The Wisdom of Mind Consciousness and the Wisdom of Manas

The wisdom of the manas is divided into two kinds. One is the wisdom unique to the manas, distinct from that of the mind consciousness, which has arisen from immeasurable eons of habituation through countless dharmas. It is innate, requiring no later cultivation or learning, and it far surpasses the wisdom of the mind consciousness—it is vastly more powerful, and the mind consciousness simply cannot compare with it. Therefore, without relying on the mind consciousness's thinking activities such as deliberation, analysis, investigation, comparison, and imagination regarding sense objects, the manas can, on its own, swiftly and imperceptibly—inconceivably—weigh and judge the sense objects both within and beyond the six sense objects, and promptly make decisions, allowing no time for the mind consciousness to think or investigate, nor permitting the mind consciousness to argue or resist.

The other kind of wisdom of the manas is the discerning wisdom regarding the specific contents of sense objects. This wisdom is far weaker and inferior to that of the mind consciousness, and therefore it must rely on the mind consciousness's meticulous and detailed discernment before it can make judgments and decisions; the manas alone cannot accomplish such discrimination. Because the objects cognized by the manas are extremely broad and extensive, it cannot invest all or most of its attention to focus on discernment; it can only discern the general appearance of sense objects and make simple considerations and judgments, and cannot be meticulous and detailed. At such times, if it relies on the discernment of the mind consciousness, it has no way to make decisions. What is generally meant by the statement that the manas's discerning wisdom is inferior mainly refers to this.

These two kinds of wisdom must be strictly distinguished and must not be blurred or confused; otherwise, one cannot correctly and accurately understand the nature, functions, and operations of the manas, and one cannot advance one's own wisdom and progress on the Path. If the wisdom of the manas were inferior in all dharmas and at all times, then at critical junctures, at life-and-death moments of crisis, in the face of major matters of right and wrong, and when evidence is insufficient, where would sentient beings turn? Would they not invariably be unable to reach a resolution, unable to escape calamity, unable to turn misfortune into fortune, and would they not perish prematurely, unable to die a natural death?