The Distinction Between Consciousness and the Preference of Manas

The inclination of the mind can be broadly categorized into two levels or two degrees: the superficial is the liking of the conscious mind, while the profound is the liking of the manas (mental faculty). What cannot make decisions is the liking of the conscious mind; what takes action to obtain what it desires through every possible means is the liking of the manas—addiction, obsession, and the inability to forget are all manifestations of the manas’ liking. For instance, in a family, the parent has the final say. When it comes to liking something, there may be the child’s liking and the parent’s liking. However, no matter what the child likes, they cannot decide for themselves; they must obtain the parent’s consent to acquire what they desire. On the other hand, the parent can find ways to obtain whatever they like. Here, the child corresponds to the conscious mind, while the parent corresponds to the manas.

If the liking of the conscious mind influences the manas, causing the manas to also like it or agree with the conscious mind’s preference, the manas will decide to obtain what is liked and take action to acquire it. The liking of the conscious mind is influenced, on one hand, by the manas and, on the other, by the external environment and the six sense objects. The liking of the manas stems, on one hand, from afflictive habits accumulated since beginningless time and, on the other, from the impregnation by the conscious mind. If the liking of the conscious mind does not affect the manas, the manas will disregard it, and the conscious mind’s liking will remain unfulfilled. For example, liking the Dharma is first initiated by the conscious mind, and later the manas may come to like it as well. If the conscious mind likes the Dharma but the manas does not, one will not diligently pursue it. If the manas also likes the Dharma, one will diligently seek it and study it with diligence. What enables one to persevere without giving up for a long time is the liking of the manas. Intermittent practice indicates that the manas is not very interested and is merely being pulled along or controlled by the conscious mind. If it cannot be controlled, the manas will drift away.