The Nimble Nature of the Manas

When a mosquito suddenly lands on your face, you unconsciously slap your face, and only afterward do you realize that a mosquito had landed on it and that you were swatting it. How is it that you can do something you are not aware of? Who did it?

A mosquito landing on the face is extremely light, and the mind consciousness generally cannot detect it. Yet even without detecting it, you still swatted the mosquito—this, of course, was entirely directed by the manas. It can be seen that no matter how minute the sense object of the six dusts may be, the manas can always cognize it first; for objects that concern one's own safety, it immediately makes a decision and handles them, whereupon the six consciousnesses arise to deal with matters that endanger oneself. Thus, even without the aid of the mind consciousness in cognizing and judging, the manas can still discriminate between major and minor sense objects, can discern what benefits and what harms the five-aggregate body, and can take action swiftly—its wisdom is by no means low. When the manas cognizes sense objects, it can do so without the mind consciousness; but when it comes to processing those objects, it absolutely cannot do without the mind consciousness. The manas cannot handle anything on its own and must have the assistance of the mind consciousness. Therefore, in many cases, the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the mind consciousness—or of the six consciousnesses—precisely manifest the manas's thoughts and moral cultivation, manifesting the mental activities of the manas.

When it comes to dealing with a mosquito bite, the mind consciousness and body consciousness may sometimes slap, sometimes scratch the itch, sometimes touch, sometimes pick at it—the various actions all differ. Why are different actions chosen? All of these are directed and commanded by the manas as the master. The manas has the capacity to judge and choose regarding tactile objects, and it understands tactile objects in all kinds of situations. Because the situations differ, the choices differ, and thus the actions of the mind consciousness and body consciousness differ accordingly.