The Discernment of the Eight Consciousnesses as Mind Kings Is Realized through Various Mental Factors.

The discernment of the eight consciousnesses, the kings of the mind, is accomplished with the aid of the mental factors (caittas). Without the operation of the mental factors, the eight consciousnesses, the kings of the mind, would have no capacity for discernment; discernment is the auxiliary function of the mental factors assisting the mind consciousnesses. For example, the discernment of the mind consciousness requires the mental factor of attention (manaskāra) directing attention toward the object-aspect (nimitta), the mental factor of contact (sparśa) making contact with the object-aspect, the mental factor of perception (saṃjñā) with its grasping and apprehending of characteristics, the mental factor of feeling (vedanā) with its function of receiving and experiencing, and the mental factor of wisdom (prajñā) with its discriminating analysis; at times the concentrative power of the mental factor of meditative concentration (samādhi) is needed, after which the mind consciousness must have the power of determination (adhimokṣa) toward the object-aspect, and at times the mental factors of desire (chanda) and mindfulness (smṛti) are also needed for their auxiliary and initiating functions; moreover, wholesome or unwholesome mental factors may participate in the process, endowing the discernment with a certain wholesome or unwholesome character. Therefore it is said that the discernment of the eight consciousnesses, the kings of the mind, is realized through various mental factors; without the mental factors, the mind consciousnesses can accomplish nothing.