The Relationship Between Manas, the Five Consciousnesses, and the Internal and External Five Sense Objects

First and foremost, the arising and functioning of the five consciousnesses originate from the manas (mind root). If the manas does not engage in attention and selection, the five consciousnesses do not arise. After the manas attends and selects, the five consciousnesses and the mental consciousness arise simultaneously, discerning the six dusts (sense objects) at the point where the manas attends and makes contact. Therefore, the emergence of the five consciousnesses is not determined by the mental consciousness but by the manas. The mental consciousness is merely one of the necessary conditions for the birth of the five consciousnesses; the two must combine to jointly discern the complete sense objects. Their sequence of appearance is almost simultaneous, and the birth and operation of the five consciousnesses are not determined by the mental consciousness.

Since the manas determines the birth of the five consciousnesses, why can it dominate them? We know that the birth of the five consciousnesses must be facilitated by the contact between the five sense faculties and the five dusts, and this contact is a result brought about by the manas. Both the five sense faculties and the five dusts are material forms, not consciousness; they do not actively contact each other and then decide to produce the five consciousnesses. It is the manas that causes the five sense faculties to contact the five dusts and thereby gives rise to the five consciousnesses.

Why can the manas cause the five sense faculties to contact the five dusts? Because the manas clings to the six dusts, desiring to discern them in detail. The manas does not cling only to mental dust (dharmas) and make contact with it; rather, it clings to the entire sense field, comprehensively including the five dusts. If it only clings to mental dust and does not engage with the five dusts, the information about the sense field would be incomplete, making it impossible to make selections and choices, and the six consciousnesses would not arise. For example, when colorful flowers are present before us, the mental dust and the five dusts combine to form the complete appearance of the flowers. If the manas does not engage with the five dusts, it would not know the colors of the flowers. How, then, could it decide to contact red, blue, or purple flowers? How could it choose which flower to engage with? The reason the six consciousnesses selectively discern sense objects is due to the manas’ selection of the sense field, which inevitably includes the five dusts. The five dusts constitute a significant and crucial portion of the six dusts; moreover, they manifest first and are easily recognizable. Therefore, the manas does not separate the six dusts to engage with them individually and then make selections.

For instance, when the manas clings to the appearance of a person, it does not only cling to the mental dust aspect of the person while excluding the skin color and clothing color aspects. On the contrary, it is the colors that are most prominent and captivating initially, followed by the finer mental dust aspects. The same applies to other sense objects; thus, the manas engages with the five dusts. Even before the six dusts enter the subtle sense faculties (indriyas), the manas can certainly engage with and make selections regarding the five dusts. For example, before a car accident occurs, the manas engages with the oncoming car, recognizes that a collision is imminent, and urgently decides to evade it. If the manas only clung to the mental dust of the car and not to the five dusts of the car, how could it know that there is an oncoming car about to collide? How could it decide to avoid the oncoming car? Before a massive explosion occurs, if the manas does not engage with the five dusts of the explosion sound, how could it decide to flee immediately?

After the manas makes any decision, the five consciousnesses immediately arise together with the mental consciousness to carry out the manas’ instructions, demonstrating that the birth of the five consciousnesses is determined by the manas and that they, along with the mental consciousness, obey the manas’ commands. Which sense objects the five consciousnesses and the mental consciousness discern, how long they discern them, and which aspects they focus on discerning are all directed and dominated by the manas. In summary, the manas is the sovereign consciousness, exercising sovereignty and making decisions over the five sense faculties, the five dusts, and the five consciousnesses. The relationship between them is one of active and passive, of dominance and submission.