Compilation of Daily Discourses
Chapter 3: The Actual Practice and Realization of the Manas
1. How to let the manas deliberate on problems without affecting sleep?
If you want to assign the manas some tasks before going to sleep, letting it deliberate on a problem during sleep without affecting your rest, then the manas must be very familiar with the problem, understand what its content is, so that the mind consciousness need not help analyze it, and no information needs to be transmitted anymore; moreover, the problem must not be urgent, with no need to know the answer immediately. In this way, the manas will let the six consciousnesses cease with peace of mind. After assigning the task and posing the question, do nothing else and do not think about other things—just go straight to sleep, letting the manas hold only this matter in mind, not covered or influenced by other things. When the manas needs to activate the mind consciousness to assist its deliberation, it is certainly because it is not yet familiar with the problem and cannot find the approach or direction for solving it, so it needs the mind consciousness to help analyze and provide reference information. If the manas is very familiar with the problem and has a method of solution, even if the mind consciousness wants to help analyze, the manas will not use it, finding it an obstruction.
2. The characteristics and benefits of using the manas to deliberate on problems
The deliberation of difficult problems is divided into different levels of depth. The shallowest level is the mind consciousness deliberating alone; because there is no meditative concentration and the manas is not familiar with the problem, it cannot participate. In the process of the mind consciousness's deliberation, some language, words, and sounds will be mixed in; there is a mental appearance of deliberation, and the whole process is easily observed—this is the mind consciousness's power of introspection (pratyavekṣā-bala) over its own operation. The language includes talking to oneself, as well as body language such as gestures; words include those written on paper, as well as mental imagination and description; sounds include audible sounds, as well as inaudible inner voice. During deliberation, the thinking can be scattered; the mind need not be focused, and meditative concentration is not required. As for the results of deliberation, the manas does not acknowledge them, because it did not participate; the mind is not very certain, they are easily overturned, and no corresponding actual action will be taken.
Slightly deeper thinking has the manas participating, with some shallow meditative concentration; the manas and mind consciousness deliberate together, one in the open and one in the dark, cooperating with each other and complementing each other's strengths, and this does not exclude language, words, and sounds. The mind consciousness is responsible for providing materials and examples, as well as rough analysis and inference, while the manas discards part of the objects of attention and deliberates with full or half concentration. Because the manas must deliberate, it has no more energy to attend to all dharmas and must necessarily abandon some dharmas; thus shallow meditative concentration appears. Whether to attend to dharmas or not is decided by the manas, and which dharmas to attend to and which not is also decided by the manas. If the manas does not participate in the deliberation, it will not decide to abandon part of the attended dharmas, and there will be no shallow meditative concentration. The more dharmas the manas abandons, the deeper the meditative concentration, the deeper the degree of participation in deliberation, and the easier it is to reach a result.
The deepest level of thinking is the manas deliberating alone. At this time, the meditative concentration is already very deep; the mind consciousness's auxiliary and transmitting functions have all been completed; the manas has already understood and become familiar with the problem; it has abandoned the vast majority of dharma-objects and single-mindedly deliberates and investigates alone in meditative concentration, even deliberating in dreams without rest. Once a result is deliberated, the mind consciousness understands it as soon as it wakes, and sleep is not affected. Once the mind has meditative concentration, even short-lived concentration, it will inevitably activate the manas; and conversely, once the manas enters the process of deliberation, it is often very focused and cannot attend to other dharma-objects, so meditative concentration inevitably appears.
From this we can see that the manas is the consciousness that takes charge, the one that arranges and decides matters. Once it deliberates, it cannot arrange other things, and meditative concentration will surely arrive. Whether there is meditative concentration in the process of cultivation depends on the manas—the manas has the final say. Therefore, to cultivate concentration quickly, one must use the manas more; to use the manas to deliberate, one must cultivate meditative concentration more. For a person who has formed the habit of using the manas to deliberate, whenever they encounter any difficult problem thereafter, they will immediately enter the manas-deliberation mode without the mind consciousness's guidance; their attention is extremely concentrated, the mind is focused, without language, words, or sounds, and it does not affect the concentration of attention. From ancient times to the present, all people of profound thought and great wisdom have been people accustomed to using the manas to deliberate on problems.
The benefit of using the manas to deliberate on problems is that it can hit the mark in one step, directly solving the core problem, without doubt, without agonizing, without regret, with inner joy. It is more penetrating, more ultimate, more thorough, deeper, more wise than the mind consciousness's deliberation; the mind accepts it more, feels more grounded, and it always accords with the result, without needing to bother to memorize and recite; whereas what the mind consciousness deliberates is easily forgotten afterward and cannot be recalled.
3. Does using the manas to recollect the Buddha and deliberate on problems feel tiring?
When recollecting the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti), just recollect; there is no need to rack your brains thinking about the Buddha's various merits, or about how to recollect to achieve effect—such questions consume relatively little mental energy and vitality. If the time spent recollecting the Buddha is not too long and one eats normally, one will not feel very tired. But when first learning manas recollection of the Buddha, because of unfamiliarity, some mental effort is needed, and one will feel somewhat tired. When the recollection gradually enters the state of meditative absorption (samādhi), with fairly deep meditative concentration, the circulation of qi and blood is good, nourishment and energy are sufficient, and there will be no feeling of tiredness; on the contrary, the physical body becomes tranquil and the spirit joyful. In the state of samādhi, the energy consumed is very little.
Using the manas to deliberate on problems is different from recollecting the Buddha. Deliberating on problems requires using the brain, consuming more mental energy and vitality; without sufficient energy supply, one will feel tired. When investigating Chan (canchan), it is mainly the manas's investigation and deliberation, which requires mobilizing the nervous system; the energy consumption is great, so one feels very tired. Therefore, Chan investigators' appetite increases somewhat; people who use the brain a lot eat more, and they must rest at intervals, otherwise they will feel very tired. But when meditative concentration is very deep, because qi and blood are abundant, energy can be replenished in time, and one does not easily feel tired; with shallow concentration, one feels tired more easily. If the Chan investigation enters a very deep state of samādhi, at that time the circulation of qi and blood is good, body and mind are tranquil and joyful, and one will not feel tired.
Deliberating with the manas consumes much energy; thinking with the mind consciousness consumes little. Because manas deliberation requires engaging the brain's nervous system, energy is consumed, and so one feels tired. The nervous system of the whole body is mobilized by the manas; the mind consciousness cannot mobilize it. Therefore, deliberating with the mind consciousness is relatively easy—even if very scattered, thinking of everything, one does not feel very tired. Many people like to use the mind consciousness and are unwilling to think deeply and investigate.
4. The Buddha-dharma is actually less rigorous and serious than worldly dharma
In law, as long as there is no conclusive evidence, a murder case cannot even be filed. Even though one clearly feels the person is already dead—and intuition is often quite accurate—without finding the corpse, the case cannot be filed; even though one clearly feels that it was that person who killed, without conclusive evidence of murder, the person cannot be arrested and brought to justice. The evidence in criminal law is all solid, living things that can be laid out; however accurate the intuition, it cannot be adopted—such is the rigor and seriousness of the law.
But the Buddha-dharma spoken by some of us is not like this. Inference, imagination, thinking, organizing, summarizing, pondering, reminding, hinting—things produced in this way can all be called attaining the fruits and enlightenment, and it is even said to have come from Chan investigation. If evidence is demanded, what is inferred is the evidence; what others hinted is the evidence; with a bit of pondering, the evidence is pondered out—the Buddha-dharma is not hard to ponder. Having logical thinking suffices; having rigorous thinking is better; without rigorous thinking it is also acceptable—who cannot imagine? It all counts. After all, the honor and reputation of a sage are more fascinating and more worth pursuing; the means and methods are secondary.
Those who want to cultivate their logical thinking can look at some criminal investigation cases, read some philosophy, and learn some psychology, and their mental thinking will become broadened. The process of solving cases involves rigorous logical thinking, combined with evidence, and cases can be solved. But if there is no evidence, or the evidence is insufficient, however logical and rigorous the thinking and inference, it may not be adopted. Logical thinking can guide the direction of gathering evidence; when there is no evidence, however airtight the logical thinking, it cannot be used; using it will cause wrongful convictions.
If the mind consciousness's thinking within meditative concentration were as rigorous and cautious as solving a case, logically sound, would it be easier to realize penetratingly when handed over to the manas for deliberation? This depends on what content the mind consciousness is thinking about. The function of the mind consciousness's thinking is to guide the direction and general goal of the manas's deliberation on dharma meanings, to sort out the overall framework and thread of thought of the Buddha-dharma, and to lead the manas into the state of investigation. The mind consciousness cannot deliberate on dharma meanings that are too specific and too detailed—these are for the manas to investigate and should be left to the manas to solve; the final answer must be obtained through the manas's investigation. The functions of the manas and mind consciousness wax and wane against each other: the more the mind consciousness is used, the less the manas is used. The wisdom of the manas cannot be replaced by the mind consciousness.
5. Logical thinking power can generate wisdom power
What is wisdom? Wisdom is the ability to discover problems, recognize problems, and solve problems; having rigorous logical thinking ability enables one to solve problems perfectly without loopholes—this is wisdom. What is logic? Logic is the method of thinking, the sequence of thinking, the angle of thinking, the depth of thinking, the levels of thinking. Through such thinking, one can find the starting point and focus of a problem, step by step go deeper, thereby grasping the root of the problem, reaching directly to its core, solving the problem comprehensively and thoroughly without omission—this is the power of wisdom.
Using logical thinking well can generate inexhaustible wisdom and solve inexhaustible problems. If you have not mastered logical thinking well, you should carefully observe every short essay I write, or my remarks in the group, paying attention to my way, method, and angle of thinking about each problem, noticing how I expound problems layer by layer, revealing the essence of problems, and the logical relationships between sentences and paragraphs.
Clarifying the sequence of solving problems, like unwinding silk from a cocoon, wisdom grows very quickly—this is what carries logic. For example, regarding the question of deliverance and salvation for the deceased that we discussed together some days ago: observe my sequence of thinking and the whole process of solving the problem, and you will know that my thread of thought is very clear and orderly, finally arriving at a reasonable conclusion. In fact, in the process of expounding the problem, one does not yet know what the final conclusion will be; one just unfolds the problem step by step in due order, and if the process has no mishaps, the conclusion at the end will be correct. That the initial starting point, focus, and sequence are all correct is crucial; in this way one can reach directly to the root of the problem and grasp the fundamental issue. This is the power of logical thinking; possessing this ability, wisdom is generated. Thinking about problems by this method, any problem can be solved in accordance with reason and Dharma.
6. Must the manas's successful perfuming and the attainment of the fruits take place in meditative concentration?
Attaining the fruits must take place in meditative concentration; the manas being successfully perfumed does not necessarily have to be in meditative concentration. But perfuming the manas with wholesome dharmas is easier in meditative concentration, whereas perfuming with unwholesome dharmas does not require concentration. Because the manas itself has very many unwholesome dharmas and accords with unwholesome dharmas, as long as it encounters unwholesome dharmas, it can be perfumed unconsciously, especially with long-term perfuming—the manas will certainly be perfumed into habits. Because the manas has had deep and heavy ignorance for beginningless kalpas, it has always been in unwholesome dharmas, with very, very heavy defiled afflictions, unable to extricate itself by its own power, and being saved by others' power is also difficult. To remove defilements and afflictions and to cultivate wholesome dharmas so the mind becomes wholesome cannot be accomplished by short-term effort.
Normally, beginningless kalpas of defilement require beginningless kalpas of perfuming with wholesome dharmas to transform evil into good, but this takes too long, and there is no such long-term wholesome environment; so one must achieve it through perfuming in a relatively short time—such as one kalpa, one small kalpa, several million years, several hundred thousand years, or even several hundred or several dozen years. To achieve it through perfuming in such a short time requires meditative concentration; the shorter the time, the deeper the concentration needed. Because in meditative concentration the mind can be unified, thinking is deep, subtle, and penetrating, wisdom can arise, the manas understands principles quickly and easily accepts perfuming, and wholesome dharmas are easily accomplished. Without meditative concentration, the mind is scattered, the manas cannot deliberate thoroughly, wisdom does not arise, wholesome dharmas cannot be accepted, views cannot change, and one still acts according to unwholesome mental factors (caittas).
Attaining the fruits is more difficult than perfuming with wholesome dharmas, requiring greater and more subtle wisdom, a more thorough change of views and thought without rebound; the meditative concentration required will be deeper and longer, so that the manas can more single-mindedly deliberate on the principle of no-self, deliberate the theory thoroughly, and thereby realize the principle. Meditative concentration makes the mind unmoving or barely moving; when the mind is unmoving, afflictions can be subdued, one can focus on the principle, and wisdom arises—without meditative concentration there is no such merit. The manas has been accustomed to self and afflictions since beginningless kalpas; changing habits and subduing afflictions in a short time is indeed not easy. Without special methods and channels, without extremely strong willpower, without great power of vows and endurance, one cannot eradicate the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) and eliminate afflictions.
7. What kind of practice is one where no effort is wasted?
Elderly people, due to brain atrophy, have weakened supreme faculties (indriya), and the functions of the six consciousnesses will be affected. What are the effects? For example, upon newly meeting a person, one remembers at the time but forgets afterward—this is the mind consciousness's power of memory failing. Is the manas's function affected? The manas's own function is not affected, but its function of cooperating with the six consciousnesses is affected by the six consciousnesses, not by the brain and the supreme faculty. Because when the elderly person saw that person, the impression did not penetrate deep into the manas but remained only at the level of the mind consciousness, causing it to be forgotten afterward.
But the elderly person has a deep impression of their close relative A, with deep memory, even deep concern in the heart. Nevertheless, sometimes upon seeing A, the mind clearly knows it is A, yet the mouth calls out B's name, while speaking about matters concerning A. This is the mind consciousness being somewhat muddled, while the manas is not. The older a person is, the weaker the function of the supreme faculty and the more muddled the mind consciousness. Although the manas is not muddled, bodily, verbal, and mental actions are all performed by the mind consciousness together with the five consciousnesses, so various confusions and obstructions are inevitable.
In our study and practice of Buddhism, in order that no effort be wasted and no merit of practice be lost, how should we practice? We should not remain at the level of the mind consciousness's understanding, thinking, analysis, recitation, and memorization; we should strive to cultivate meditative concentration, think within concentration, soak the learned dharma into the manas's mind, and then let the manas deliberate in concentration, achieving direct realization at the level of direct perception. Only by using the manas more can true wisdom be developed, letting wisdom grow continuously, extending into future lives, being enjoyed life after life, growing life after life, and ultimately attaining perfect buddhahood.
8. The dialectical relationship between theory and fact
True knowledge comes from practice; practice is fact, true knowledge is theory, and theory comes from practice. Practice and true knowledge are not a relationship of mere coordination but a unified relationship of mutual complementation—practice comes first, theory comes after. A person who has not practiced must practice according to correct and truthful theory, and to verify whether the theory is correct, one must also practice. Without the ability to practice, not knowing the methods of practice, one cannot prove whether the theory is correct, nor derive correct theory.
Whether some so-called facts are indeed facts is also worth scrutiny. What appears on the surface to be fact may not actually be fact; what does not appear on the surface to be fact may actually be fact. This requires wisdom to discern; without wisdom, one cannot discern. Wisdom means having mastered and fully possessed correct theoretical methods, using them to guide practice, and testing the so-called facts in practice—only then can correct and reasonable results be verified.
9. The level of wisdom of general-characteristic wisdom at the time of initial enlightenment
A lay Buddhist asked: Master, when one is newly enlightened and realizes the tathāgatagarbha, general-characteristic wisdom arises. Using this general-characteristic wisdom to observe the tathāgatagarbha, within what range can one observe? I replied: At the time of initial enlightenment, this range is not very large; the observation is not comprehensive—the range is within the simple operation of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha), rather rough; in complex operations, the tathāgatagarbha is hard to observe. Among them, the aggregate of form and the aggregate of volitional formations are primary; the aggregates of feeling, perception, and consciousness can be observed somewhat, but not much and not deeply. Because the aggregate of form and the aggregate of volitional formations are more obvious and easier to observe; on the aggregate of feeling, rough observation is also possible; on the aggregates of perception and consciousness, observation is more difficult. All are rough, general observations, unable to enter into details; the observation is not deep and subtle.
But this observation is an observation of direct perception, that is, observation directly present. At the very moment of the five aggregates' operation, if seen, it is seen; if not seen, it is not seen; one must not fall into a moment's thinking; no language, words, or sounds appear in between; one must not fall into the appearance of thinking, deliberating, analyzing, and pondering—once one falls into deliberation, it is no longer direct, present observation. During investigation, once language, words, or sounds appear, meditative concentration must be insufficient; the mind consciousness's function of sentimental interpretation has gained the upper hand, the manas's function has weakened, and it is not the wisdom of direct perception. Therefore, direct perception must be the manas personally present on the scene, observing, discovering, and witnessing—not the mind consciousness's kind of brain-thinking and brain-filling. In ancient times, when Chan masters tested their disciples, if the disciple hesitated even slightly and wanted to describe in words, the master would often strike down with a blow of the staff, not allowing them to fall into thinking and interpretation.
The mind consciousness's thinking has obvious characteristics of operation, especially the mind consciousness's solitary deliberation—that is not direct perception. Only what is observed simultaneously together with the manas is direct perception; the mind consciousness plays an auxiliary role, not a leading role. The smaller its proportion, the deeper the wisdom; the more it is direct perception, the more it cannot be denied, cannot be regretted, and is not hesitant but very firm and resolute, without doubt. It can be seen that this kind of direct-perception observation is very difficult, requiring both high skill and high wisdom.
From the Tang and Song dynasties onward, after the Sixth Patriarch, it is said that more than a thousand people were enlightened, and some seventeen hundred Chan public cases (gong'an) have been handed down. But not all of these are pure realization; there are also intellectual understandings, and the specific numbers cannot be examined or counted. From the few words of those enlightenment verses, and from the brief dialogues and suggestive descriptions—because there are no details—one cannot distinguish from them whether it was realization or intellectual understanding. Even if they all had meditative concentration, it cannot be shown that whoever has meditative concentration must have realized; of course, those without meditative concentration certainly cannot realize. Realization counts only when one awakens precisely while in meditative concentration, in the midst of the manas's deep investigation, seeing it immediately without falling into the mind consciousness's thinking; those leaning toward the mind consciousness are all intellectual understanding, or may not even count as that. Of course, if it is genuine intellectual understanding, through cultivating concentration and strengthening the manas's investigative skill, it can be transformed into realization.
To have this investigative skill, meditative concentration is indispensable. To have meditative concentration, the physical body must gather qi; when qi gathers, the body is settled; when the body is settled, the mind is settled. To gather qi, first, the physical body must be healthy, with qi channels circulating smoothly, able to form a strong force that gathers the mind together; second, no scattered miscellaneous thoughts, no fantasy or mental wandering—that is, not grasping at various dharmas, that is, being able to let go of worldly miscellaneous affairs. If the physical body lacks qi, qi cannot be gathered; to make qi sufficient, one can practice qi cultivation or supplement qi—dietary and medicinal supplementation also work. After qi arises, one must follow the movement of qi, letting body and mind quiet down; once the momentum forms, meditative concentration appears. Therefore, practice should be started early, while the body is healthy and strength is abundant; do not wait until old age and decline, when nothing works anymore, to remember that one should practice—at that point it may be too late, and the skill cannot be built up. Although practice is not about cultivating the body, apart from the body's cooperation, how can one practice?
A seventy-five-year-old elderly lay Buddhist spoke with me on the phone; his voice was resonant as a bell, with abundant inner qi. At once I heard that this momentum surpassed even mine, and surpassed many young people in their twenties and thirties; from his voice, living another twenty years would be no problem. I asked how his meditative concentration was; he said it was very good, reaching the level of investigating with the manas, without distracting thoughts, with a strong sense of qi. I asked about his level of wisdom; he asked me about the general-characteristic wisdom at the time of initial enlightenment—observing the operation of the tathāgatagarbha, within what range. As soon as I heard, I understood: over these years his skill and wisdom had both greatly advanced; his mind was broad in scope, his good roots deep—he is a person who will become a great vessel for the Path.
