What is the nature of the manas?

Jing He's personal experience: One day I was sitting in a chair listening to the Great Compassion Mantra with headphones on, and as I listened, I fell asleep.......... I had no dreams. At that time, in the darkness "before my eyes" (actually not before my eyes, because there was no sense of direction, though at the time I did not realize there was "no sense of direction"—it seemed as if I were in a vast, boundless universe), there seemed to be some movement within the darkness. A sense of curiosity arose, wanting to figure out the cause, and at that point the movement turned into a point of light. "I" (at that time there was no concept of "I") continued to move toward the light.

Just as "I" came into contact with the light, consciousness arose, and I understood that that "movement" was actually the sound of the Great Compassion Mantra from the headphones. (At that moment I suddenly realized: something had entered the brain from the body, and the five sense faculties then became functional.) Then I recalled the state before consciousness arose—it was like an ignorant little child, or like a small animal. Drawn by a movement, it followed along, without the slightest capacity for reflection. 

Assessment: The "before the eyes" during sleep is not actually before the eyes; rather, it is the mental object (dharma) confronted by the manas, because at this time, even if the eye consciousness and mind consciousness have not ceased, they are extremely faint. There is no sense of direction of front and back, and the manas cannot clearly know the dharmas it faces, so one feels only a vast, boundless expanse. It was precisely the manas, in which curiosity arose, that moved toward the light; this was the manas about to take dharmas as its object, yet it did not know that it was taking dharmas as its object—its perception of self is weak. When it took the sound of the Great Compassion Mantra as its object, it could not discern it clearly and could only perceive it as light, because the Great Compassion Mantra has the power of blessing, appearing like a light. 

Just as the manas took the sound of the Great Compassion Mantra as its object and just as it perceived the light, the faint mind consciousness appeared, and the mind consciousness discerned that this was the sound of the Great Compassion Mantra. When the mind consciousness discerned the sound, the manas had already perceived the light (the sound) entering the brain, and the mind consciousness instantly understood; at this point the five sense consciousnesses appeared, and one became much more awake. After becoming awake, the mind consciousness recalled the preceding process, feeling that the manas is like a little child—without meditative concentration, it curiously follows whatever movement appears, very simple and naive, yet also very quick-witted, arriving wherever anything happens. Of course, the mind consciousness's recollection was also because the manas wanted to understand what had just happened and had the mind consciousness recall it. Recalling what happened before consciousness arose relies on the manas providing the scene material; only then can the mind consciousness—which is who we are—understand what exactly just occurred. 

This passage precisely and accurately describes the mentality of the manas: simple, naive, and primitive, lacking self-restraint, needing the mind consciousness to look after and restrain it, needing the mind consciousness to supervise and lead the way. Savor this passage's truthful description of the manas, ponder the characteristics of the manas, and come to understand the nature of the manas more deeply.