Why Is the Manas Called "Transforming Consciousness"?

Precisely because the manas is extremely nimble, it is called the transforming consciousness. The meaning of "transforming consciousness" is that dharmas which originally did not exist—the dharmas within the tathāgatagarbha—are, due to the manas's tendency to cling and engage, transformed out by the manas; this is the function arising from the manas as the transforming consciousness. If the manas possesses great wisdom and knows the ultimate reality of the dharmadhātu, relying on the eighth consciousness and relying on ultimate reality, then the manas knows that all dharmas are entirely false and illusory; when the mind is still and unmoving, some of the dharmas of the three realms do not manifest and are not transformed out; if the manas does not transform them, the dharmas of the three realms do not appear. The manas transforms out the dharmas of the three realms and transforms out the six consciousnesses—only this is called the transforming consciousness, transforming the dharmas of the three realms out of the great ocean of the tathāgatagarbha; this is the nature of the transforming consciousness.

When we are in meditative concentration, the manas is still transforming; when we sleep and the perceiving mind ceases, the manas still continues transforming without interruption. Since the manas can transform continuously and without interruption, transforming out all dharmas, this shows that the manas is truly extremely nimble. Moreover, whether one has entered the formless concentration, entered the cessation of perception and feeling, or is in the moment of death or in a state of unconsciousness, He still continues to operate without interruption; therefore it is called the transforming consciousness. The manas is the transforming consciousness outside of meditative concentration, and it is also the transforming consciousness within meditative concentration; it transforms at every moment without exception—asleep, the manas still continues to operate without interruption; even in the formless concentration or the cessation of perception and feeling, it is still transforming, transforming at every moment, transforming instant after instant, never having stopped for a single instant. If the manas did not transform, one would have entered Nirvāṇa without remainder.

That is to say, due to the movement of the manas's mind, the mind consciousness arises in coordination to manifest the realms of the six sense objects and to discern the realms of the six sense objects; thus there exist the six consciousnesses that can see the realms of the six sense objects, and the six sense objects that are seen are called the marks of the objective realm—thus mind and its object both fully manifest.