The relationship between the aggregate of consciousness (vijñāna-skandha) and afflictions (kleśa) runs rather deep. Yogācāra (Vijñaptimātratā) divides consciousness into eight types: the first five consciousnesses (eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body) are included within the aggregate of form (rūpa-skandha), while mental consciousness belongs to the aggregate of perception (saṃjñā-skandha)—these we have already addressed. The remaining two consciousnesses are most crucial in relation to afflictions: the manas (manas-vijñāna) and the ālaya consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna).
The ālaya-vijñāna is the root from which ignorance (avidyā) arises, referred to as fundamental ignorance. The manas, however, is even more insidious acting as the root of suffering through its constant grasping at a self. Therefore, when it comes down to actual practice, the fundamental task is to work directly with consciousness.
In discussing the relationship between the aggregate of consciousness and afflictions, other forms of consciousness can either give rise to afflictions or be influenced by them. However, the root cause of all afflictions ultimately lies in the manas—that is, in grasping at a self.
How, then, can we sever the connection between the manas and afflictions? In truth, it cannot be severed, as they are mutually dependent. To eliminate afflictions, one must eliminate the manas. And when all afflictions have been eradicated, the manas will have nowhere left to hide—you will inevitably catch it. At that point, the final step of eliminating it relies on wisdom.
The manas itself is a kind of mental attachment, something quite difficult to articulate. You cannot take your attachment and show it to me—it is an irrational imposition added by the mind. Why do we say the mind is “irrational”? Because in the state of realization, the mind is originally something clear and luminous, capable of awareness. It has no location, no position—it abides nowhere, yet is present everywhere. We call it a “thing,” yet no intrinsic entity can be found. However, when ignorance obscures the mind, thereby clinging to a sense of individuality and agency, the mind mistakenly posits a controlling agent behind its own cognitive clarity constantly believing there is some entity that is acting and governing.
The philosopher Nietzsche proposed that the most fundamental driving force is the “will to power.” This “will to power” implies a governing agent—in essence, it is self-grasping of persons. He regarded this self-grasping as the foundation of the world. In a certain sense, this is not entirely incorrect—self-grasping does indeed function as a fundamental basis of the world to some extent.
Nietzsche’s level of thought was in fact quite profound. He once said: “One must become the ‘Beyond-Man (Übermensch)’, transcending good and evil, transcending law and morality, standing on the ambiguous far shore.” He was indeed arrogant, but as an influential philosopher, he was certainly not without substance. His idea of the “will to power” was even later appropriated by Hitler.
The so-called “will to power” is essentially an expression of self-grasping of persons. The mind constantly clings to an individual entity, or to the notion that this individual can exert control. This kind of irrational attachment is precisely what we call grasping at a self.
—Excerpted and compiled from The Arising and Antidotes of Afflictions
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
