What Does It Mean That Manas Does Not Correspond to Language and Words?

The meaning that the manas does not correspond to words and language is that the manas cannot use words and language to express its own thoughts, concepts, and insights. However, this does not mean that the manas does not understand words and language. As the master consciousness that oversees everything, it has the authority to direct and mobilize the six consciousnesses. Although it cannot speak or express itself through writing, it can make the mental consciousness speak and use words to express. Many tasks it cannot accomplish directly can be completed with the assistance of the six consciousnesses. For instance, a president has limited energy and cannot be everywhere at once; he can only manage the overall situation of the country and cannot personally handle specific tasks like market research or statistical analysis. However, he can appoint subordinates to carry out these tasks. Similarly, because the manas must oversee the overall situation, it cannot personally handle specific matters and must rely on the five sense-accompanying mental consciousness and the independent mental consciousness to manage trivial and specific affairs. The manas merely needs to listen to reports. During the process of listening to reports, it uses the mental factors of deliberation (vitarka), wisdom (prajna), and decisive understanding (adhimoksha) to make judgments and decisions, then issues commands for the six consciousnesses to solve problems according to its instructions.

The manas is like a mute person who, though unable to speak, can understand what others say. The same applies to the eighth consciousness (alaya-vijnana); though it cannot speak and is not connected to language and words, it possesses a unique way of discerning, perceiving unique information different from that of the seven consciousnesses, and the manas is also distinct from the mental consciousness. The deliberation of the manas is no less capable than that of the mental consciousness. If a president were to free up time and energy to personally conduct market research, he might do it better than his subordinates; it’s just that he lacks the time and energy. If the manas were to take over the functions of the six consciousnesses, it might surpass them, but currently, it lacks sufficient energy. That is why we must cultivate concentration again and again—to free up time and energy for the manas, to focus again and again, so that the great wisdom of the manas can emerge.

By regarding the manas as a consciousness or as a person, we can understand its nature and mental factors. The mental consciousness and the five sense consciousnesses act on behalf of the manas. If the wisdom of the manas is sufficient, no matter what the six consciousnesses do, the manas will have a clear understanding. If the wisdom of the manas is insufficient and its power of decisive understanding is weak, there may be misunderstandings, or it may fail to comprehend the actions of the six consciousnesses and remain unclear about what they are doing. If the mental consciousness cannot express itself properly or expresses unclearly, the manas will also be unable to fully understand and will not grasp the thoughts of the mental consciousness.