The Scope of Discernment of the Manas

The scope of what the manas discerns is extremely broad; it can discern all dharmas. Regardless of whether these dharmas change or not, some dharmas remain unchanged for a long time, and the manas can still discern them; even subtle, unchanging dharmas can be discerned. If there were dharmas that the manas does not discern, then the six consciousnesses could not arise to discern them in a fine and specific way. Why insist that the manas only discerns changing and significant mental sense-objects? The manas can discern unchanging mental sense-objects and all six sense-objects; otherwise it would lose its function of vigilant awareness, and the six consciousnesses could not arise. The manas can also discern the faint sound of a mosquito; otherwise the ear consciousness and mind consciousness would not be able to hear the mosquito's sound.

The manas discerns not only dharmas within the supreme faculties but also dharmas outside the supreme faculties. It can discern all the realms of the six sense-objects; otherwise the six consciousnesses could not arise. After discerning form sense-objects, if it wants to discern specifically what colors and what objects they are, the eye consciousness and mind consciousness will arise; after discerning sound sense-objects, if it wants to know what the sound is, the ear consciousness and mind consciousness must arise to discern it specifically. The same applies to the other form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma sense-objects.

The manas can also discern the coarse five sense-objects. For example, if there are colorful flowers in front of one, and the manas is interested in the purple flowers, it will cause the eye consciousness and mind consciousness to arise upon the purple flowers and discern them with focused attention. The more interested the manas is, the longer and more focused the discernment will be. The fact that the eye consciousness and mind consciousness can concentrate on viewing violets for an hour or two shows that the manas is extremely interested in the violets, continuously contacting them and continuously discerning them; otherwise the eye consciousness and mind consciousness would disappear and no longer appreciate the violets. The same applies to the other sense-objects.

When a large cluster of colors appears, the manas selects the purple flowers and lets the six consciousnesses appreciate them with sustained focus, yet upon seeing the pink flowers, it will not give them a second glance. Since the manas has such a capacity for choice, it shows that the manas knows the differences among the various colors. Thus the manas can contact the entirety of the six sense-objects and the five sense-objects, and it also has a certain power of determination (adhimokṣa) regarding the six sense-objects. The fact that it can make the six consciousnesses focus and appreciate them shows that the manas is also continuously contacting them; therefore the manas also has meditative concentration (samādhi). If the manas lacked concentration and ran off to other sense-object realms, the six consciousnesses would immediately disappear from the original sense-object realm.

Searching among a large bunch of fresh flowers for the violets one is very fond of shows that the manas has desire, has the mental factor of desire (chanda). If the manas did not want to see the violets, it would not cause the six consciousnesses to arise and search for the violets. Wherever the manas does not reach, the six consciousnesses will not appear.