Does the manas only discern changing and fluctuating mental sense-objects?

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, yet the manas can still discern them, and it can also discern subtle, unchanging dharmas. If there were dharmas that the manas could not discern, the six consciousnesses could not arise to carry out further detailed and specific discernment.

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

The manas can also discern the coarse five sense-objects. For example, if there is a profusion of colorful flowers before 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 to discern them with focused attention. The more interested the manas is, the longer the discernment lasts and the more focused it becomes. That the eye consciousness and mind consciousness can concentrate on beholding 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 vanish and no longer appreciate the violets. The same applies to the other sense-objects.

Why insist on claiming that the manas only discerns changing and shifting mental sense-objects? It can discern all six sense-objects, including unchanging mental sense-objects; otherwise, it would lose its function of awareness and illumination, and the six consciousnesses could not arise.