The Manas Has Great Power

The characteristic of the manas is that, at all times, it engages in activities unknown to the mind consciousness and refuses to remain idle. What it does is primarily for the sake of "self," safeguarding all of its own interests. It always finds ways to satisfy its own needs and solve the most pressing problems. It possesses great energy and can realize its goals and achieve its objectives, because behind it the tathāgatagarbha can satisfy it as much as possible. Therefore, one must make the manas believe that one's body will definitely become healthy; once the manas believes this, it will find ways to make itself healthy. Whether the body has a deficiency-type illness or a substantial illness, He will find ways to resolve it and resist stubbornly. If the manas is unwilling to remain afflicted by a deficiency-type illness, it will put up a desperate fight; when karmic obstructions partially recede and merit strengthens, the beings of the realms of form and formlessness will withdraw. If it is a substantial illness and the manas wants health, the tathāgatagarbha will exercise its nature of the great elements (mahābhūta-svabhāva), transmitting harmonized seeds of the four great elements so that the material body gradually recovers—this is what the secular world calls the body's own self-healing power. The manas will also search behind the scenes for various opportunities to change its own condition. Then the material body will have many chances to regain health. The key is to make the manas confident that it can become healthy, that it has no illness, and that everything will get better; then the manas will strive in that direction and ultimately solve the problem. Suggesting to the manas and encouraging the manas is blessing oneself. In the end, it is all the blessing of the self-nature Buddha: one delivers oneself, one saves oneself.

A contrary example is when a patient knows his illness is serious and displays fear and restless anxiety—this is precisely the result of the manas believing the doctor's words. Because the manas is afraid, the body and mind change according to the manas's thoughts; when the manas relaxes, the material body also changes accordingly. That is, the mind consciousness processes and transmits to the manas the information obtained from the doctor; the manas believes it and thus has thoughts and wishes; the eighth consciousness complies with the manas and manifests the material body's healthy or wretched condition. If one curses another person, then the curser's manas emits a kind of energy; the manas should have thoughts and wishes, and his own tathāgatagarbha cooperates with the manas, causing the cursed person to fulfill the curse's wish.