The Meanings of the Five Names of the Manas (1)

Original text of the Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna (Mahāyāna-śraddhotpāda-śāstra): As for the causes and conditions of arising and ceasing, it means that all sentient beings revolve in dependence upon the mind, manas, and consciousness. What does this mean? Because in dependence upon the Ālayavijñāna, ignorance and non-enlightenment arise, capable of seeing, capable of manifesting, capable of grasping at objects, discriminating continuously — this is called manas.

Explanation: The arising and ceasing of all dharmas are manifested due to causes and conditions, and these causes and conditions include the three transformative consciousnesses (parināma) — the Ālayavijñāna, the manas, and the mind consciousness. Among them, the manas is the most important cause and condition for the manifestation of all dharmas; all sentient beings transmigrate in dependence upon the manas. Although the Ālayavijñāna is the direct cause for the birth of all conditioned dharmas of arising and ceasing, it is brought about by the manas; without the manas as this cause and condition, the Ālayavijñāna would not give birth to any dharma. The manas, relying on the Ālayavijñāna, following the ignorance of its own mind, will see all the realm-dharmas born of the Ālayavijñāna, then manifest within the mind all the realm-dharmas born of the Ālayavijñāna, grasp at all the realm-dharmas born of the Ālayavijñāna, and discriminate continuously without pause, while not awakening in the slightest to the fact that it has such ignorance. Such a mind-substance is called the manas.

Original text: This manas further has five different names. The first is called the karmic consciousness (karma-vijñāna), meaning that by the power of ignorance, unaware, the mind stirs.

Explanation: Such a manas has five different names. The first name is the karmic consciousness; the manas is the master of karma-creation. Because it has ignorance and does not awaken to its own ignorance, the power of ignorance impels the manas' mind to stir and generate intention. After the intention (manaskāra) arises, subsequently contact, feeling, perception, and volition appear. After the manas' mind has made its decision, the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the six consciousnesses are carried out, and then karmic seeds are left behind, to receive retribution in later lives, and thus birth-and-death continues without interruption. Therefore it is said that the manas is the karmic consciousness, corresponding with the karmic power of ignorance, corresponding with karmic seeds, corresponding with birth-and-death; and of course, through cultivation it will correspond with emptiness, correspond with purity, correspond with tranquility, and correspond with liberation. Therefore cultivation means cultivating the manas: eradicating the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa), seeing the mind and seeing the nature (enlightenment), transforming consciousness into wisdom, possessing the seed-wisdom of consciousness-only (vijñapti-mātratā), and ultimately attaining buddhahood.

Since the manas corresponds with karmic power and with karmic seeds, the pure karma of eradicating the view of self is retained by the manas, and the pure karma of seeing the mind and seeing the nature is retained by the manas. Only when the manas has eradicated the view of self and has seen the mind and seen the nature can it retain such pure karmic seeds; otherwise the manas cannot retain them, and there will be no such pure karmic retribution in later lives. Likewise, the karmic seeds of unwholesome karma are also retained by the manas; only when the manas' mind is evil can it create unwholesome karma and retain the seeds of unwholesome karma until later lives. Therefore the manas possesses all the afflicted mental factors (caittas) as well as all the wholesome mental factors.

Original text: The second is called the revolving consciousness (pravṛtti-vijñāna), meaning that depending on the stirring mind, it can perceive the characteristics of objects.

Explanation: The second name of the manas is the revolving consciousness. "Revolving" means transmigrating, and also means operating. Relying on the power of ignorance, the manas can cause dharmas to transpire and operate out of the Ālayavijñāna. When the manas' mind stirs, the Ālayavijñāna will accordingly give birth to realms, and the manas will perceive the characteristics of those realms. When the mind stirs again, the six consciousnesses will be born and create karmic actions, and the functions of the five aggregates will become manifest, so that birth-and-death in later lives continues without end. Both the realms and the five aggregates appear following the stirring of the manas' mind, and birth-and-death also appears following the stirring of the manas' mind. Therefore it is said that the manas is the switch that sets all dharmas in motion; the manas is the revolving consciousness.

Original text: The third is called the manifesting consciousness (pratibhāsa-vijñāna), meaning that it manifests all the characteristics of various realms, like a bright mirror manifesting the images of various forms. The manifesting consciousness is likewise: when the five sense-objects arrive before it, they appear immediately, without before or after, and without requiring effort.

Explanation: The third name of the manas is the manifesting consciousness. This "manifesting" means presenting. After the manas perceives all dharmas, it will present all dharmas, and all dharmas will present their images within the manas' mind. The manas relies on the Ālayavijñāna; whatever realm the Ālayavijñāna transforms and manifests, the manas can cognize that realm, and the mind can present that realm — like a bright mirror manifesting all the characteristics of realms. For example, with the images of the five sense-objects, as soon as the manas makes contact, it will immediately present the images of the five sense-objects. When the Ālayavijñāna gives birth to realms, the manas almost simultaneously, without any sequence of before or after, presents the realms within the mind, without any deliberate processing.

Why is it said to be the images of the five sense-objects, and not the images of the six sense-objects, or the images of the mental sense-objects (dharma-viṣaya)? Here the five sense-objects in substance include the mental sense-objects, making six sense-objects; the five sense-objects are used as representatives, each of which has its own mental sense-object. This is an abbreviated way of speaking. Otherwise one would have to say form objects and the mental sense-objects upon form objects, sound objects and the mental sense-objects upon sound objects, smell objects and the mental sense-objects upon smell objects, taste objects and the mental sense-objects upon taste objects, touch objects and the mental sense-objects upon touch objects — which would be extremely cumbersome; hence it is briefly stated as the five sense-objects.

Generally speaking, the manas contacts the mental sense-objects and gives rise to the mind consciousness; but how then are the five consciousnesses generated? Some people would say that the five consciousnesses arise from the five faculties contacting the five sense-objects. But the five faculties are material form (rūpa), not mental dharmas, not conscious minds; how could they actively contact the five sense-objects with the dynamic agency of conscious minds? In substance, the five faculties contacting the five sense-objects is still brought about under the direction of the manas. The manas directs the five faculties to contact the five sense-objects and give rise to the five consciousnesses, while simultaneously contacting the mental sense-objects to give rise to the mind consciousness. Since the manas is the director, the manas will also contact the images of the five sense-objects, and after contact it will present the complete images of the six sense-objects. After making its choice and decision, the six consciousnesses will be born to cognize and process the images of the six sense-objects. The six consciousnesses cognize some of the six sense-objects and not others — this is the role of choice and direction performed by the manas.