The Difference Between the Doubt of the Mind Consciousness and the Doubt of the Manas

The doubt of the mind consciousness is relatively shallow; it exists only on the surface and is not true doubt. For example, once something is explained and the mind understands, the doubt is dispelled. The doubt of the manas is much deeper, because the manas is the master consciousness, the master. All the mental activities and choices of the master take effect and produce results. The mind consciousness is not the master; its doubt cannot play the primary role and is easily dispelled. For instance, if the manas doubts the wholesome dharmas it has created, this is true doubt, and it will offset part or all of the prior mental activities and karmic actions of those wholesome dharmas, so that the merit of the wholesome dharmas previously created is diminished or eliminated. Because the tathāgatagarbha cooperates behind the manas, the tathāgatagarbha knows all the mental activities of the manas. If the manas doubts and does not believe in those merits, the tathāgatagarbha will record the merits of those wholesome dharmas as reduced, and the merit is diminished.

Therefore, heavy doubt is also not good. Doubt is an affliction; among the three fetters we need to eliminate, it belongs to the fetter of doubt. With doubt unresolved, birth and death cannot be ended. So we must resolve the doubts in our minds, resolving our lack of understanding and lack of decision regarding the dharma of liberation. If the manas doubts the merit it has already created, that merit will be discounted. Therefore, after we have created wholesome karma, we should not harbor doubt; we must recognize from within that this is wholesome karma, and that in the future we will certainly obtain wholesome retribution just as it is.

At the time of our death, if the mind dwells moment after moment on the unwholesome karma created in this life, the tathāgatagarbha will cooperate by causing that unwholesome seed to ripen early, and we will be drawn along by the unwholesome karma to undergo unwholesome retribution. We should adjust our mental focus, keeping the mind constantly on all the wholesome karma created in this life; before death, we should strive to repent and purify all the unwholesome karma we have created. For what truly cannot be repented away, before death we should not let the unwholesome karma form a strong thought in the mind—try not to think of it, but think of wholesome karma instead. Then the tathāgatagarbha may (not certainly) prevent the unwholesome karmic seeds from ripening and instead ripen the seeds of wholesome karma.

This means that the thoughts at the time of death are the mind's wishes, and the tathāgatagarbha will cooperate with you to make those thoughts and wishes come true. Therefore, at the time of death, as long as all our wishes are wholesome—such as the wish to be reborn in the land of bliss (Sukhāvatī)—the tathāgatagarbha will cooperate and enable us to be reborn in the land of bliss. If the thought at our death is not good and corresponds to the unwholesome karma of this life, then the retribution of unwholesome karma will manifest, and we may go to the three evil destinies. If at the time of death we give rise to doubt about the land of bliss or about Amitābha Buddha, we will not be able to reach the land of bliss; even if we barely make it, we will only reach the borderland city of doubt in the land of bliss, not seeing the Buddha and not hearing the Dharma, until the doubt in the mind and the karma of doubt are eliminated. Therefore, the thought at the time of death is the most important and the most effective.