Do the First Five Consciousnesses Possess the Mental Factor of Mindfulness?

Question: Are memories the seeds of dharmas stored in the Tathāgatagarbha? The form aspects of the first five dusts cannot be stored, because the dust forms recalled can only correspond to the mental consciousness. Since the first five consciousnesses lack the mental factor of recollection (smṛti), is it not that they cannot discern the dust forms recalled?

Answer: All dharmas can be stored as seeds. All actions and experiences through body, speech, and mind—that is, all the realms of the six dusts—are stored as seeds by the Tathāgatagarbha. Subsequently, when the mental faculty (manas) seeks to grasp and discern them, the Tathāgatagarbha, in accordance with the mental factor of deliberation (cetanā) of the mental faculty, releases these seeds to become the dust of dharmas, forming a mental image alone (pratyātmakāra). After the mental faculty grasps this, if it wishes to examine it in detail, the Tathāgatagarbha gives rise to the solitary mental consciousness to discern it one by one. This is what is called recollection. Therefore, recollection contains details, and the realm recalled belongs to the dust of dharmas, which the five sense consciousnesses cannot discern.

The form aspects of the first five dusts are also stored as seeds and information within the Tathāgatagarbha. Seeds and information are formless and without characteristics; they do not belong to the realm of the five dusts. When conditions are sufficient, the Tathāgatagarbha, based on these seeds, will also manifest the realm of the five dusts. Then, in accordance with the mental factor of deliberation of the mental faculty, the Tathāgatagarbha gives rise to the six consciousnesses to discern them. However, this does not constitute recollection.

The five sense consciousnesses also possess the five object-specific mental factors: desire (chanda), resolve (adhimokṣa), recollection (smṛti), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā). Therefore, the five sense consciousnesses do possess the mental factor of recollection.