The Discernment of the Six Consciousnesses Is Governed by the Manas

Some people say that the manas only cognizes mental sense-objects (dharma-viṣaya). But then, who directs the five consciousnesses in discerning the five sense-objects, and for what reason does this arise? The birth of the six consciousnesses and their activities of discernment upon the six sense-objects are all directed by the manas; they appear only because the manas wants to engage in some activity upon the six sense-objects. The five consciousnesses' discernment of the five sense-objects is likewise decided and determined by the manas as the master. For example, when the eye consciousness always operates following a certain color, who decides and directs this? It is because the manas has a particular interest in that color that the eye consciousness operates following it; when the ear consciousness always chases after a certain coarse sound-object, paying attention to rumbling noises, who decides and directs this? It is still manipulated by the manas. The manas finds the sound special and wants to discern it clearly, so it makes the ear consciousness continuously attend to and discern it.

Most people say that dharmas which themselves (the mind consciousness) do not know do not exist; in reality, dharmas that exist do not necessarily make themselves known to your mind consciousness. Dharmas that the mind consciousness does not know, the manas nevertheless knows—the manas can cognize them and can have a rough and general understanding of them. Some dharmas cannot be made known to the mind consciousness and the six consciousnesses, for several reasons: one is that the mind consciousness lacks the wisdom to perceive them; one is that the manas lacks the wisdom to impel the mind consciousness to know them; and one is that the conditions are not complete, so the mind consciousness cannot know them. Some dharmas need not be made known to the six consciousnesses, because the manas does not want to discern and process them in detail. Countless people take the six consciousnesses as themselves; in fact, the true "false self" is still the manas, not the six consciousnesses.

"I think, therefore I am"—this refers to the manas: the deep-level deliberation (manasikāra), that kind of mental thought and conception within, all belong to the manas. Ordinary people generally say "I know, therefore I am," and this knowing refers to the six consciousnesses. When the six consciousnesses do not know, the mind consciousness feels that it no longer exists. But regardless of whether the six consciousnesses know or not, the inner and outer six sense-objects all exist, and countless dharmas all exist. Even when the six consciousnesses can know, they cannot know many dharmas; the range of their discernment is limited.