The Attention of the Manas and Other Universal Mental Factors

The manas's attention (manaskāra): first, it relies on its habitual tendencies and inertia, habitually attending to certain dharmas that appear frequently and are relatively familiar, making it easy to direct attention toward them. Second, the manas may direct attention aimlessly, due to the habitual tendency of grasping at objects and scattering. Third, the manas easily gives rise to attention toward dharmas it finds interesting. Fourth, the manas easily gives rise to attention toward major and important dharmas. Fifth, the manas gives rise to attention because of craving and attachment to certain dharmas. Sixth, the manas gives rise to attention due to afflictions such as anger and resentment. Seventh, the manas gives rise to attention toward dharmas it needs. Eighth, the manas easily directs attention toward dharmas that appear suddenly.

After the manas directs attention, perhaps the mental factors of contact (sparśa), attention (manaskāra), feeling (vedanā), perception (saṃjñā), and volition (cetanā) do not emerge and operate; perhaps there is no volition mental factor, and the manas does not decide what to do; perhaps the perception mental factor does not emerge and operate, and the manas does not grasp at the dharmas it takes as object; perhaps the feeling mental factor does not emerge and operate, and the manas does not wish to feel, having no interest in the object dharma. At the very beginning, if the preceding mental factor does not appear, there is no need for the subsequent mental factor to appear either.