Manasikāra of Manas and Other Universal Mental Factors

The mental attention of the manas (mind-root) manifests in the following ways: First, due to habitual tendencies, it readily attends to dharmas (phenomena) that frequently appear and are familiar. Second, the manas may engage in aimless attention, driven by the habitual tendency to grasp at scattered objects. Third, the manas easily gives rise to attention towards dharmas it finds interesting. Fourth, the manas readily gives rise to attention towards dharmas that are significant or important. Fifth, the manas gives rise to attention due to craving for certain dharmas. Sixth, the manas gives rise to attention due to afflictions such as hatred and so forth. Seventh, the manas gives rise to attention towards dharmas it requires. Eighth, the manas easily attends to dharmas that suddenly appear.

After the manas gives rise to mental attention, perhaps the mental factors of contact, attention, feeling, perception, and volition do not arise and function; perhaps the volition mental factor is absent, meaning the manas does not decide what to do; perhaps the perception mental factor does not arise and function, meaning the manas does not grasp at the object of attention; perhaps the feeling mental factor does not arise and function, meaning the manas does not wish to feel and is uninterested in the object of attention. In the initial stage, if the preceding mental factor does not arise, the subsequent mental factor also has no need to arise.