Honoring Manas Is Honoring Direct Realization

Why is it necessary to frequently elucidate the nature and functions of the faculty of manas in the Dharma-Ending Age, and to distinguish it as much as possible from consciousness? Because sentient beings in this degenerate era are restless, possess shallow roots of virtue, are heavy in greed and thin in merit, unwilling to uphold precepts, find it difficult to maintain precepts, struggle to cultivate concentration, and lack purity of mind. Buddhists today generally focus primarily on acquiring knowledge, often mistaking the theories they learn—the emotional thoughts and intellectual interpretations of consciousness—for genuine realization. They take the results of speculation, inference, and research as proof of realization, deceiving themselves and then misleading others, collectively creating the grave karmic offense of major false speech, and together falling into the fiery pits of the three evil paths. If one understands the nature of manas, one will recognize the true appearance of genuine realization and distinguish it from emotional thoughts and intellectual interpretations. By grasping the crucial mechanisms and key points of genuine realization, one can avoid stepping into such pitfalls and prevent committing the sin of major false speech.

Sentient beings in the Buddha's era possessed deep roots of virtue and abundant merit, had minor afflictions, pure minds, and strong concentration power. After learning the theoretical aspects, they would automatically and consciously engage in deep, subtle contemplation and observation, making genuine realization relatively easier. Because they possessed profound meditative concentration, the Dharma they learned could penetrate deep into the faculty of manas. Once they attained the fruition, it was genuine realization, not the false realization of consciousness. Furthermore, with the Buddha personally verifying their attainments—given the Buddha's limitless wisdom and supernatural powers—the verification was extremely accurate, without any error, never misleading disciples into claiming realization they had not attained, nor hindering their spiritual progress.

Even before the Ming and Qing dynasties, many monastics and lay practitioners possessed deep meditative concentration, and the conditions for cultivating concentration were relatively favorable, especially during the Tang and Song dynasties. Buddhists then emphasized meditative concentration; with concentration, they would engage in contemplation and reflection. As long as the theories they learned were correct, genuine realization was relatively easier. Phenomena of emotional thoughts and intellectual interpretations were very rare; if realization occurred, it was genuine realization. The only challenge was the scarcity of sutras and theories. Therefore, sentient beings in those times could still attain genuine realization even without understanding the functions of manas.

In today's cultivation environment, many people are unable to uphold precepts or cultivate concentration, focusing instead primarily on learning theoretical knowledge. This makes genuine realization impossible. Without genuine realization, one cannot truly practice; it becomes mostly empty talk—eloquently explaining principles with glib tongues, while the heart remains out of accord with the Way, and greed, hatred, and delusion still prevail. Without meditative concentration, afflictions cannot be subdued or suppressed—how then can one speak of eradicating them? Hence, within Buddhist communities, the situation is even more chaotic than in the secular world, with fiercer conflicts. Not only do they cling to worldly fame, profit, and gain, but they also cling to personal interests within the Dharma, resulting in afflictions more severe than those in the secular realm.

In this era where self-proclaimed "saints" are everywhere, counterfeit seals and certificates run rampant, and desires flow unchecked, it is necessary to emphasize the upholding of precepts and meditative concentration, and to stress the genuine realization of the faculty of manas. This is to rescue those who commit major false speech by claiming realization they have not attained, preventing them from falling into the three evil paths at life's end, and to prevent them from endangering other students who are about to enter the fiery pits.