Observing the Function of the Manas through Jing He's Contemplative Practice

Jing He: Let me share a contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) experience from driving. This morning I was driving to work on a two-lane road, in the left lane closely following the car ahead, when a car on the right sped up and passed, after which the right lane was empty. At that moment my eyes involuntarily turned to observe to the right (this was actually the manas detecting that the right lane had become empty, directing the eyes to observe in further detail). After observing, I immediately took up the mental sense-object of "right lane empty" (it felt like it was in the brain), and immediately afterward a "force" arose at the pit of my stomach (this force was what directed the hands and feet to move and change lanes—could this be the manas's volition mental factor, cetanā?). If this force is observed, the hands and feet will not move; this force seems to be cut off by the power of introspection of the six consciousnesses. If it is not introspected, it will make the hands and feet move (this is in fact the phenomenon of the manas's volition mental factor directing the body consciousness).

There is an interesting point in this whole process: after taking up the mental sense-object of "right lane empty," some people change lanes immediately, while others may not change lanes. How does this difference arise? This difference arises from each person's differing "views and knowledge," and this "view and knowledge" is quite interesting.

Guanwuwo: If the manas feels it is necessary, it changes; if there is no such intention, or it feels unsafe, it does not change. This depends on the manas's experience and decision. The mind consciousness merely collects and analyzes information according to the manas's wishes, and then hands it over to the manas to decide. Views and knowledge should actually include both the manas and the mind consciousness; the two consciousnesses work together. The manas's mental engagement (manaskāra) comes first, and only then does the mind consciousness arise, so it is not easy to use the mind consciousness to search for the manas; practice deep and subtle observation in meditation (samādhi) more often.

Jing He: Right, that is what I meant; I just expressed this experience with the word "views and knowledge." I just find this view-and-knowledge interesting—observing it... it is formless and imageless, and cannot be observed at all. (It can only be described by the sixth consciousness, which barely counts as letting it manifest a bit of appearance.) Yet it operates behind each of our bodily and verbal actions. Why does the manas direct its mental engagement toward "a" rather than toward "b"? It is determined by this view and knowledge (my personal understanding).

Guanwuwo: This is the manas's mental factors (caittas) working in coordination to judge and decide—the experience accumulated in the manas over beginningless kalpas. The wisdom of the manas is beyond ordinary people's imagination. Most people are accustomed to using the wisdom of the mind consciousness of this present life, and in meditative concentration this obstructs the manas's wisdom from functioning.

Jing He: What is the basis of the decision? It is based on this view and knowledge. The judgment you mentioned refers to the volition mental factor (cetanā), right? But the influence of this view and knowledge should take effect at the same time as the mental engagement.

Guanwuwo: In my contemplative practice I have found that the mind consciousness's interference with the manas is very obvious; there are both the five universal mental factors and the five object-specific mental factors, and mental factors generally work in mutual coordination. So after entering meditative concentration, I try not to pay attention to the states that arise, because they easily scatter the manas's focus. Effective contemplative practice is much harder than entering concentration, and takes much more time—slowly feeling one's way along.

Jing He: I think that in contemplative practice, the point is to let the faint mind consciousness little by little guide the changes in the manas.

Assessment: All of their explorations are very good, and the direction is right. By regularly making such observations, both concentration and wisdom can be strengthened. When the force at the pit of the stomach is observed, the hands and feet that were about to move stop and cease; if this force is not observed, the hands and feet will move along with it. Why is this?

Because the pit of the stomach is very close to the heart. When the manas mobilizes the body faculty, it does so at the location of the neural center in the brain. As soon as the manas's mind stirs, the neural center issues commands to the whole body through all the nerves, and the heart is responsible for supplying blood. If the manas has emotions, or if the emotions are rather intense, the heart's delivery of blood will be affected, requiring a large supply of blood, which causes changes in facial complexion; if the blood supply is insufficient, shock and other phenomena will occur.

When one senses an abnormality in the heart, it is generally because the manas has developed some emotion, or the manas has some special thought that requires consuming more blood, and the heart or the pit of the stomach will react. People whose heart function is not strong must strictly control the manas's emotions. Who does the controlling? It is the rational, calm mind consciousness that controls them, so the mind consciousness's role is still very significant—usually far more rational than the manas. At the stage of ordinary beings (pṛthagjana), the manas's emotionalism is much more severe than the mind consciousness's; it is like a small child, needing the mind consciousness to coax it, soothe it, and regulate it. After the manas eliminates afflictions, its emotionalism becomes lower and lower, its wisdom higher and higher, and it becomes more and more rational.

Most people know to use the mind consciousness for contemplative practice, but can the manas engage in contemplative practice? When the mind consciousness becomes extremely faint, it can no longer engage in contemplative practice—at that point, is there still contemplative practice? Can contemplative practice continue? The Buddha attained the Way and became a Buddha within the fourth dhyāna; the great bodhisattvas, arhats, and pratyekabuddhas accomplished all their superknowledges and powers of the Way within the fourth dhyāna. Yet from the second dhyāna onward the five sense consciousnesses cease, and the mind consciousness becomes extremely faint, unable to think; within the fourth dhyāna the mind consciousness is even fainter. So how, within the fourth dhyāna, did they attain the Way and bring forth the superknowledges and powers of the Way?

At the time of true enlightenment and true realization of the fruits, does the manas rely on the mind consciousness to attain the Way, or does the mind consciousness rely on the manas to attain the Way? Of these two consciousnesses, which attains the Way first, or do they attain it simultaneously? Of course, if it is intellectual understanding/interpretive awakening, then whether Mahāyāna or Hīnayāna, it is all the function of the mind consciousness—something the mind consciousness works out through analysis, reflection, inference, conjecture, organization, and summarization. The manas does not really know these results, and does not agree with them either, so the manas's doubts are not severed, the mental disposition cannot transform, and bodily, verbal, and mental actions also cannot transform.

At the beginning of contemplative practice on the four foundations of mindfulness, it is all done by the mind consciousness initiating contemplation; when meditative power appears, it will touch slightly upon the manas. Now you should train yourself to let the mind consciousness's contemplative function become weaker and weaker, gradually letting the manas take its place. As for how to cultivate this skill, consider it for yourself.