The Discriminative Scope of Manas

The scope of the mental faculty's discernment is extremely broad; it can discern all dharmas, regardless of whether they are changing or unchanging. Some dharmas remain unchanged for long periods, yet the mental faculty can still discern them, and even minute, unchanging dharmas can be discerned. If there were dharmas that the mental faculty could not discern, the six consciousnesses would not arise to discern them specifically and subtly. Why insist that the mental faculty only discerns changing and significant sense objects? Unchanging sense objects within the six sense fields can all be discerned; otherwise, the function of conscious awareness would be lost, and the six consciousnesses could not arise. Even the faint sound of a mosquito can be discerned by the mental faculty; otherwise, the ear consciousness and mental consciousness would not hear the mosquito's sound.

The mental faculty discerns not only dharmas within the subtle sense faculties but also dharmas outside them. It can discern all objects within the six sense fields; otherwise, it could not give rise to the six consciousnesses. After discerning a form object, if one wishes to specifically discern what color it is or what thing it is, the eye consciousness and mental consciousness will arise. After discerning a sound object, if one wishes to know what sound it is, the ear consciousness and mental consciousness must arise to discern it specifically. The same applies to the other sense objects of form, sound, smell, taste, and touch.

It can also discern coarse and heavy objects within the five sense fields. For example, when colorful flowers appear before it, if the mental faculty is interested in the purple flowers, it will cause the eye consciousness and mental consciousness to arise and focus on discerning the purple flowers. The more interested the mental faculty is, the longer it discerns and the more focused it becomes. If the eye consciousness and mental consciousness can focus on appreciating violets for one or two hours, it indicates that the mental faculty is very interested in the violets, continuously making contact with them and continuously discerning them. Otherwise, the eye consciousness and mental consciousness would vanish and cease to appreciate the violets. The same applies to the other sense objects.

When a multitude of colors appear, the mental faculty selects the purple flowers for the six consciousnesses to continuously focus on and appreciate, while upon seeing pink flowers, it does not give them a second glance. Since the mental faculty makes such choices, it demonstrates that it knows the distinctions between various colors. Thus, the mental faculty can make contact with all objects within the six sense fields and the five sense fields, and it possesses a certain power of conviction regarding the six sense fields. Its ability to cause the six consciousnesses to focus on appreciation indicates that the mental faculty is continuously making contact. Therefore, the mental faculty also possesses concentration (samadhi). If the mental faculty lacked concentration and wandered to other sense objects, the six consciousnesses would immediately vanish from their original sense objects.

Amidst a multitude of flowers, seeking out the violets one particularly likes demonstrates that the mental faculty has desire, a volitional mental factor. If the mental faculty did not wish to see violets, it would not cause the six consciousnesses to arise and search for them. Wherever the mental faculty does not reach, the six consciousnesses will not appear.