The Dharma of Manas-Contact Unperceived by Consciousness

The manas is bound together with the tathāgatagarbha. Whatever dharmas the tathāgatagarbha manifests, the manas contacts and perceives. However, the discernment of the manas is also divided into focal points and levels. If it cannot clearly discern the dharmas it focuses on, it will deliberate and make choices, causing the six consciousnesses to arise for discernment. If the manas can clearly discern certain dharmas but cannot process them, it will deliberate and choose to bring forth the six consciousnesses for discernment and processing.

There are an immense number of dharmas that the manas can clearly discern without needing processing, which the mental consciousness is unaware of. There are also an immense number of dharmas contacted by the manas that do not require discernment by the six consciousnesses, which the mental consciousness remains unaware of. Additionally, there are an immense number of dharmas that the manas contacts and clearly discerns, and an immense number it wishes the mental consciousness to know and process. Yet, due to insufficient wisdom, the mental consciousness cannot know them, remaining confused. It may even find the hints and suggestions from the manas utterly baffling, ultimately leaving matters unresolved.

The tathāgatagarbha manifests the six dust realms. When the six dust realms first appear, it is the manas that contacts and discerns them first. If the manas cannot clearly discern the six dust realms, the six consciousnesses arise to discern them carefully. When the six consciousnesses first begin to discern, they have nothing to compare the six dust realms to, so their discernment remains unclear, and the mental consciousness perceives things vaguely. Only after discerning for several moments, when successive dust realms become comparable and the dust environment becomes coherent, does the mental consciousness recognize what the six dust realms are. For example, when writing a character: when the first stroke is written, others cannot tell what character it is; when the second stroke is added, they still cannot tell; when the third stroke is written, they can vaguely guess the character; and when the fourth stroke is added, they know exactly what character it is.