The desire mental factor (caitta) of the six consciousnesses does not arise apart from the desire of the manas

The desire mental factor of the six consciousnesses also does not exist apart from the desire of the manas, and all the desires and cravings of the six consciousnesses likewise operate without departing from the desire of the manas; the manas can mobilize the six consciousnesses to give rise to desire. Speaking in accordance with the direct realization of truth through the wisdom of direct realization (Abhisamaya-jñāna-satyābhisamaya) of Yogācāra, the mental activities of the manas, such as its intentions, are also carried out through the manas's five universal mental factors of mental engagement (manaskāra), contact (sparśa), feeling (vedanā), perception (saṃjñā), and volition (cetanā). Whatever the manas wants to obtain, wants to do, is interested in, or wishes to accomplish, He will direct mental engagement toward that target, drawing the mind onto that object. When He has a target of interest, this mental engagement mental factor, while still in the seed state, will arise; after discerning the target object, deliberation (manana) then takes place and a decision is made.

Then, upon what basis does the manas give rise to intentions and the mental activity of wanting something? We must look at the nature of the manas. The manas constantly grasps the perceiving-aspect of the eighth consciousness as a self-view, believing that the function of being able to see all dharmas belongs to the manas itself—this is the view of a self of dharmas (dharma-ātma-dṛṣṭi). He also grasps the perceiving-aspect of the six consciousnesses as a self-view—this is the view of a self of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha), taking the aggregate of consciousness as the self; this is the view of a self of a person (pudgala-ātma-dṛṣṭi). What does it mean to grasp internally the perceiving-aspect of the eighth consciousness? It means that the manas is produced by the eighth consciousness, exists within the eighth consciousness, and does not go outside the eighth consciousness; therefore He grasps internally the perceiving-aspect of the eighth consciousness as a self-view, taking the functions of the eighth consciousness to be His own functions.

Then what does "externally" mean? The mind consciousness is produced by the eighth consciousness based on the manas contacting the mental sense-objects and then giving rise to mental engagement; thus the mind consciousness is not produced by the manas. The two consciousnesses stand in a parallel, equal relationship—neither is within the other, neither produces the other; both are produced by the eighth consciousness. Since these are two consciousnesses that do not belong to each other, the manas is therefore outside the mind consciousness: He grasps externally the six consciousnesses, grasping the seeing of the six consciousnesses as a self-view, taking the functions of the six consciousnesses to be His own functions. This is the view of a self of a person.

What does it mean that the manas grasps the perceiving-aspect of the eighth consciousness as a self? It means that whatever dharmas the eighth consciousness can see and condition upon, the manas, relying on the eighth consciousness, can also see and condition upon those dharmas. The eighth consciousness conditions the essential object of seeing, while the manas conditions the images of that essential object of seeing. The eighth consciousness can see and condition upon all dharmas—the sense faculties, the body, the material world (bhājana-loka), and the seeds. The manas conditions the mirror-like, illusory appearances of all dharmas. The sense faculties and body refer to the six faculties of sentient beings; "world" refers to the material universe, the mountains, rivers, and the great earth, and so on; "realms" refers to the three realms, the eighteen realms, and the ten dharma realms; "seeds" refers to karmic seeds. Thus the manas, relying on the perceiving-aspect of the eighth consciousness, can condition the mirror images of the sense faculties, body, material world, and seeds that the eighth consciousness sees and conditions upon—not their original forms. The scope of what the eighth consciousness conditions is extremely broad, encompassing all mental dharmas and material forms; the manas follows the eighth consciousness, and the scope of what He conditions is likewise extremely broad, universally conditioning the mirror images of all dharmas. When the World-Honored One said in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra that the manas silently encompasses all dharmas, this is precisely what He meant.

The manas also conditions the perceiving-aspect of the six consciousnesses as a self-view. As for the dharmas seen by the six consciousnesses, the manas certainly conditions and sees them first, engaging mental engagement, contact, and volition first, and only then do the six consciousnesses arise; the six consciousnesses then engage mental engagement, and again contact and volition toward the six sense-objects; only after that can the manas know the process and results of what the six consciousnesses have contacted and volitioned, and He takes it to be what He Himself has discerned and seen. The six consciousnesses can concretely discern exactly what the six sense-objects are like, whereas the manas cannot make concrete discernments and does not know the specific contents. After the six consciousnesses discern the six sense-objects, the manas, based on the information and results transmitted from the six consciousnesses, also conditions the results of that discernment—here the essential objects they condition differ. That is to say, the manas can condition these objects, yet He Himself does not know what the contents of these objects are; only by relying on the discernment of the six consciousnesses can He know, and He takes it to be His own knowing. He therefore wants the six consciousnesses to constantly engage in discernment and does not want the minds of the six consciousnesses to cease. Here we have the perception mental factor (saṃjñā) of the manas, and subsequently the volition mental factor (cetanā) of the manas will come into play.

For example, suppose the manas craves delicious food life after life. When the habit of craving manifests, after the eighth consciousness manifests the inner representation of delicious food, the manas, relying on the perceiving-aspect of the eighth consciousness, has His own perceiving-aspect, and thus the craving mental factor arises; He wants to taste and possess this food, developing interest and intention toward it. Yet He does not know that this food is merely an image that does not truly exist, and so He directs mental engagement toward the image of the food and contacts the image of the food, wanting to taste it; the five universal mental factors will then operate and manifest. Finally, the volition mental factor makes the decision to taste it and finds a way to obtain the delicious food. In fact, it is not He who tastes and possesses it; it is He who impels the six consciousnesses to come together to taste the food. The manas merely, out of ignorance, appropriates the function of the six consciousnesses tasting the food as His own, believing that it is He who has tasted and enjoyed it, and thus feels fully satisfied.