The Relationship Between the Manas and Meditative Concentration (Samādhi)

A question lingered in the mind, unable to be resolved for a long time. During a relatively leisurely period, the manas decided to ponder it seriously, and so the mind consciousness and the manas began to rack their brains together. But why, when racking their brains, do the hands still cooperate by propping up the chin, the eyes still cooperate by closing slightly, and the body becomes quiet and stops fidgeting? And when the agonized pondering finally yields an answer and the problem is solved, why do the two hands clap together, why do the arms and feet dance, and why does the face burst into radiant joy?

When the manas recognizes that the question at hand is important, it will focus on thinking about it and have no spare attention to grasp at other mental sense-objects. The manas is the master consciousness of the first six consciousnesses; when the manas is quiet, the body becomes quiet. Those who cannot cultivate meditative concentration (samādhi) should carefully examine their own manas—what is stored inside it—and quickly empty out the manas. If you cannot subdue the manas, do not even think about attaining meditative concentration, nor think that you can truly cultivate with diligence.

Quite a few people think themselves quite good; perhaps it is only their mind consciousness that is good, not their manas—deep down they are not yet good. Those who can truly see themselves clearly are not many. Some people dare not explore the depths of their own minds, fearing that some bad ideas and views might be uncovered, and then... For many good people, the mind consciousness is better than the manas—what does this show? For many bad people, the manas is better than the mind consciousness—what does this show? It shows that the power of environmental conditioning is very great, and the mind consciousness is easily influenced by wholesome and unwholesome conditioning. Does the phenomenon of the manas being better than the mind consciousness exist? Under rather harsh circumstances, the mind consciousness may have received unwholesome conditioning and thus be worse than the manas; some bad people are not bad at their core, but are merely pressured by their environment.