Are the Karmas of Body, Speech, and Mind Created by Consciousness or Manas?

All bodily, verbal, and mental actions are fabricated by consciousness, driven by the ignorance of the mental faculty (manas). If the mental faculty were free from ignorance, it would not impel consciousness to fabricate actions tainted by ignorance. This is explained in the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination: the ignorance of the mental faculty gives rise to the volitional formation within the mental faculty, which then generates the decision to engage in bodily, verbal, and mental actions. After the mental faculty makes this decision, consciousness and the five sensory consciousnesses arise, carrying out bodily, verbal, and mental actions that align with the mental faculty's inclinations and choices. Here, the mental faculty is the dominant force; consciousness merely follows its regulation. For example, a five-year-old child sent out to buy soy sauce is acting under an adult’s instruction; the adult manages household necessities at home and sends the child out when supplies run low. Similarly, an employee’s work is assigned and distributed by a supervisor, and the employee must comply with the supervisor’s management. Likewise, the functioning of various sectors in society is deployed by the nation’s top leadership, and subordinate units must operate according to the directives of higher authorities, without defying commands.

On the surface, the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of sentient beings appear to be fabricated by consciousness and the five sensory consciousnesses, but in essence, they reflect the intentions and assertions of the mental faculty, embodying its habits and tendencies. The coordinated functioning of the five aggregates depends on the harmonious collaboration of this master-servant dynamic. If this collaboration fails, it may lead to mental dissociation or breakdown in the mental faculty, resulting in mental illness. Of course, when the mental faculty lacks understanding of certain phenomena, it may lose its initiative and assertions, deferring instead to the opinions and views of consciousness—sometimes even blindly. In such cases, it may not fully grasp the implications of consciousness’s propositions. This is when the potency of consciousness becomes apparent. However, if the mental faculty possesses wisdom, consciousness cannot surpass it in strength; the mental faculty will always remain the sovereign decision-maker.