The Meaning of Consciousness-Only in Meditation

What is spirit? Spirit refers to the essence, energy, and spirit of the seven consciousnesses—that is, the mental faculty. Nurturing the spirit means cultivating the essence, energy, and spirit of the seven consciousnesses, accumulating energy so that the seven consciousnesses possess sufficient strength and vitality to engage with worldly phenomena. Closing the eyes pertains to the eye consciousness and mental consciousness—these two consciousnesses close the eyes. The physical body is material form and lacks the function to close the eyes. The instruction to close the eyes is issued by the manas (the root mind). When the manas feels it should rest and recuperate, it decides to close the eyes to avoid seeing forms. The two consciousnesses obey this decision and close the eyes. If the manas wishes to see forms and issues the instruction, the two consciousnesses cannot close the eyes no matter what, because they were born with a purpose only when needed by the manas. If they are not needed and do not wish to obey the instruction, there is no necessity for their birth—they lack autonomy.

If the mental consciousness says, "This form is truly excellent, let me look a little longer," and the manas agrees, "Then look a little longer," the two consciousnesses continue to see forms without closing the eyes. In all matters, the manas acts as the master and decision-maker. Although some matters are suggested by the mental consciousness, the manas must still agree to the suggestion before making the final decision. When the two consciousnesses close the eyes and cease activity, the manas no longer expends effort focusing on seeing forms, thereby conserving mental energy, nurturing the spirit and vitality, or contemplating other important matters.

Here, one aspect illustrates the decisive role of the manas as the master consciousness, while the other reveals a method for cultivating concentration: by shutting down the six consciousnesses and ceasing their activities, the manas becomes undistracted, the mind settles into stability, and meditative absorption naturally arises. When the spirit of the manas is well-nurtured, wisdom naturally emerges. Some might argue: "No, it is the mental consciousness that is nurtured; it is the purification of the mental consciousness that leads to wisdom and discernment." This view is also valid. When all seven consciousnesses cease grasping outward, settle into stability, and fully nurture their spirit, both meditative absorption and wisdom will naturally manifest. What kind of wisdom emerges from the first five consciousnesses? The eye consciousness becomes clear, discerning objects accurately; the ear consciousness becomes lucid, discerning sounds distinctly; the nose consciousness discerns scents subtly; the tongue consciousness discerns flavors delicately; the body consciousness discerns tactile sensations sensitively; and the mental consciousness, following the five consciousnesses, discerns the six sense-objects, all with wisdom. Because the six consciousnesses all possess wisdom, their discernment is enhanced. The manas receives more precise information, leading to more accurate decisions and judgments, and wisdom becomes increasingly profound, sharp, and agile.