The Process of the Five Universal Mental Factors Operating Is Like Copying a Painting

When copying a painting, the eyes repeatedly and continuously observe and discern the scene, while the mind consciousness observes and continuously memorizes it; during the copying, one paints while continuously recollecting, and then repeats this process over and over until the work is completed and the copying is finished. One glances at the scene, paints a little, ponders for a while, paints a little more, ponders again, back and forth repeatedly, until the painting is done. Then the painting is set aside—no more pondering, no more painting, no more attention (manaskāra)—and one moves on to the next activity.

The operation of the five universally present mental factors (sarvatraga-caittas) is similar to copying a painting; the process of painting resembles the operating principle of the cognizing mind. When the cognizing mind operates on a certain dharma, it must finish operating on it before setting that dharma down and letting it go. If the operation is not complete, there will be repeated attention (manaskāra), repeated contact, reception, feeling, discernment, knowing, experiencing, and deliberation (manasikāra/manana), continuous analysis and examination, repeated operation and execution—the process is extremely complex. The order in which the mental factors operate is not necessarily feeling first and perception afterward; at the time of operation it is not fixed, but depends on the cognitive wisdom and level of the cognizing mind. Only when the operation is complete does a deeper feeling arise; after feeling, there is discernment again; after discernment, feeling again, until the manas feels that the discernment is clear, at which point it stops directing attention. If, later on, the manas thinks of something that still needs to be understood, it will once again direct attention toward the dharma, with contact, feeling, perception, and deliberation; once it has understood clearly and thought it through, the operation of the mental factors on that dharma ceases, and that dharma again disappears from the cognizing mind.

Sometimes after deliberation is complete, a decision is made; sometimes deliberation concludes without any decision being made, because the manas feels that the discernment was not clear or thorough enough. As long as the manas does not make the final choice, the five universally present mental factors do not cease, until the manas feels satisfied and the aim is achieved; then it no longer deliberates and immediately makes a decision on how to handle the matter.