The Verification of All Dharmas Lies in the Manas

Sentient beings all regard the functions and roles of the five aggregates as the self, especially taking the perceptions of the consciousness aggregate—the six consciousnesses—as the self and what belongs to the self. They cling to their own feelings and sensations, thereby creating all kinds of wholesome and unwholesome karmic actions, even resorting to unwholesome deeds without hesitation. Consequently, due to these karmic actions, they sink into the cycle of birth and death, suffering retribution. Where do the perceptions of the six consciousnesses come from? They arise after the contact between sense faculties and sense objects. Subsequently, the manas (mental faculty) takes these perceptions as the self and clings to them, creating the ignorant karma of craving and attachment. To liberate oneself from birth and death, one must contemplate and observe the illusory nature, suffering nature, emptiness nature, and non-self nature of the perceptions of the six consciousnesses. Realizing that perceptions are illusory and unreal, one ceases to focus on them. As the mind gradually empties, one can sever the view of self and no longer cling to perceptions. Then, the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion will fade and cease, and one will no longer create ignorant unwholesome karma. Being able to contemplate perceptions as empty is an extremely important matter. The five aggregates are not-self, and perceptions are also not-self—this is a crucial concept.

  The perceptions of the six consciousnesses are relatively easy to observe, but the hidden perceptions of the manas behind them are vital and pivotal. Because the manas has perceptions, it gives rise to afflictions like greed, hatred, and delusion, and by clinging to perceptions, it prompts the six consciousnesses to create karmic actions. The manas considers all dharmas to be the self and to belong to the self, taking the mental consciousness as its function. Therefore, severing the view of self means severing the manas' view of self, and realization also requires the manas to realize the eighth consciousness, the Tathagatagarbha. Thus, the realization of all dharmas entirely depends on the manas, not on the mental consciousness. Through truthful and rational contemplation, the more one contemplates, the more one realizes that the most fundamental practice and realization lie precisely in the manas. The manas is the key to attaining Buddhahood and the master of the cycle of birth and death. When the manas is successfully cultivated, one attains liberation and accomplishes the Buddha Way.

Through investigation and deliberation, once the manas realizes the Dharma, it overturns its original improper mental attention. When mental conduct changes and it no longer clings to the five aggregates, one achieves preliminary liberation. This is the crux of practice. Why is it that some people, after studying much theory, come to feel that the five aggregates are not the self, that they are empty and illusory, yet still create defiled karmic actions for the sake of the five-aggregate body, without changing their mental conduct at all? Because that "feeling" is merely an understanding of the mental consciousness and fundamentally does not count. Without the manas' actual realization, it will continue to recognize the five aggregates as before, following its own afflictions to create karma. Therefore, all such "feelings" are unreliable; any Dharma must be realized by the manas to count.

The manas also constantly takes all the merits and virtues of the Tathagatagarbha as its own, regarding all dharmas produced by the Tathagatagarbha as the self and what belongs to the self. It does not know that all dharmas are manifested by the Tathagatagarbha, nor does it realize that even itself is manifested by the Tathagatagarbha. This is why it creates ignorant karmic actions. The practice of the Buddha Dharma is to let the mental consciousness know theoretically that these dharmas are non-self, to know the true nature of the Tathagatagarbha, and then to influence the manas, enabling it to deliberate and realize the Tathagatagarbha within all dharmas, realizing that no dharma is the self or belongs to the self.

All dharmas are manifested by the Tathagatagarbha; none belong to the manas. They are all the functions and roles of the Tathagatagarbha. Only after the manas realizes this principle will the mind become empty, enabling it to cease clinging to the self of the five aggregates. This not only severs the attachment to self but also severs the attachment to dharmas. When attachment to dharmas is completely severed, one ultimately attains Buddhahood. Therefore, the key to practice lies entirely in the manas. Ignorance belongs to the manas; eliminating ignorance means eliminating the manas' ignorance. Eliminating afflictions means eliminating the manas' afflictions. Attaining liberation means letting the manas attain liberation. When the manas no longer clings to any dharma, there is no bondage—this is liberation. Who attains Buddhahood? Since the six consciousnesses cease and perish in each lifetime, they cannot attain Buddhahood. It is the manas that attains Buddhahood. The Tathagatagarbha also does not attain Buddhahood. But ultimately, even the manas does not attain Buddhahood. On the day one attains Buddhahood, it will be known: there is no Buddha to attain, and only then can one ultimately attain Buddhahood.