The Realization of Manas Gives Birth to Wisdom

Regarding the wisdom power of the manas, all the wisdom of the mental consciousness must settle upon the manas to be considered successful, to store seeds, and to be useful in future lives. Ultimately, the wisdom power of the manas plays the fundamental role in everything. For the manas to attain fruition, from the first fruit to the fourth fruit, or to achieve enlightenment, from initial enlightenment to Buddhahood, it is the wisdom of the manas that functions. The result of the mental consciousness's wisdom is to endow the manas with wisdom, enabling the manas to transform consciousness into wisdom, attain great wisdom, and ultimately become a Buddha.

The difference between the wisdom of the mental consciousness and the wisdom of the manas lies in the fact that the mental consciousness possesses the functions of logical thinking, analysis, and reasoning, capable of relatively abstract thought. In contrast, the manas cannot engage in abstract thought; it must be concrete, with scenarios and images—the more direct the perception, the better; the more realistic, the better. The manas has difficulty with analytical thinking and struggles with logical reasoning and judgment; this aspect relies on the mental consciousness. Other direct perceptions can be entirely self-sufficient, though the assistance of the mental consciousness is the fastest and best. Therefore, when there are images, graphics, or immediate scenarios and situations, the manas resonates more readily, memories formed by the mental consciousness become more solid, and understanding becomes much easier—this is the principle. When the six sense faculties interconnect and function interchangeably, the manas replaces the mental consciousness and also replaces the five sense consciousnesses. The principle is illustrated in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, where Mahākāśyapa attained perfect clarity and understanding without relying on mental thoughts.