The Five Specific Mental Factors of the First Five Consciousnesses

The first five consciousnesses possess the mental factor of meditative concentration (samādhi). If the five consciousnesses had no concentration, the eye consciousness would grasp at multiple objects, the ear consciousness at multiple objects, the nose consciousness at multiple objects, the tongue consciousness at multiple objects, and the body consciousness at multiple objects; the mind consciousness would then certainly follow along and grasp at multiple objects as well—would not the mind then be thrown into great confusion? If the five consciousnesses had no concentration, the mind consciousness could not be concentrated either; the mind consciousness would inevitably follow the five consciousnesses in discriminating everywhere, and thus the mind would easily become tangled like a mass of hemp.

It is plainly evident that the five consciousnesses can each become concentrated on one or two objects without scattering, discriminating in a subtle manner, which shows that the five consciousnesses can have concentration and can be in accord with concentration. If the six consciousnesses had no concentration, that would mean the manas is without concentration, because the grasping at objects by the five and six consciousnesses is the result of being led and drawn out by the manas; if the manas does not wish to perceive an object, the six consciousnesses cannot perceive it. Therefore, if the manas had no concentration and were not in accord with concentration, then cultivation could never attain meditative concentration (dhyāna), and the four dhyānas and eight samādhis could not be cultivated either; worldly people could only live in the human world of the desire realm, and no sentient beings would exist in the heavens.

The five consciousnesses possess the wisdom of discrimination; they can generate discernment and confirmation regarding the five sense objects, and can clearly discriminate and discern the five sense objects. Therefore the five consciousnesses have the mental factor of wisdom (prajñā). When the wisdom of the five consciousnesses is strong, it is also brought forth by the mental factor of concentration of the five consciousnesses—concentration gives rise to wisdom; this is the principle. By the same token, the wisdom of the manas is also mostly brought forth by concentration, especially the wisdom after afflictions have been eradicated and the consciousnesses have been transformed into wisdom—that is even more brought forth by the mental factor of concentration of the manas. Since the five consciousnesses can confirm what the five sense objects actually are, this shows that the five consciousnesses have the mental factor of determination (adhimokṣa), being able to clearly understand and determine the characteristics of the dharmas of the five sense objects.

The nature of the five consciousnesses, with respect to the objects of the five sense objects, of approaching some objects and avoiding others, shows that the five consciousnesses have the mental factor of aspiration (chanda). For example, when the eye consciousness encounters soft, gentle colors, it actively approaches them; when it encounters intensely glaring sunlight, it naturally avoids it—this is the mental factor of aspiration of the eye consciousness. The ear consciousness strenuously avoids grating sounds, while toward soft, gentle music the mind is drawn toward it. The nose consciousness has an inclination to avoid pungent odors, while toward warm, pleasant fragrances it approaches the object and gives rise to craving and attachment. The tongue consciousness actively seeks out and approaches delicious flavors, while strenuously avoiding irritating tastes. The body consciousness approaches gentle and exquisite tactile sensations and gives rise to craving and attachment, while urgently avoiding contacts that are contrary and intensely painful. The above shows that the five consciousnesses have a faint mental factor of aspiration, far fainter than the mental factor of aspiration of the mind consciousness, not manifesting obviously and not easy to observe.

The five consciousnesses, with respect to objects previously experienced, also certainly have the nature of mindfulness (smṛti); because of this nature of mindfulness, they can have the mental factor of aspiration and can give rise to craving and attachment, being unwilling to leave the object and clinging to the object without letting go.

The five consciousnesses are endowed with the five object-specific mental factors, only faintly; generally what manifests are the five object-specific mental factors of the mental consciousness accompanying the five sense consciousnesses (pañcavijñāna-sahagata-manovijñāna). But upon subtle analysis, they can still be discerned. On the whole, however, the manifest activity and functioning of the five consciousnesses are still controlled and determined by the manas, and thus the mental factor of aspiration of the five consciousnesses appears even fainter and more obscure, concealed by the manipulation of the manas, and very difficult to detect.