The Relationship between the Manas and the Bodily, Verbal, and Mental Actions of the Six Consciousnesses

Question: Since the manas dominates a person's bodily, verbal, and mental actions, in what specific functions are the six consciousnesses manifested in bodily and verbal actions?

Answer: The mind consciousness is the concrete executor of bodily and verbal actions—that is, the agent of action. From bodily and verbal actions, one should be able to know how the mind consciousness operates and what functions it performs. For example, walking, standing, sitting, lying down, speaking, laughing, eating, drinking, and so on are all produced through the operation of the mind consciousness and the body consciousness, but the controller is the manas. On the surface, it seems as if the mind consciousness is giving the commands, but the mind consciousness merely offers suggestions to the manas; the actual decision rests with the manas. During the process of operation, the mind consciousness may generate other ideas and advise the manas. If the manas deems them reasonable, it will adopt them; if it does not agree, its decision and command remain unchanged, and the mind consciousness must continue to operate as usual.

Bodily action is the combined operation of the mind consciousness and the body consciousness; verbal action is also the combined operation of the mind consciousness and the body consciousness. Seeing forms is the combined operation of the mind consciousness and the eye consciousness; hearing sounds is the combined operation of the mind consciousness and the ear consciousness; smelling scents is the combined operation of the mind consciousness and the nose consciousness; tasting flavors is the combined operation of the mind consciousness and the tongue consciousness; feeling tangibles is the combined operation of the mind consciousness and the body consciousness. In the operation of the six faculties, the mind consciousness is always involved in the functioning. Without the mind consciousness, the five-aggregate body cannot move; if the mind consciousness is weak, the five-aggregate body also has difficulty moving.

When sentient beings lack meditative concentration (samādhi) and also lack the wisdom of contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), they can only see the operation of the six consciousnesses in bodily, verbal, and mental actions; they cannot see the dominant and decisive role of the manas, much less the fundamental function performed by the eighth consciousness. This is because the modes of operation of the manas and the eighth consciousness are too subtle. Ordinary people, due to insufficient wholesome roots and merit, find it very difficult to observe them. Because they cannot observe them, some people say that all dharmas are merely the functions of the six consciousnesses, and that there is no such thing as the manas or the eighth consciousness. This is the unwise assertion of the six-consciousness theorists.