Evidence for the Presence of Mindfulness Cetasikas and Klesha Cetasikas in Manas

When a person is constantly thinking about a problem in their mind and suddenly becomes aware of their own thoughts, they feel startled, even experiencing a sense of guilt, as if caught red-handed. They quickly shake their head to dismiss the thought, wondering, "How could I have such an idea?"

From this example, it can be seen that a person has two streams of mental activity. One stream of thoughts arises autonomously and operates subtly in the background—this is the mental activity of the manas (the mental faculty). The other stream of mental activity initially remains unaware of the first stream but suddenly becomes conscious of it, feeling shocked—this is the mental activity of the mano-vijnana (the discriminating consciousness). This indicates that the two streams of mental activity are not consistent; the thoughts and views of the mano-vijnana and the manas are not entirely the same. The two minds are not always in a state of mutual understanding, harmony, and alignment. It also shows that the mental activity of the manas can arise at any time, may operate beyond the control of the mano-vijnana, or may be regulated by it. When the mano-vijnana detects something amiss, it provides feedback to the manas, causing the manas to temporarily cease that stream of thought. Whether it resurfaces later depends on the controlling power of the mano-vijnana and the effectiveness of its persuasion and permeation.

Ordinary people lack sufficient concentration and wisdom in their mano-vijnana, making it difficult to perceive the mental activity of the manas. They remain unaware of their own thoughts yet are unconsciously driven by them, leading them to do or say things without clear understanding. Upon awakening to this, they feel regret. If a thought of killing arises in the manas and is detected by the mano-vijnana, the person might suddenly shudder, feeling fear and suspicion. This indicates that the manas harbors ill will, which the mano-vijnana was unaware of. Once detected, the mano-vijnana wonders, "Do I have such thoughts?" Subsequently, the two communicate and permeate each other. If the mental activity of the manas gains the upper hand and the mano-vijnana decides to submit, they collaborate in evil, formulating and executing a plan to kill.

The formulation and execution of theft plans follow the same pattern, with the manas taking the lead and the mano-vijnana obeying and assisting. This is how all unwholesome actions driven by greed, hatred, and delusion arise. If the mano-vijnana produces thoughts of greed, hatred, or delusion while the manas remains pure, the thoughts of the mano-vijnana will not persist for long and may even be forgotten. These are unwholesome thoughts acquired by the mano-vijnana from external environments. If the manas firmly upholds its original pure nature, the thoughts of the mano-vijnana will be like floating clouds, easily dispersed. However, if the mano-vijnana is persistently exposed to defiled environments, unwholesome thoughts will continuously arise. Once they accumulate to a certain degree, the manas may become permeated and corrupted, resulting in both minds jointly creating defiled actions driven by greed, hatred, and delusion. Therefore, the environment in which a person resides plays a significant role in their development and profoundly influences their thoughts and views. Choosing wholesome environments is essential for embracing goodness and avoiding evil.