How Should the Mind Consciousness Guide the Manas

The dharma that the mind consciousness and the manas take as their objects is the same; whatever the mind consciousness discerns is necessarily the dharma that the manas is grasping at, otherwise there would be no need to give rise to the mind consciousness. The mind consciousness arises in order to serve the manas, that is, to obey the manas; but after the mind consciousness arises and discerns the dharma, through thinking and analysis it develops its own views, which may go against the manas and fail to accord with the manas' wishes. If the mind consciousness holds correct views, it can gradually turn the manas around; but this also depends on how much the manas can accept. If the mind consciousness is too radical, it may enrage the manas, and then the manas cannot be led onto the Path.

Therefore, if the mind consciousness is clever and quick-witted, it can skillfully guide the manas; if the mind consciousness is dull, it will have no effect—perhaps it will even backfire, or perhaps it will be led around by the manas. A Buddhist practitioner's mind consciousness should hold this attitude toward the manas: "If you lead me running about wildly, I will not follow; if you lead me into greed, anger, and delusion, I will not follow." Gradually the manas will have no choice and will stop leading the way; instead, it will in turn be led by the mind consciousness.

If you want the manas to attain meditative concentration (samādhi), the mind consciousness must take fewer objects, discern less, and think of the dharma less, or else not take objects at all, not discern, and not think of the dharma. In that case, the manas receives no feedback from the mind consciousness, and knowing that continuing to dwell on the dharma is useless, it stops stirring up mental activity. In this way, the manas gradually settles into concentration.