What If Manas Were Free from Avidyā and Kleshas?

If the Manas is free from hatred, that is excellent. Once the consciousness ceases, one becomes a Third Fruition Saint without hatred, and after death, rebirth occurs as a Third Fruition Saint. There is no need to sever the view of self, nor to cultivate the first dhyāna; an ordinary person can directly become a Third Fruition Saint by extinguishing consciousness. If the Manas is free from any affliction, it is all very good. Upon death, one becomes a saint, and in future lives, there is no need for further cultivation. With just a little contemplation, one can realize the fruition, swiftly attain the first dhyāna, eradicate afflictions, and become another Third Fruition Saint. If the Manas is further free from ignorance, that is even better—one directly becomes a Buddha. For you, me, him, her, to still be cultivating here would be utterly redundant. There is fundamentally no need for cultivation. If the Manas is without ignorance, there is no need to dispel ignorance, no need to exhaust ignorance; one is originally a Buddha. What is the point of cultivation?

If the Manas is free from hatred and afflictions, then we need only sleep; once consciousness is extinguished, every sleeping person would be a saint. The consciousness and subtle sense faculties of a newborn infant are entirely new. If the Manas is free from hatred and afflictions, then every infant born would be a saint. Would we still need to cultivate so arduously? If the Manas is free from hatred, an infant would not become frantic and cry bitterly when unable to obtain something, nor would it get angry and hit people, nor say "Mommy is bad." When a stranger tries to hold it, the infant would not push them away. The infant would never be unhappy, never pout, never throw tantrums or display emotional outbursts.