The Perfuming Is Successful Only When the Sixth and Seventh Consciousnesses Simultaneously Realize the Dharma

True realization of all dharmas is always realized and acknowledged simultaneously by the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. If only the mind consciousness thinks that things are such-and-such, but the manas does not acknowledge it, and does not know or understand the principles that the six consciousnesses have acknowledged, then the manas has not been successfully infused, He has not realized the Buddha-dharma, and the body, mind, and world cannot undergo transformation. Because the mind consciousness merely floats on the surface and its deliberation is relatively shallow; moreover, the mind consciousness cannot act on its own, being entirely dependent on the guidance of the deeper-level manas. If the manas has not been successfully infused, He will still direct all the actions and deeds of the mind consciousness according to His original, pre-existing cognition, and the mind consciousness's own independent views cannot play their proper role.

The manas is the consciousness that makes decisions—that is, what we usually call the subconscious deep within us. If a matter or principle is acknowledged deep within the manas, He will prompt the bodily, verbal, and mental actions to act in accordance with the acknowledged principle. Although before eliminating self-grasping, the manas still has attachments and afflictions and cannot make decisions entirely according to the realized principles, the manas has after all undergone some transformation in his views. When the manas eliminates afflictions and self-grasping, there is no longer a self within the mind, and the infusion can be considered fully successful.

The process of the mind consciousness's deliberation is precisely the process of making the manas understand the principles; this is a process that must be undergone. The mind consciousness must deliberate, and must deliberate deeply. If it does not deliberate, the manas cannot understand the principles. When the mind consciousness understands a principle but the manas does not yet understand it, the bodily, verbal, and mental actions cannot change. The manas must rely on the specific information of the mind consciousness's deliberative content in order to know these principles that the mind consciousness has discerned. If the mind consciousness does not deliberate, no information is transmitted to the manas, and the manas cannot discern these principles. He then cannot understand the principles, cannot bring about a change in his views, and the bodily, verbal, and mental actions also cannot change. Therefore, in studying and cultivating the Buddha-dharma, we must be adept at deliberation and make good use of the mind consciousness, contemplating and practicing in accordance with the Dharma. In cultivating the Buddha-dharma, we must not let the mind consciousness remain constantly in a state of no-thought and no-awareness, nor let the mind consciousness sit idle and useless; otherwise, we cannot deeply understand the principles, and our wisdom cannot grow.