The Dominance of Manas

If the manas (mind root) desires to drink water, the six consciousnesses will emerge to boil water, pour it, and brew tea, then deliver it to the mouth; if the manas does not desire to drink water, the six consciousnesses will not emerge to perform any of these actions. Consciousness (vijnana) is eternally less important than manas and can never become the master, because consciousness is a dharma that is produced—its arising or not is determined by manas. It holds a subordinate position, serving the manas, and must serve it well. If the service is unsatisfactory, the manas becomes uncomfortable and may even become emotionally agitated. When the manas truly becomes agitated, consciousness sometimes feels perplexed, as consciousness is more rational than manas, while manas is more prone to emotional volatility than consciousness. If manas wishes to hear a certain sound, consciousness must obey manas’s command to come and discern that sound. When manas wants the six consciousnesses to appear, they immediately appear; when manas does not want them to appear, they do not appear; whatever way manas wants the six consciousnesses to act, they must act accordingly.

If Buddhist study and realization do not exert effort on manas but only focus effort on consciousness, attempting to eradicate ignorance through consciousness is futile, for once the effort is expended, consciousness extinguishes. If realization of fruition (attaining stages of enlightenment) occurs only in consciousness, it will vanish after realization, leaving manas still shrouded in ignorance, causing us to continue revolving in the cycle of birth and death. This is because the issue of birth and death lies with manas; the key to the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination rests with manas. Cultivating consciousness ultimately aims to influence and transform manas. Consciousness acts like a megaphone, strategist, and assistant, helping manas make decisions and devise strategies, ultimately reversing manas’s ignorance and transforming it. Once manas is transformed, consciousness no longer needs to permeate it with influence, and the two can then harmoniously engage in creating wholesome dharmas.

Consciousness occupies a subordinate position; manas may use it or not use it. When not used, consciousness is nothing at all. Throughout history, countless individuals have revolved around consciousness without ever finding the gateway. We always seek enlightenment, but without cultivating down to the level of manas, enlightenment cannot be attained. No matter how profound the Buddha Dharma is, it must gain manas’s approval. Once manas approves, it will impose constraints and selectively direct the six consciousnesses to create karmic actions, ceasing to engage in meaningless activities. If manas deems everything meaningless, not only will the six consciousnesses create fewer actions, but they will also cease to arise. Finally, manas itself will cease functioning and attain Nirvana.