The process of the operation of the five universal mental factors is like tracing 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 recalling, 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. Once finished, the painting is set aside—no more pondering, no more painting, no more mental engagement—and one moves on to the next activity.

The operation of the five universal mental factors is similar to copying a painting; the process of painting resembles the operating principle of the conscious mind. When the conscious mind operates on a certain dharma, it must complete its operation before letting go of that dharma. If the operation is not complete, there will be repeated mental engagement, repeated contact, reception, feeling, discernment, knowing, sensation, and deliberation, with continuous analysis and examination, repeated operation and execution—the process is extremely complex. The sequence in which the mental factors operate is not necessarily feeling first and perception afterward; during operation the order is not fixed, but depends on the cognitive wisdom and level of the conscious mind. Only when the operation is complete does a deeper feeling arise; after feeling, there is further discernment, and after discernment, further feeling, until the manas considers that the discernment is clear, at which point mental engagement ceases. If, later on, the manas thinks of something that still needs to be understood, it will once again engage in mental engagement, contact, feeling, perception, and volition toward that dharma; once it has understood clearly and thought it through, the operation of the mental factors on that dharma stops, and that dharma again disappears from the conscious mind.

Sometimes after deliberation a decision is made; sometimes after deliberation no decision is made, because the manas feels the discernment was not clear or thorough enough. As long as the manas does not make the final choice, the five universal mental factors do not conclude; only when the manas is satisfied and the aim is achieved does it stop deliberating and immediately make a decision on how to handle the matter.