The Five Designations of Manas and Their Meanings (Part 1)

The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana Original Text: Regarding the causes and conditions for arising and ceasing. It is said that all sentient beings revolve depending on the mind, manas, and consciousness. What does this mean? Due to reliance on the Ālaya-vijñāna, ignorance and non-enlightenment arise, which can perceive, manifest, grasp objective realms, and engage in continuous discrimination. This is designated as manas.

Explanation: The arising and ceasing of all dharmas are manifested due to causes and conditions. These causes and conditions include the three transforming consciousnesses: the Ālaya-vijñāna, the manas (root consciousness), and the mental consciousness. Among these, manas is the most crucial cause and condition for the manifestation of all dharmas. Sentient beings revolve and flow depending on manas. Although the Ālaya-vijñāna is the direct cause for the birth of all arising-and-ceasing dharmas, it is actually instigated by manas. Without manas as this cause and condition, the Ālaya-vijñāna would not give birth to any dharma. Manas relies on the Ālaya-vijñāna; following the ignorance of its own mind, it perceives all objective dharmas born from the Ālaya-vijñāna, then manifests all objective dharmas born from the Ālaya-vijñāna within the mind, grasps onto all objective dharmas born from the Ālaya-vijñāna, and continuously discriminates without interruption, yet remains utterly unaware of its own such ignorance. This mind-substance is named manas.

Original Text: This manas further has five different names. The first is called Karma Consciousness (Karma-vijñāna). It means that due to the power of ignorance, there is non-enlightenment and mental movement.

Explanation: This manas has five different names. The first name is Karma Consciousness (Karma-vijñāna). Manas is the master that creates karma. Because there is ignorance and non-awareness of this ignorance, the power of ignorance prompts manas to move mentally and initiate intention. After this mental activation (manaskāra), subsequent contact, feeling, perception, and volition arise. Once manas makes a decision, the bodily, verbal, and mental karmic actions of the six consciousnesses are performed, subsequently leaving karmic seeds to be experienced in future lives, thus perpetuating the cycle of birth and death without end. Therefore, it is said that manas is Karma Consciousness, corresponding to karmic forces, corresponding to karmic seeds, corresponding to birth and death. Of course, through cultivation, it will correspond to emptiness, correspond to purity, correspond to tranquility, and correspond to liberation. Thus, cultivation means cultivating manas, severing the view of self, realizing the mind and seeing its true nature, transforming consciousness into wisdom, attaining the wisdom of all seeds in consciousness-only, and finally achieving Buddhahood.

Since manas corresponds to karmic forces and karmic seeds, the pure karma of severing the view of self is upheld by manas, and the pure karma of realizing the mind and seeing its true nature is upheld by manas. Only if manas severs the view of self and realizes the mind and sees its true nature can it uphold such pure karmic seeds; otherwise, manas cannot uphold them, and there will be no such pure karmic result in future lives. Similarly, the seeds of evil karma are also upheld by manas. Only with an evil manas-mind can evil karma be created, and the seeds of evil karma upheld until future lives. Therefore, manas fully possesses all defilement mental factors (kleśa-caitta) and also fully possesses all wholesome mental factors (kuśala-caitta).

Original Text: The second is called Transforming Consciousness (Pravṛtti-vijñāna). It means that depending on the moving mind, it can perceive objective appearances.

Explanation: The second name for manas is Transforming Consciousness (Pravṛtti-vijñāna). "Transforming" means flowing and revolving, and also means operating. Relying on the power of ignorance, manas can cause dharmas to flow out and operate from the Ālaya-vijñāna. As soon as the manas-mind moves, the Ālaya-vijñāna will accordingly give birth to objective realms, and manas will perceive the appearances of these realms. As the mind moves again, the six consciousnesses will arise to perform karmic actions, the functions of the five aggregates will manifest, and the cycle of birth and death in future lives becomes unceasing. Objective realms and the five aggregates all appear following the movement of manas; birth and death also appear following the movement of manas. Therefore, it is said that manas is the switch that turns all dharmas; manas is the Transforming Consciousness.

Original Text: The third is called Manifesting Consciousness (Prātibhāsika-vijñāna). It means that it manifests all appearances of various objective realms. Just like a bright mirror reflects all colors and images, the Manifesting Consciousness is also like this. As with the five sense objects, when they are present, it manifests them immediately, without sequence, and without requiring effort.

Explanation: The third name for manas is Manifesting Consciousness (Prātibhāsika-vijñāna). This "manifesting" means presenting. After manas perceives all dharmas, it presents all dharmas; all dharmas manifest as images within the mind of manas. Manas relies on the Ālaya-vijñāna; whatever realm the Ālaya-vijñāna transforms, manas can cognize that realm, and it can present that realm within the mind. It is like a bright mirror reflecting all appearances of objective realms. For example, as soon as the five sense objects are contacted, manas immediately presents the images of the five sense objects. When the Ālaya-vijñāna gives birth to an objective realm, manas almost simultaneously presents the realm in the mind without sequence and without deliberate processing.

Why is it called images of the five sense objects and not images of the six sense objects or images of mental objects (dharmas)? Here, the "five sense objects" essentially include the six sense objects, with the mental object included, using the five as representative, each having its own mental object. This is an abbreviated way of speaking. Otherwise, one would have to say: form objects and the mental objects on form objects, sound objects and the mental objects on sound objects, smell objects and the mental objects on smell objects, taste objects and the mental objects on taste objects, touch objects and the mental objects on touch objects – this would be very cumbersome. Hence, it is simplified to "five sense objects."

Generally, it is said that manas contacts mental objects (dharmas) to generate mental consciousness. But how do the five sense consciousnesses arise? Some might say that the five sense consciousnesses arise when the five sense faculties contact the five sense objects. However, the five sense faculties are material forms (rūpa), not mental dharmas (citta-dharma), not conscious minds. How can they actively contact the five sense objects and possess the initiative of a conscious mind? In essence, the contact of the five sense faculties with the five sense objects is still instigated and dominated by manas. Manas directs the five sense faculties to contact the five sense objects, giving rise to the five sense consciousnesses, while simultaneously contacting mental objects to generate mental consciousness. Since manas is the director, it will also contact the images of the five sense objects. After contact, it presents the complete images of the six sense objects. After making decisions, it gives rise to the six consciousnesses to cognize and process the images of the six sense objects. The six consciousnesses cognize some aspects of the six sense objects and do not cognize others; this is the decision-making and directing function of manas.