How Should Consciousness Guide the Mano-Indriya?

The dharmas (objects) cognized by consciousness (manas) and the mind faculty (mano-indriya) are the same. What consciousness discerns must be the dharmas that the mind faculty grasps at; otherwise, consciousness would not arise. The arising of consciousness serves the mind faculty and must obey it. However, after consciousness arises and discerns dharmas, through thinking and analysis, it develops its own views, which may contradict the mind faculty and fail to align with its inclinations. If consciousness possesses correct knowledge and views, it can gradually transform the mind faculty, depending on the extent to which the mind faculty can accept this. If consciousness is too radical, it may provoke the mind faculty, making it impossible to guide the mind faculty onto the right path.

Therefore, if consciousness is clever and sharp, it will skillfully guide the mind faculty. If consciousness is dull, it will be ineffective, perhaps even counterproductive, or it may end up being led by the mind faculty. The consciousness of a Buddhist practitioner should adopt this attitude toward the mind faculty: "If you lead me to wander aimlessly, I will not follow; if you lead me toward greed, hatred, and delusion, I will not follow." Gradually, the mind faculty, finding no other option, ceases to lead and instead follows consciousness.

To stabilize the mind faculty, consciousness must reduce its engagement with dharmas, lessen its discernment of dharmas, and decrease its mental proliferation of dharmas—or even cease engaging with dharmas, cease discerning dharmas, and cease mentally proliferating dharmas. In this way, the mind faculty receives no feedback from consciousness. Realizing that further mental proliferation of dharmas is useless, it ceases its restless mental activity. Thus, the mind faculty gradually attains stability.