Whose Mental Activities Are Manifested by the Mind Consciousness Under the Instigation of the Manas?

When the manifestations of the mind consciousness are autonomous and voluntary, its mental activities belong to the mental activities of the manas that controls it; the mental activities that the manas displays when instigated by the powerful mind consciousness likewise do not belong to the manas, but belong to the mental activities of the mind consciousness—although the manas has made the decision, it was compelled to do so, not deciding on its own initiative. For example, when parents instigate a small child to steal things, because the child is too young and has no self-determination and cannot defy them, the child has no choice but to obey the parents; then the act of stealing manifests the parents' greedy disposition, and the stolen things belong to the parents and are at the parents' disposal. Similarly, when a master instigates a dog to fetch things from a neighbor's house, it is the master who has the mind to steal, not the dog, because the dog has no autonomy and must obey its master; the stolen things belong to the master, not to the dog. If the dog steals things on its own, not instigated by the master, the things belong to the dog, and the dog itself has the mind to steal.

For example, when a person takes a knife to chop firewood, it is the person who chops the firewood, not the knife; although it was the knife that personally chopped the firewood, the knife has no mind to chop firewood, and the firewood belongs to the owner, not to the knife. Likewise, when a driver drives a car and hits someone, it is the driver who hit the person, not the car; the driver must compensate the other party for the losses, while the car cannot compensate for the losses. For example, when a master orders a servant to carry water or to craft gold vessels, and payment is given only after the task is completed, the water carried and the gold vessels crafted by the servant all belong to the master; this work was done by the servant on behalf of the master, and the master should bear the responsibility.

When a servant supports the master, the master of course must pay the servant; when the manas sustains the mind consciousness, it of course must give the mind consciousness some ideas, but in the end the merits and faults are still borne by the master and the manas. The causes and effects of the five aggregates life after life must still be borne by the manas; the mind consciousness, with a flop of its body, departs, and all the results are handled and borne by the manas. Whether ascending to the heavens or descending into the earth, it is the manas that leads the eighth consciousness there; becoming a Buddha or a patriarch is all the manas leading the eighth consciousness, and also leading the five aggregates and the six consciousnesses, the whole family, young and old alike, to become Buddhas and patriarchs.