What Are the Mental Factors Dissociated from the Mind?

The twenty-four mental factors dissociated from the mind are: acquisition, life-force, homogeneity, ordinariness, the concentration of non-perception, the concentration of cessation, the state of non-perception, nominal aggregates, verbal aggregates, syllabic aggregates, birth, abiding, decay, impermanence, flux, differentiation, accordance, swiftness, sequence, time, direction, number, conjunction, and disjunction.

Mental factors dissociated from the mind manifest through the combined functioning of the eight consciousnesses, the fifty-one mental factors, and the eleven material forms. For instance, the mental factor dissociated from the mind known as impermanence arises through the combined operation of the eighth consciousness, the seventh consciousness, the sixth consciousness, and the five sense consciousnesses. It manifests through the mental factors of attention, contact, sensation, perception, and volition associated with the eight consciousnesses in relation to all phenomena. It manifests upon the eleven material forms and can also manifest upon mental phenomena, all arising from the combined functioning of the eight consciousnesses and their mental factors. These impermanent phenomena are not determined by the deluded minds of the seven consciousnesses, nor do they alter their impermanent nature according to the perceptions of the seven consciousnesses. Hence, they are called mental factors dissociated from the mind.

The impermanence of the five aggregates manifests through the combined operation of the eight consciousnesses. The eight consciousnesses, together with mental factors, give rise to the five aggregates, generate sensations, produce discernments, and engender various activities. They manifest at the points of conjunction involving the five sense faculties (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body), the five sense objects (form, sound, smell, taste, touch), and the form included in the mental base. They also manifest within the six consciousnesses and their mental factors. The other mental factors dissociated from the mind manifest in the same manner. They are not determined by our conscious awareness. Regardless of our mental state or perception, impermanence remains impermanence. The five-aggregate world does not become permanent due to our craving; this is not determined by the mind. Similarly, all twenty-four mental factors dissociated from the mind—such as time, direction, number, decay, and others—manifest through the combined functioning of the eight consciousnesses, mental factors, and the eleven material forms. Their existence is not determined by the deluded minds of the seven consciousnesses.