The Mindfulness and Desire Mental Factors of the Manas

The Samādhi Sūtra of Sitting Chan (Zuochan Sanmei Jing): 云何心。是心无常从因缘生故。生灭不住。相似生故。但颠倒故。谓是为一。本无今有。已有还无。是故无常。观知心空。云何为空。从因缘生。有眼有色可见。忆念欲见。如是等和合眼识生。

The six consciousnesses are empty, because they arise from causes and conditions. Take the arising of the eye consciousness, for example: one condition is the presence of the eye faculty, one condition is the presence of material sense-objects, one condition is mindfulness/recollection, and one condition is the desire to see. When these causal conditions come together, the eye consciousness arises.

Then a question arises: First, which consciousness performs the recollection so that the eye consciousness can arise?

Second, which consciousness desires to see forms, so that the eye consciousness can arise?

It is the manas's recollective nature and its nature of desiring to see forms that prompt the eye consciousness to arise and see forms. So, does the manas possess the mental factor of mindfulness (smṛti)? Does the manas possess the mental factor of desire (chanda)?

The eye consciousness sees forms not driven by the mind consciousness, but certainly driven by the manas. All dharmas arise driven by the manas. Therefore, the manas must possess the recollective nature and the mental factor of desire, so that the myriad dharmas can operate in the world.