The Realization of Manas Gives Birth to Wisdom

Regarding the wisdom power of the mental faculty (manas), all the wisdom of the mental consciousness (mano-vijñāna) must be grounded in the mental faculty to be considered successful, implanted as seeds, and become useful in future lives. Ultimately, the wisdom power of the mental faculty plays the decisive role in everything. For the mental faculty to attain fruition, from the first fruit to the fourth fruit, or to realize the mind, from initial realization to Buddhahood, it is all the function of the mental faculty's wisdom. The result of the mental consciousness's wisdom is to endow the mental faculty with wisdom, enabling the mental faculty to transform consciousness into wisdom, attain great wisdom, and ultimately achieve Buddhahood.

The distinction between the wisdom of the mental consciousness and that of the mental faculty lies in the fact that the mental consciousness possesses the functions of logical thinking, analysis, and reasoning, capable of more abstract thought. In contrast, the mental faculty cannot engage in abstract thought; it requires concreteness, narrative, and imagery—the more direct the perception (pratyakṣa), the better; the more realistic, the better. The mental faculty has very limited analytical thinking ability and struggles with logical reasoning and judgment; these aspects rely on the mental consciousness. Other forms of direct measurement can be entirely self-sufficient, though the assistance of the mental consciousness is certainly the fastest and best. Therefore, when there are images, graphics, or present circumstances and scenarios, the mental faculty resonates more readily, memories in the mental consciousness become more solid, and understanding comes very easily. This is precisely the reason. When the six sense faculties interconnect and function interchangeably, the mental faculty replaces the mental consciousness and also replaces the five sense consciousnesses. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra describes Mahākāśyapa's "perfectly clear knowing, independent of mental thought," illustrating this principle.