The Principle of Response

Matters of resonance are still matters of the manas. The manas, following the tathāgatagarbha, knows everything; it is only the mind consciousness that does not know. When the manas becomes aware of certain extraordinary things, there are reactions in the physical body or in the emotions—hair standing on end all over the body, inexplicable joy, inner restlessness and agitation, inner trepidation, a solemn expression, and so on. All the secret things that people do can be hidden from the mind consciousness, but not from the manas and the tathāgatagarbha. Therefore, there will also be karmic retribution in the future. The imperceptible estrangement or imperceptible closeness between people arises precisely because of certain things that the mind consciousness does not know. So we should be adept at guarding and restraining our own minds, not committing even the slightest transgression; with a tranquil mind (praśama), the karmic seeds are pure, and the retribution is pure.