What Is the Unimpeded Path of Seeing (ānantarya-mārga)?

After truly seeing the Path, one's mind, moment after moment without interruption, abides in the Path. What does "mind after mind without interruption" mean? Which mind is the uninterrupted mind? Which mind is the interrupted mind? Why can it be interrupted?

The eighth consciousness and the manas are uninterrupted minds; the first six consciousnesses are minds with interruption. For seeing the Path to be uninterrupted, the manas and the mind consciousness must see the Path simultaneously; the mind consciousness alone cannot see the Path. In true seeing of the Path, even if the mind consciousness ceases, the fruit of the Path remains. In false seeing of the Path, once the mind consciousness becomes extinguished, weakened, or inferior, the fruit of the Path is gone.

True seeing of the Path means the manas seeing the Path. After the manas sees the Path, the mind forever abides in the Path and will no longer regress from it. But the mind consciousness seeing the Path is not like this: the mind consciousness is a mind with interruption, a mind that cannot be the master. If the manas does not see the Path, the mind consciousness will obey the manas's arrangements and directives, will not acknowledge the so-called Path, and will not be in the Path. If the mind consciousness then gives rise to doubt, regression will occur. Even if the mind consciousness does not regress, because the manas is the master everywhere, the bodily, verbal, and mental actions will not change—one remains the same old self.

Some people, having seen the Path only with the mind consciousness, or taking meditative concentration states as the Path, in order to avoid regression, frequently sit in meditation and cultivate samādhi, maintaining the state of concentration so as to preserve the state they have realized. Others strive to use the mind consciousness to pull the manas along and make it comply with themselves. But this is ultimately not a lasting affair—paper can never wrap up fire, and in the end the truth will be exposed completely. After the manas sees the Path, sense objects no longer have much attraction for the manas and the mind consciousness; the mind consciousness is easily turned around, but once the manas accepts a principle, it is very hard to turn around—ten oxen cannot pull it. Because of the manas's obstinacy, trying to pull the manas toward the true Dharma is not so easy either; the manas is not easily influenced. That is why attaining the fruits is so difficult. Some people have heavy afflictions; speaking principles to them lightly and casually is of no use at all. Only after suffering great retribution, after hitting walls severely, after being beaten bloody, can they come to reflect on themselves a little. Such people are those of poor spiritual faculties—ten oxen cannot pull them; they cling stubbornly to fixed ideas, refuse to compromise, and love to lock horns.