The various thoughts and emotions of the manas are manifested through the six consciousnesses.

Nowadays many people in society suffer from a depressed mental state, and even middle school students have developed depression. Most of this problem belongs to karmic issues, while a small portion belongs to individual causes and conditions. The main symptom of depression is an inner closedness—no communication with others, being unable to express one's inner thoughts, a gloomy and cheerless mood. With such a mental state, the mind consciousness is often at a loss, not knowing why one feels so depressed and gloomy; this is caused by the manas's mental state being blocked and not flowing smoothly.

Because the manas has thoughts and emotions that cannot be vented, with no one understanding its ideas and views, and it may not even know how to find someone to talk to or ask for help, no one can offer it guidance. At the same time, it cannot communicate with its own mind consciousness; since the mind consciousness does not understand, the problem cannot be resolved, and that is why the manas develops depression. For many people, the root cause is a karmic issue—the events the manas experienced in past lives and the retributive results that should be received for the karmic actions it created.

As for individual causes and conditions, when there is a wish in the mind that cannot be realized, one becomes depressed; when the environment cannot satisfy one's psychological needs, one becomes depressed. People with depression have a common characteristic: they think much but do little, so their ideas cannot be realized and their minds cannot be satisfied. When too many ideas pile up, they form a burden, and depression appears. Depression is also called "frustrated ambition"—having all kinds of desires yet being unable to fulfill them, resulting in low spirits and a gloomy, oppressed mood.

Some people develop a feeling of being at a loss, with thoughts of not wanting to live; this too is led by the emotions of the manas. What the mind consciousness manifests is precisely the mental activity of the manas. Being at a loss means the six consciousnesses do not know what to do or how to act, because the manas cannot make up its mind, hesitating and refusing to make a decision and give the command, so the six consciousnesses become panicked. When the six consciousnesses express and reflect the thoughts and emotions of the manas, it is the six consciousnesses' panic—without a backbone, without a sense of belonging—so one feels life is meaningless and no longer wants to live.

When emotions are agitated, the heartbeat quickens; this is likewise caused by the emotions of the manas. For example, "anger arises in the heart, and malice grows by the gallbladder"—this is a manifestation of the manas becoming angry and giving rise to malice. The heart, the gallbladder, and all the five viscera and six bowels are mobilized by the manas through the brain and nervous system; the entire physical body is mobilized by the manas through the brain and nervous system. The manas can control the whole body and guide its activities. When the mind consciousness is angry but the manas is not angry, it is feigned anger—no matter how angry, there is no response in the heart and no response in behavior, or if there is behavior, it is merely pretending and putting on an act. When there is real anger, there will be behavioral activity and changes in the state of body and mind—this is the emotion of the manas.