What Constitutes Realization?

Many people talk about experiential realization every day, but what does "real" mean? "Real" refers to actuality, and actuality is the present-moment experiential realm of the manas (the root consciousness). The level to which the manas attains determines the level of one's spiritual cultivation. The realm of the mental consciousness is illusory, fleeting in an instant, like ephemeral flowers that never take root. The manas is the sovereign consciousness that governs the six consciousnesses—body, speech, and mind. The understanding of the mental consciousness is not experiential realization, because the mental consciousness cannot govern the actions of body, speech, and mind.

Experiential realization requires realization by the manas, and for the manas to realize, dhyāna (meditative absorption) is indispensable. Without sufficient dhyāna, the manas cannot deeply and subtly contemplate the data and information provided by the mental consciousness, nor can it thoroughly understand what the mental consciousness thinks and comprehends. Therefore, it cannot attain realization and remains merely the understanding of the mental consciousness alone. Thus, apart from dhyāna, there can be no talk of experiential realization. When there is understanding by the mental consciousness but no realization by the manas, there are no meritorious fruits of liberation to experience—it is a case where virtue does not match the position.