"Why Can Consciousness Condition the Skandhas, Āyatanas, and Dhātus?"

The reason consciousness is able to perceive the aggregates, sense bases, and elements is because the manas (mental faculty) first perceives them, determining the specific object of cognition, after which consciousness can perceive the aggregates, sense bases, and elements. If the manas cannot perceive the various characteristics of the aggregates, sense bases, and elements, then consciousness cannot perceive them. How is consciousness born? When the manas interacts with the dharma-objects (mental objects) and the manas desires to act, the ālaya-vijñāna (storehouse consciousness, the eighth consciousness) then gives rise to consciousness to engage in activity. If, after the manas contacts the dharma-objects, it does not desire to act, the ālaya-vijñāna will not give rise to consciousness to engage in activity. Therefore, when consciousness perceives the characteristics of the aggregates, sense bases, and elements, it must be because the manas first perceived those characteristics. There is no principle whereby the manas does not perceive the characteristics of the aggregates, sense bases, and elements!

At all times, from moment to moment, the manas must rely on the ālaya-vijñāna to perceive the characteristics of the aggregates, sense bases, and elements. It cannot be separated from the aggregates, sense bases, and elements for even an instant. This holds true even when asleep without dreams, even when unconscious, even in the asamjñi-samāpatti (the state of non-perception), even at the moment of death before leaving the physical body, and even in the intermediate state (bardo). The manas always remains with the aggregates, sense bases, and elements, always perceiving them, except when there are no aggregates, sense bases, and elements, when there is no five aggregates.

If there were dharmas (phenomena) that the manas does not perceive, how could consciousness possibly perceive them? In regard to any dharma, if the manas is absent, consciousness fundamentally cannot exist there, let alone be able to perceive it. Consciousness arises from the condition of manas and dharma-objects; this is the Buddha's sacred teachings, the Tathagata's own words, spoken directly. How could it be otherwise? That the manas silently contains all dharmas is what the Buddha personally stated in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. How could it be otherwise?