Mental Factors of the Mind base\: A Practical Compass (Second Edition) (with over 30,000 additional words, reorganized)
Section Four: Wholesome Mental Factors
1. What are the mental factors of shame and remorse?
Shame and remorse refer to feeling guilty, apologetic, and uneasy about the evil deeds, wrongdoings, and incomplete or negligent acts one has committed. Both characters have the "heart" radical (忄) on the left, representing the mind. The right side combined means "to slay a ghost," where the ghost represents evil. When evil is severed from the heart, it becomes pure and wholesome. Therefore, shame and remorse belong to the wholesome mental factors among the fifty-one mental factors. Shamelessness and lack of remorse belong to the unwholesome mental factors, which are evil mental factors. Many people lack the mental factors of shame and remorse. When they do wrong and harm others, they feel no shame or remorse. If the manas and the mental consciousness do not correspond to the mental factors of shame and remorse, a person is significantly flawed and unqualified. Their Buddhist practice is also inadequate, yielding no results.
Those who can generate the mental factors of shame and remorse are wise individuals. They can introspect and recognize that their actions are incomplete, unskillful, negligent, or even that they have committed wrongs, misdeeds, and evil acts, harming others and damaging their interests. The ability to introspect and recognize these things is wise, free from afflictions, and wholesome. Without wisdom, there is no such recognition. No matter how many wrongs or evils one commits, they do not introspect, remaining unaware, shameless, and remorseless, persisting in their old ways. Consequently, when karmic retribution arrives, they must endure a thousandfold or ten thousandfold suffering. Inviting such immense retribution is, of course, extremely unwise behavior. Practitioners of Buddhism should understand causes and recognize effects during their practice, constantly introspecting their minds, promptly discovering their afflictions, generating shame and remorse, correcting their faults in a timely manner, rectifying their unwholesome habits, perfecting their character, and attaining wisdom. Only then are they qualified to realize the truth and attain enlightenment, thereby transforming from an ordinary being into a sage, gaining great benefit and happiness. Possessing the mental factors of shame and remorse is also the fruit of practice.
The Avataṃsaka Sūtra once stated: A bodhisattva should don the superior garment of shame and remorse. The "superior garment" is the best and most precious clothing. We should all regularly examine ourselves to see if we have donned this superior garment of shame and remorse. We should constantly reflect on our minds: What afflictions do I currently have? What unwholesome mental actions are present? Practice is about cultivating oneself, changing one's unwholesome mind to eliminate afflictions, not about constantly scrutinizing and supervising others. Only by first cultivating oneself properly is it fundamental.
2. The wholesome mental factors of a first-ground bodhisattva are not yet fully complete.
After a first-ground bodhisattva transforms consciousness into wisdom, the manas possesses the wisdom of equality, afflictions are eliminated, and wholesome mental factors arise. However, at this stage, the eleven wholesome mental factors are not yet fully complete or perfected. For example, the wholesome mental factor of non-delusion is not entirely complete because the opposing mental factor of delusion and ignorance persists even up to the ninth-ground, tenth-ground, and even the equal-enlightenment bodhisattva stages. Therefore, the wholesome mental factors are not yet fully complete. From the first to the eighth ground, although the manifestation of afflictions is eliminated, the habitual tendencies remain uneradicated. For instance, mental factors like concealment, jealousy, arrogance, anger, resentment, and other secondary afflictions are not yet fully eliminated. Their mental factors exceed twenty-one. Even the mental factors of an eighth-ground bodhisattva are not entirely twenty-one; they still include the mental factors of delusion and ignorance. Only at the Buddha-ground are the twenty-one mental factors fully complete, the wholesome mental factors entirely perfected, and the mental factors of ignorance and affliction completely extinguished.
3. Manas must correspond to the eleven wholesome mental factors.
Wholesome mental factors: Faith, shame, remorse, non-attachment, non-hatred, non-delusion, diligence, tranquility, non-carelessness, equanimity (upekkhā), and non-harming. The opposing unwholesome mental factors are: Doubt, shamelessness, lack of remorse, attachment, hatred, delusion, laziness, dullness, carelessness, non-equanimity, and harming.
If manas does not correspond to the eleven wholesome mental factors, it corresponds to the unwholesome mental factors. It must correspond to one or the other; otherwise, it would be illogical. For example, if a horse is white, it is not non-white; it must be one or the other. If a person is wholesome, they are not unwholesome; they must be one or the other; otherwise, it is illogical.
So, does manas correspond to the wholesome mental factors or not? Or does it correspond to both, meaning both wholesome and unwholesome? Manas is sometimes wholesome and sometimes unwholesome; it is not fixed. The key lies in what manas is imbued with and what conditions are present. If manas does not correspond to these eleven wholesome mental factors, it corresponds to the unwholesome mental factors: doubt, shamelessness, lack of remorse, attachment, hatred, delusion, laziness, dullness, carelessness, non-equanimity, and harming. Then manas would perpetually have the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion and could never become wholesome. This is unreasonable because, if so, practice could never achieve any result.
The statement "The six consciousnesses are called the basis of defilement and purity" means the defilement and purity of the six consciousnesses depend on manas. If manas is defiled, the six consciousnesses are defiled; if manas is pure, the six consciousnesses are pure. The implication of this statement is profound. If manas is inherently pure and free from a certain affliction, the six consciousnesses, relying on manas, also lack that affliction. Third and fourth-stage noble ones (śrāvakas) and ground-level bodhisattvas, upon coming to this world, find it difficult to be imbued with new afflictions; their old afflictions become lighter and fewer. A Buddha is entirely untainted. If manas inherently possesses a certain affliction, the six consciousnesses, relying on and driven by manas, will also manifest that affliction. The six consciousnesses cannot be pure independently; otherwise, it couldn't be said that "the six consciousnesses are called the basis of defilement and purity." Practical observation confirms this to be true.
In reality, the mental consciousness sometimes has afflictions, sometimes none; sometimes it is wholesome, sometimes unwholesome. Therefore, manas must also be like this: sometimes afflicted, sometimes unafflicted; sometimes wholesome, sometimes unwholesome. The manas of ordinary beings and pre-ground bodhisattvas corresponds to both wholesome mental factors and afflictive mental factors. After eliminating afflictions and transforming consciousness into wisdom, manas corresponds to the eleven wholesome mental factors most of the time, with afflictive mental factors being extremely rare. This is the achievement of practice.
4. Mental actions in dreams all belong to manas.
If manas has not been successfully influenced, the mental consciousness cannot dominate manas. All mental actions in dreams reflect the mental actions of manas. Body, speech, and mind inevitably follow and are controlled by manas, just like at the time of death. Therefore, when someone kills, sets fires, maliciously retaliates, fights fiercely with others, or commits other defiled, hateful karmic actions in a dream, these all correspond to manas and belong to the afflictions of manas. If manas lacked these defiled mental actions of greed, hatred, and delusion, it couldn't produce such dreams. Moreover, in dreams, the mental consciousness often cannot persuade manas but tends to follow manas's lead, flowing with its current, similar to the situation in the intermediate state (bardo) after death. Whatever afflictions appear in dreams, manas has those same afflictions when awake. If the mental actions in a dream correspond to the eleven wholesome factors, then manas corresponds to the eleven wholesome factors when awake; otherwise, it couldn't produce karmic actions corresponding to the eleven wholesome factors.
The mental factor of equanimity (upekkhā) among the eleven wholesome factors means that one originally intended to retaliate against someone in a certain way but now abandons the retaliation. The mind corresponds to non-action (wuwei), corresponds to wholesome mind, and abandons evil to practice good. Retaliating against others is an unwholesome mental factor, an active evil deed. The achievement of precepts can also cause the mind to correspond to wholesome dharmas, correspond to equanimity (upekkhā), correspond to non-harming, and correspond to non-attachment, non-hatred, and non-delusion.
5. Does the seventh consciousness (manas) truly have wholesome mental factors?
If the seventh consciousness lacks faith, then the faith of the mental consciousness is false faith and basically useless. If the seventh consciousness lacks diligence, the diligence of the six consciousnesses is false diligence; it cannot persist diligently for long before becoming lazy. The six consciousnesses are directed by the seventh consciousness. If the seventh consciousness lacks shame and remorse, the shame and remorse of the mental consciousness are false; the seventh consciousness remains shameless, remorseless, and evil.
If the seventh consciousness lacked non-attachment, non-hatred, and non-delusion, then there would be no need to eliminate the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion; one would directly be a third or fourth-stage noble one. Even if the mental consciousness had the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion, it couldn't sustain them for long because the mental consciousness is regulated by the seventh consciousness. To say that the seventh consciousness has the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion is self-contradictory.
If the seventh consciousness lacked wrong views, extreme views, view of holding to superiority, and adherence to rules and rituals, then there would be no need to eliminate these wrong views. The wrong views in the mental consciousness would disappear before long. The mental consciousness cannot be the master determining the cycle of birth and death in future lives.
If one wishes to achieve some accomplishment in Buddhist practice and gain some wisdom, one should not casually place faith in authorities or worship texts. One should have faith in truth, faith in facts. Only truth is the true refuge.
The five sense consciousnesses all have desire, conviction, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. If the seventh consciousness lacks these, then how do the five sense consciousnesses manifest desire, conviction, concentration, and wisdom? What can the five sense consciousnesses have apart from the seventh consciousness? Does the seventh consciousness not desire to cognize the five sense objects, and do the five sense consciousnesses automatically arise to cognize the five sense objects without being controlled and directed by the seventh consciousness? Obviously not. Therefore, every practitioner should diligently follow the Buddha's instruction to rely on the Dharma, not on persons. Do not worship fame and authority; one should worship truth instead.
The profound and even more profound Yogācāra (Consciousness-Only) — when one does not yet understand it oneself, one should study diligently and honestly. One can ask questions but should not teach or guide others; do not easily express opinions. The mental factors of the eighth consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna) and the seventh consciousness, even for those who have realized them, may remain unobservable in their operational state through direct perception for a very long time. Truly understanding and observing their mental actions is the realization of ground-level bodhisattvas who possess the wisdom of the specific knowledge of consciousness-only (yogācāra-jñāna). Therefore, if wisdom is insufficient, do not draw conclusions.
6. If manas has wholesome mental factors, sentient beings are wholesome.
What kind of mind sentient beings have determines what kind of mental factors manas possesses. If sentient beings are virtuous and have wholesome minds, manas has wholesome mental factors. If sentient beings cultivate meditative concentration and have concentration power, manas has the mental factor of concentration. If sentient beings have wisdom to handle all dharmas, worldly and transcendental, manas has the mental factor of wisdom.
If manas lacked wholesome mental factors, there would be no virtuous people in the world. Buddhist practice could achieve no results. Sentient beings could not go to the heavens to enjoy blessings, nor could they have wholesome karmic retribution. If manas is unwholesome, no matter how much the mental consciousness tries to influence it, it is useless; sentient beings could never become wholesome. If manas does not correspond to the mental factor of concentration, cultivating concentration is useless; no matter how much one practices, concentration will not arise. If manas can only have inferior wisdom, then one cannot make wise choices or do anything correctly. Practice cannot lead to attaining the fruits of the path or realizing the mind. Without wisdom or with inferior wisdom, one could never transform consciousness into wisdom or possess the wisdom of a Buddha.
7. The gradual emergence of wholesome mental factors in manas signifies true practice.
Those who study and practice the Buddha Dharma, whether the Mahāyāna or the Hīnayāna path, should find their minds becoming increasingly pure, increasingly corresponding to wholesome mental factors, and increasingly non-active (wuwei). If, after practicing for some time, the six consciousnesses all correspond to wholesome mental factors, but manas still cannot correspond to wholesome mental factors, then manas has not yet been successfully influenced, and one is not truly wholesome. When bodily, verbal, and mental actions are still impure, manas will still dominate the six consciousnesses to create unwholesome dharmas corresponding to manas. Practice has yielded no initial results. Such a state is still far from being able to sever the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) or realize the mind (明心). If manas does not correspond to the eleven wholesome factors, Buddhist practice yields no results, and wholesome dharma seeds cannot be stored in the ālaya-vijñāna (storehouse consciousness), preventing the enjoyment of wholesome karmic retribution in future lives.
