During mind cultivation, is the observer-supervisor the manas or the mind consciousness?

Someone asked: In my moving, standing, sitting, and lying down, and when my mental activity flows along, there is an observer, a supervisor, who keeps a dead watch on all these actions. Is this observer and supervisor the manas or the mind consciousness?

The questioner himself must certainly be observing and supervising himself; without having cultivated to a certain degree, it is impossible to supervise and observe oneself. Such awakening and self-discipline arise only when one has recognized one's own afflictions and shortcomings and wants to change oneself; only after having this thought can one observe and supervise one's own words, deeds, and mental activity.

Generally speaking, it is the mind consciousness that observes and supervises oneself, and this "self" is the five aggregates (pañca-skandha). These mental activities and bodily and verbal actions are all created under the manas's dominion and decision-making; although the mind consciousness also participates in them, it is not the one in charge—the mind consciousness mostly participates passively. That is why the mind consciousness needs to observe and understand its own mental activities, and to observe and understand the mental activities of the manas. Why can the mind consciousness constantly introspect and supervise itself? It is still because the manas, through cultivation, has developed an awakening, which then prompts the mind consciousness to introspect and supervise itself. When the manas has not yet awakened, it is extremely unwilling to deeply dissect and understand its own mental activities and mental conduct; generally, it tends to conceal itself more often than not.

When the manas has heavy afflictions and is not yet awakened, it always likes to deceive itself and deceive others. Since it wants to deceive itself, how could it allow the mind consciousness to introspect and supervise itself, to understand and dissect itself? Therefore, it would even less wish for others to understand and dissect it. Such unawakened people are extremely protective of their own shortcomings, and those who protect their shortcomings also like to praise and boast about themselves. If others do not praise them, then they will praise themselves, exalting themselves so as to gain self-consolation and self-satisfaction from it. Such people are fragile inside, and that is why they need affirmation from themselves and others in order to feel secure. As long as a person has the behavior of protecting their own shortcomings, they will be unwilling to heed others' advice and suggestions. At such times, debating with them or advising them will have little effect. Only for those who are willing to correctly recognize and change themselves does advice have meaning and effect; only then will one not be despised by others, or even come into conflict with them.