simply cannot make the mind consciousness know them. Only by cultivating the four dhyānas and eight samādhis can the mind consciousness come to know what the manas knows, and only then is it called superknowledge. If your manas sends out information, the other person's manas can also know it, but if the other person's mind consciousness does not know it, then it is as if it were not known. Only if the manas uses special means to make the mind consciousness aware of it can that person come to know it.

After the mind consciousness has transformed its consciousness into wisdom, it can come to know some of what the manas knows and can observe the manas directly, thereby understanding some of the manas's mental activities and inherent nature. Some people then say that the scope of the manas's knowing has become broader and its content richer. In fact, the manas has always been able to rely on the tathāgatagarbha to know an immense number of dharmas; the mind consciousness simply cannot perceive it.

——Master Sheng-Ru's Teachings
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