The Influence and Manipulation of the Eight Consciousnesses over the Physical Body

Even without body consciousness, the physical body can still exhibit slight movements. For example, in some sentient beings, even after the head has been cut off, the body can still twist and writhe. This is because when the manas grasps the body, although it cannot regulate the brain's central nervous system, the spinal nervous system still exists, so the manas can make the body twist by controlling the spinal nervous system; at this time, body consciousness and mind consciousness are not necessarily involved. Another example: after falling asleep, even during deep sleep, the body still shows slight movements, which also belong to nervous system activity. Talking in one's sleep in the middle of the night and the fluttering of the eyelids are also unconscious activities, in which neither the mind consciousness nor the body consciousness arises.

As for the internal activities of the body—such as the heartbeat, pulse, breathing, nervous system activity, gastrointestinal peristalsis, digestion and absorption, cellular metabolism, and so on—these are generally autonomously regulated and sustained by the tathāgatagarbha, and the seven consciousnesses are often unable to exert any influence over them. The activities of the internal organs do not require body consciousness; they continue even during sleep, otherwise the person would die. Many bodily activities are not something that body consciousness and mind consciousness can dominate, nor something the manas can dominate. A person's birth, aging, sickness, and death are all beyond the control of the manas, let alone the mind consciousness; all are carried out by the tathāgatagarbha in accordance with karmic seeds. Observe any function or operation within the body: if it does not obey our command and control, then it is sustained solely by the tathāgatagarbha. Blood pressure and body temperature are like this—we cannot make them be however we wish—except for those with meditative concentration and supernatural powers, and except for those with strong power of mental intention.

However, the emotional and psychological activities of the seven consciousnesses can influence and alter the functioning of the physical body's internal organs. The manas can influence and alter the tathāgatagarbha's sustaining function over the physical body. The activities of the six consciousnesses are led by the manas and can also influence the tathāgatagarbha. The influence and regulation that the seven consciousnesses exert over the body's internal organs differ greatly from the sustaining, controlling, and regulating manner of the tathāgatagarbha. What is the difference? The tathāgatagarbha also heeds the sixth and seventh consciousnesses, and also heeds the five sense consciousnesses; that is why our cultivation is of use. Otherwise, everything would be fixed and unchangeable, and cultivation would be of no use. Through frequent sitting in quiet meditation, everything within the physical body can be changed. Cultivation is mainly a matter of applying effort on the sixth and seventh consciousnesses; once the sixth and seventh consciousnesses are well cultivated, earth-shaking transformations will occur, all the way to buddhahood.