The Five Particular Mental Factors of the Seventh Consciousness

The five specific mental factors (五别境心所法) of the seventh consciousness include: desire (chanda), determination (adhimokṣa), mindfulness (smṛti), meditative concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā). Because of ignorance, of these five mental factors, the concentration, wisdom, and determination of the seventh consciousness cannot manifest and operate at all times and in all places, but can only manifest and operate on individual occasions. Because of ignorance, the seventh consciousness sometimes lacks meditative concentration; because of ignorance, the seventh consciousness sometimes lacks wisdom; because of ignorance, the seventh consciousness sometimes cannot attain determination regarding the meaning of the Dharma. If ignorance is extinguished and no longer obscures the seventh consciousness, the seventh consciousness will be able to abide in meditative concentration at all times and in all places — such is the case with bodhisattvas of the eighth ground and above and all Buddhas; it will have wisdom at all times and in all places — such is the case with all Buddhas; it will be able to attain determination regarding the meaning of the Dharma at all times and in all places — such is the case with all Buddhas.

However, the fundamental Buddha, the tathatā of the Buddhas — the undefiled consciousness (amala-vijñāna) — is at all times and in all places in meditative concentration, possesses great wisdom, and can attain determination regarding all dharmas, without any ignorance. The eighth consciousness of sentient beings is also like this, but the content of its concentration, wisdom, and determination differs from that of the seventh consciousness. The seventh consciousness has concentration, wisdom, and determination with respect to the Four Noble Truths, whereas what the eighth consciousness attains determination regarding is not worldly dharmas; its concentration is not worldly concentration, and its wisdom is certainly not worldly wisdom.