As long as consciousness exists, the manas will not depart from the body of the five aggregates.

The mind consciousness arises when the fetus is four or five months old in the mother's womb, and continues until birth. Without a mind consciousness, the fetus could not be born; the process of birth involves the participation of the mind consciousness, and a birth without mind consciousness would be death. Even anencephalic infants born with congenital brain defects possess faint mind consciousness; otherwise they would be stillborn and could not be born. People in a persistent vegetative state also have weak consciousness; otherwise they too would die. As long as consciousness exists, the manas will not leave the five-aggregate body. He is extremely attached to the functions and roles of the six-consciousness body, because the manas itself cannot do anything—He must use the six consciousnesses to act, and use the body to act.