The Unique Deliberative Nature of the Manas

The deliberative nature (manasikāra) of the manas, the mind of luminous awareness free from thought, refers not only to the state in which the mind consciousness discerns the six sense objects when it is without thought; there is also another mind that has no verbal or surface-level thinking and analyzing function, yet can know the realms of the six sense objects as well as dharmas beyond the six sense objects—more nimble, more hidden, more profound, more deliberative, with greater power of deliberation and a stronger capacity to solve problems—and that is the manas. The manas cannot think about and analyze the realms of the six sense objects the way the mind consciousness does, but the manas has its own unique deliberative nature, and this deliberative nature is extremely strong. Sentient beings rely mainly on the deliberative nature of the manas to make decisions and exercise dominion. For example, suppose one falls asleep at night with a problem unsolved; the next morning, the moment one opens one's eyes, the mind consciousness knows: "So that's what it was!" The problem has been solved. With many matters, when the mind consciousness cannot analyze and resolve them, it just leaves them alone; then at some unknown moment, one slaps one's forehead and knows it has been solved. This is the deliberative function of the manas—He deliberates quietly and silently, without the mind consciousness knowing. For instance, when the manas resolves the matter of bones left over from a past life, the mind consciousness cannot know it no matter what, while the manas deliberates on its own about how to resolve it. Another example: when the manas enters another person's dream, or expounds the Dharma to someone, or asks someone for something, these are all operations carried out by the manas alone, and within them all is the deliberative nature of the manas, without the mind consciousness knowing. There are also many matters that the mind consciousness cannot think through clearly and does not resolve, so it lets them go and goes off to do other things; then at some unknown moment, suddenly a flash of inspiration comes—one slaps one's forehead: "Right, that's exactly how it is!"—and it is figured out. In fact, during this interval, the mind consciousness has temporarily given up and is no longer thinking and analyzing; so why was it figured out later? It is because the manas did not give up—He kept holding it in mind, keeping it in thought, deliberating and pondering it all along. The mental factors (caittas) of the manas were operating continuously. He does not have the obvious thinking-and-analyzing function that the mind consciousness has; there are some differences from the mind consciousness's thinking and analyzing capacity, but His deliberative nature is still extremely strong. In fact, the dharmas that the manas deliberates are very, very many, and their scope is very, very broad; what the mind consciousness knows is only a very small part. When the mind consciousness lacks wisdom, it understands nothing at all of the deliberative nature of the manas. Whether or not the mind consciousness understands, the manas still has His own deliberative function and His own way of deliberating. The dharmas that the manas deliberates upon the six sense objects may be made known to the mind consciousness, or may not be made known to it—this is not a matter of allowing or not allowing; it depends on whether the mind consciousness has wisdom. There are many dharmas that even a person with wisdom has no way of knowing what the manas is deliberating; the results of the manas's deliberation are sometimes known to the mind consciousness and sometimes not—in fact, most of the time the mind consciousness does not know. When the manas deliberates out a result and reaches a conclusion: "This matter is important!"—an important matter must be handed over to the six consciousnesses to execute and resolve, so He must find a way to let the six consciousnesses know; if the matter is not important, and the manas can resolve it on His own by acting alone, then He does not let the mind consciousness know. When the mind consciousness is without awareness or is relatively dull, lacking awareness, the dharmas deliberated and conclusions reached by the manas are unknown to the mind consciousness. Even if the mind consciousness does not know, the manas still directs the six consciousnesses to carry them out just the same.