Examining the Functioning of the Manas through Jinghe's Contemplative Practice

Jing He: This morning I was driving to work. On a two-lane road, I was in the left lane following the car ahead closely, when a car on the right sped up and passed, leaving the right lane empty. At that moment, my eyes involuntarily turned to observe to the right (this was actually the manas detecting that the right lane had become empty, directing the eyes to observe in further detail). After observing, I immediately took a mental sense-object of "right lane empty" (it felt like it was in the brain), and then immediately a "force" appeared at the pit of the stomach (this force directed the hands and feet to act and change lanes—could this be the manas's volitional mental factor, cetanā?). If this force is observed, the hands and feet will not move; this force seems to be cut off by the power of introspection (pratyavekṣā-bala) of the six consciousnesses. If it is not introspected, it will make the hands and feet act (this is actually the phenomenon of the manas's volitional mental factor directing the body consciousness).

There is an interesting point in this whole process: after taking the mental sense-object of "right lane empty," some people change lanes immediately, while others may not change lanes. How does this difference arise? This difference arises from each person's different "views and understanding" (jñāna-dṛṣṭi), and this "view and understanding" is quite interesting.

Guan Wuwo: If the manas feels it is necessary, it changes lanes; without that intention, or if it feels unsafe, it does not change. This depends on the manas's experience and decision. The mind consciousness merely collects and analyzes information according to the manas's wishes, and then hands it over to the manas to decide. Views and understanding should actually include both the manas and the mind consciousness, with the two consciousnesses working together. The manas's attention (manaskāra) arises first, and only then does the mind consciousness arise. Therefore, it is not easy to use the mind consciousness to find the manas; one should practice deep and subtle observation in meditation (samādhi).

Jing He: Right, that is what I meant; I just expressed this kind of experience with the word "views and understanding." I just find this view-and-understanding interesting: when you observe it, it is formless and imageless, and cannot be observed at all (one knows that it takes the sixth consciousness to describe it before it can barely manifest a bit of appearance). Yet it works behind each of our bodily and verbal actions. Why does the manas direct its attention toward "a" rather than toward "b"? It is determined by this view and understanding (my personal understanding).

Guan Wuwo: This is the manas's mental factors (caittas) cooperating with one another to judge and decide—the experience accumulated in the manas over beginningless kalpas. The wisdom of the manas is beyond most people's imagination. Most people are accustomed to using the wisdom of the present-life mind consciousness, and this often obstructs the wisdom of the manas from manifesting.

Jing He: What is the basis of the decision? It is based on this view and understanding. By "judgment," do you mean the volitional mental factor (cetanā)? But the influence of this view and understanding should take effect at the same time as the attention (manaskāra). I think that in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), the goal is to let the weak mind consciousness gradually guide the changes of the manas.

Guan Wuwo: In my contemplative practice, I have found that the mind consciousness's interference with the manas is very obvious; there are both the five universal mental factors and the five particular mental factors, and the mental factors generally work in mutual cooperation. So after I enter meditative concentration (samādhi), I try not to pay attention to the arising states of appearance, which easily scatter the manas's focus. Effective contemplative practice is much harder than entering samādhi, and it takes much more time; let us slowly grope our way forward.

Assessment: Their observations and discussions of the manas's functioning are all very good, and the direction is correct. If one often makes such observations, both meditative concentration (samādhi) and wisdom will be strengthened. When the force at the pit of the stomach is observed, the hands and feet that were originally about to act stop and cease; if one does not observe this force, the hands and feet will move along with it. Why is this? Because the pit of the stomach is very close to the heart. When the manas mobilizes the body faculty, it is at the location of the neural center in the brain. As soon as the manas's mind moves, the neural center issues commands to the whole body through all the nerves, and the heart is responsible for supplying blood. If the manas has emotions, or if the emotions are rather severe, the heart's delivery of blood will be affected and require a large supply of blood, which causes changes in facial complexion; if the blood supply is insufficient, phenomena such as shock will occur.

When one senses that something is abnormal with the heart, it is generally because the manas has developed some emotion, or the manas has some special thought that requires consuming more blood, and there will be a reaction in the heart or at the pit of the stomach. For people whose heart function is not strong, they must strictly control the manas's emotions. Who does the controlling? It is the rational, calm mind consciousness that controls. Therefore, the role of the mind consciousness is still very great; it is usually far more rational than the manas. At the stage of ordinary beings (pṛthagjana), the manas's emotionality is much more severe than that of the mind consciousness; like a small child, it needs the mind consciousness to coax, soothe, and regulate it. After the manas eradicates afflictions, its emotionality becomes lower and lower, its wisdom higher and higher, and it becomes more and more rational.

Most people know to use the mind consciousness for contemplative practice. But can the manas also engage in contemplative practice? When the mind consciousness becomes extremely weak, it can no longer engage in contemplative practice. At that time, is there still contemplative practice? Can contemplative practice still be carried out? The Buddha attained the Way and became a Buddha within the fourth dhyāna; the great bodhisattvas, arhats, and pratyekabuddhas accomplished all their supernatural powers and powers of the Way within the fourth dhyāna. Yet above the second dhyāna, the five sense consciousnesses have ceased, and the mind consciousness is extremely weak and unable to think; within the fourth dhyāna, the mind consciousness is even weaker. So how, within the fourth dhyāna, did they attain the Way and bring forth supernatural powers and powers of the Way?

At the time of true enlightenment and true realization of the fruits, does the manas attain the Way relying on the mind consciousness, or does the mind consciousness attain the Way relying on the manas? Which of the two consciousnesses attains the Way first, or do they attain it simultaneously? Of course, if it is merely intellectual understanding (jie wu), whether Mahāyāna or Hīnayāna, it is all the function of the mind consciousness—something analyzed, pondered, inferred, conjectured, organized, and summarized by the mind consciousness. The manas does not really know these results, nor does it agree with them. Therefore, the manas's doubt is not severed, the mental disposition cannot transform, and bodily, verbal, and mental actions also cannot transform.

At the beginning of the contemplative practice of the four foundations of mindfulness (catvāri smṛty-upasthānāni), it is all initiated with the mind consciousness; when the power of meditative concentration appears, it will slightly involve the manas. Now one should train oneself so that the mind consciousness's contemplative function becomes weaker and weaker, gradually letting the manas take its place. How is this skill to be done? Consider it for yourself.