Is Manas Solely Associated with Neutral Feeling, Absent of Painful and Pleasurable Feelings?

If the manas were a neutral feeling like the Tathāgatagarbha, it should likewise remain unmoved by all circumstances, neither clinging to favorable conditions nor rejecting adverse ones, without discriminating between good and evil in any situation. Consequently, it would not impel the six consciousnesses to engage in actions driven by greed, hatred, or delusion—such as attraction or aversion—nor act impulsively. When encountering events, it would not flare up in rage, resort to physical violence, display visible joy, or become exuberant; instead, it would remain calm and indifferent to everything.

If the manas remained indifferent and neutral in all circumstances, it would never take charge or prompt the six consciousnesses to create karmic actions of greed and hatred, nor give rise to thoughts and emotions such as joy, delight, attachment, or anger, jealousy, and resentment. In that case, the manas would possess equanimity, treating all phenomena equally without bias, regarding friends and foes alike, and maintaining fairness and impartiality. It would neither yearn for the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss nor loathe the defiled realm of Sahā; neither desire to become a Buddha or patriarch nor seek liberation from the three realms to enter Nirvana.

If the manas were neutral, it should inherently be liberated like the Tathāgatagarbha, unbound by either virtuous or unvirtuous conditions, unaffected by any circumstances—this would constitute a liberated mind. However, the reality is quite the opposite: the manas is heavily burdened by afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion. Its greed is inescapable, its hatred beyond self-redemption, and it is tightly bound by the phenomena of the three realms, particularly the three evil realms, unable to break free. Thus, it is said that the manas does not merely experience neutral feeling; it encompasses all three feelings, with neutral feeling being the least frequent.

In certain situations, the mental consciousness may strive to endure but ultimately fails, leading to an emotional outburst. This loss of control—what feeling is this? Whose feeling is it? It is the feeling of pleasure and pain, the feeling of the manas. At such times, the mental consciousness remains rational, constantly suppressing and restraining the manas, urging it to endure and not act out. Yet, the manas ultimately cannot bear it and erupts anyway. If the manas were neutral at this moment, the mental consciousness would have no need to restrain or suppress it; everything would pass calmly without emotion, no extreme actions would occur, and no unimaginable consequences would arise.

Often, emotions arise inexplicably—whether joy or displeasure—and the mental consciousness cannot discern why or where these feelings come from. At times, it may ponder the reasons, yet no matter how much it reflects, it remains perplexed, for the manas is truly elusive.