The Mystery of the Intermediate State and the Attainment of Realization through Practice

Answer: The meaning of the mystery of the intermediate state is that the mind consciousness is newly born, different from the mind consciousness of previous lives; being separated by a body of the five aggregates (pañcaskandha), one becomes confused and does not know the affairs of the five aggregates of previous lives. But the manas continues life after life without interruption, without the separation of the intermediate state, and therefore is not confused; it can know the people, affairs, things, and principles of previous lives, and sometimes can also know those of future lives. However, what ordinary sentient beings generally know is known by relying on the six consciousnesses; what the manas knows must be expressed through the six consciousnesses in order to have any effect.

The manas does not correspond to language and words, and therefore cannot express what it knows and sees. The six consciousnesses correspond to language and words and can think, analyze, reason, and judge; therefore, many of the manas's activities must be realized by relying on the mind consciousness and the six consciousnesses. So no matter what the manas knows, the mind consciousness does not necessarily know it. Even if the manas has understood the land of bliss (Sukhāvatī), or understood everything about one's previous lives, the mind consciousness does not necessarily know it.

Therefore, when encountering major matters, the manas has no choice but to alert the mind consciousness in various ways, so that the mind consciousness gains some awareness and can deliberate on how to handle and resolve the matter. For example, when ghosts and spirits are around the body, the mind consciousness does not know, but the manas does; the manas can then cause the body's faculty to make the scalp tingle and the whole body feel uneasy. Then the mind consciousness feels that something may be wrong, and the mind consciousness may possibly guess what it is.

When in this life one encounters the images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for the first time, because the manas has believed in the Buddha, recollected the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti), and studied Buddhism life after life, and has a special affection for Buddhas and Bodhisattvas—this is called deep roots of goodness—one cannot help shedding tears, even weeping bitterly, while the mind consciousness does not understand why this is so. The same applies to meeting relatives from previous lives: the mind consciousness does not recognize them, but the manas does, and so one feels very close and moved, while the mind consciousness does not know why one is so moved, or why there is such special affection.

Therefore, if the manas has eliminated self-view in this life, its manifestation in the next life will be different from ordinary people. But the mind consciousness is new and subject to the mystery of the intermediate state; it does not know that self-view was already eliminated in previous lives, nor that the five aggregates are without self. Thus, upon encountering the Buddha's teachings, one still needs to deliberate on the non-self of the five aggregates. However, because the manas has already realized non-self and knows that the five aggregates are without self, the mind consciousness does not need to engage in excessive deliberation and contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā); very quickly, the mind consciousness will realize the non-self of the five aggregates, much faster than someone realizing the fruit for the first time. Those of the third fruit (Anāgāmin) or fourth fruit (arhat) may even realize the fruit upon hearing just one sentence, without needing to deliberately deliberate and contemplate, because there is no need for the mind consciousness to carefully deliberate in order to permeate and influence the manas, saving this especially troublesome process; realizing the fruit is thus especially swift.