How to Let the Manas Transform All Dharmas

Answer: Both seeds and realms are transformed and brought forth by the manas prompting the tathāgatagarbha; the manas itself does not manifest seeds. In the process of study and cultivation, as long as the manas has sufficient power and has acquired sufficient energy, the tathāgatagarbha will comply with the manas's intentions, and nothing will be a problem. The realm turns according to the mind of the manas. When the manas has been trained so that its mental power is very strong and it is extremely resolute in single-mindedly wanting to change the realm, or wanting to achieve some goal, it will certainly be able to fulfill that wish. If the wish has not yet been fulfilled, it is because the power is still insufficient, and further perfuming and cultivation are needed to accumulate strength. It is like pointing at a stone and turning it into gold: precisely because the manas's mental power is so strong, it forcibly transforms the stone into gold.  

When one has studied Buddhism well, the mind becomes wholesome and gentle, and before long one's appearance will change—all of this is the result of the mind changing. This mind mainly refers to the manas, but also includes the mind consciousness. What is called perfuming the manas is precisely changing one's own mind. Whether your own mind has changed, what it has changed into, and to what degree—you should be able to know by observing carefully. Whether, toward people and affairs, in cultivating all dharmas, you are sincere or merely going through the motions and pretending, you should be able to observe this yourself; whatever is truly sincere involves engaging the manas. Reciting the Buddha's name is divided into true recitation and false recitation; whether one is truly cultivating or merely pretending to cultivate for show, one should be able to observe this oneself. It is not easy for anything one does to reach the level of being true at the manas; it requires conditions such as precepts, meditative concentration (samādhi), wisdom, and merit.

All mental activities are divided into two levels: the mind consciousness and the manas. For example, whether an act of generosity (dāna) is true giving or just going through the motions to show off—by observing carefully you can distinguish it; whether one's treatment of one's parents is sincere filial respect or mere pretense—by savoring it attentively you can distinguish it. The cultivation that changes the mind mostly proceeds from quantitative change to qualitative change: the accumulation of quantity occurs in the mind consciousness, while the qualitative change occurs in the manas; hence it is said that the mind consciousness is shallow and the manas is deep. If the manas has deep wholesome roots, great power, and exceptional sincerity, it can bring about qualitative change directly, changing everything, without needing to accumulate strength.

Perfuming and cultivating the manas requires long-term persistence: keeping the precepts perseveringly, making the great bodhicitta aspiration, continually cultivating meditative concentration (samādhi), being focused and single-minded in doing things, excluding scattered and confused thoughts, contemplating with single-minded deliberation, and accumulating much merit and other provisions. To subdue one's mind, in most cases it is necessary for the mind consciousness to deeply contemplate the principles of the Dharma and the suffering of the world, in order to perfume and guide the manas; in certain cases one needs to hit the south wall to force oneself to turn back and change direction. Therefore, suffering is necessary for growth; without experiencing suffering, there is no mind of renunciation and no courageous mind, and cultivation easily becomes lax.