How to Determine Whether the Manas Is Thinking and Investigating?

Master, I would like to ask: I feel that the questioning doubt has already arisen. At this point, my mind has condensed the question into a single point, such as "Who is dragging this corpse around?", and I have handed it over to the manas, but I don't know whether the manas is deliberating on it—what should I do? For example, when I see others walking on the street, my mind consciousness can't help but think about questions like "How can an empty shell walk?" Will this intellectual knowing of the mind consciousness divide the manas's mental attention, preventing the manas from engaging in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) wholeheartedly? But if I don't let the mind consciousness think about the question, I always feel that although there is nothing in my mind, it seems empty and hollow. I have absolutely no idea what the manas is thinking at this moment—what should I do?

Answer: If you feel that this huatou is always present in your mind, that is the manas deliberating and investigating. If your thoughts and attention are always on the huatou, without obvious thinking, analysis, or consideration, yet you cannot shake it off even if you want to, that is the manas investigating. Even if the mind consciousness has simple thoughts, the manas still holds the questioning doubt, secretly deliberating on the huatou. The thoughts of the mind consciousness will of course influence the manas—but sometimes there is no other way!