The Arising of the Six Consciousnesses and the Mental Factors

When the six faculties contact the six sense objects, the six consciousnesses arise. The six faculties together with the six sense objects constitute the twelve entrances (āyatanas). The six faculties refer to the supreme faculties (indriya), located at the back of the head; the five supreme faculties plus the manas make up the six faculties, also called the six inner entrances. The six sense objects are the inner five sense objects, plus the form included in the dharmāyatana, making the six inner sense objects, also called the six outer entrances. The six inner entrances and the six outer entrances together are called the twelve entrances. Among them, the faculties and the sense objects are definitely together: the inner five sense objects arise within the supreme faculties at the back of the head, and the eighth consciousness, based on the five sense objects, further manifests the form included in the dharmāyatana, which contacts the manas. Only when faculties and sense objects are together can they make contact; after contact, the eighth consciousness can produce the six consciousnesses.

The contact of faculties and sense objects means that the faculties and sense objects are definitely together—but where? The five supreme faculties are located at the back of the head, so the five sense objects must manifest and arise at the supreme faculties at the back of the head. The inner five sense objects are definitely produced at that spot, the back of the head where the supreme faculties are, so the faculties and sense objects are together, and being together, they make contact. After this contact, the eighth consciousness produces the five consciousnesses; at the same time, the mental sense object also contacts the manas at the supreme faculties at the back of the head, producing the five consciousnesses. The mind consciousness will certainly also arise, discriminating the six sense objects simultaneously with the five consciousnesses—this is called consciousness accompanied by the five senses (pañca-sahagata-mano-vijñāna).

When the six faculties contact the six sense objects, the six consciousnesses are thereby produced. After the six consciousnesses arise, the three then combine and make contact—that is, the six consciousnesses further contact the six sense objects, and thereby discriminate the six sense objects. The faculties and sense objects are in constant contact; if the faculties and sense objects do not make contact, the six consciousnesses must cease. Then the six consciousnesses further contact the six sense objects; after contacting them, there is the quality of reception—receiving and accepting the six sense objects. After accepting the six sense objects, the six consciousnesses have discriminated and grasped the six sense objects—that is, the perception mental factor (saṃjñā) has emerged.

After discriminating the six sense objects, the six consciousnesses begin deliberation (manasikāra). If the deliberation is unclear, they again direct attention (manaskāra), generating attention toward the six sense objects once more. After attention, there is again discrimination, again feeling—and at this point, the feeling takes on the sensations of pain, pleasure, sorrow, joy, and neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā). The initial feeling is reception, acceptance; after accepting, it is as if the six sense objects have been taken in, and only then does one know what the six sense objects are—this acceptance represents taking them in. The feeling that comes later carries emotional coloring, and the feelings of pain, pleasure, sorrow, joy, and neutrality will arise.

After the feeling emerges, if the feeling is unclear, there is further grasping of the mark and discrimination, and the perception mental factor will arise again. After the perception mental factor arises, discriminating the mark, deliberation begins. If the deliberation is unclear, there is renewed contact—contacting again; after contact, He discriminates again, or thinks again, or continues to feel. Thus, after discrimination and feeling, there is further deliberation, until finally, when the matter has been deliberated clearly and discriminated distinctly, the six consciousnesses give rise to the mind of determination through perception, and action is about to begin.

The content discriminated by the six consciousnesses must also be transmitted to the manas. The manas, simultaneously, toward the six sense-object realms discriminated by the six consciousnesses, gives rise to the operation of the five universal mental factors, producing a series of mental activities. Finally, when the manas gives rise to a mind of determination, deciding how to act, the eighth consciousness discerns this and, in accordance with the deliberative determination of the manas and its attention, operates in coordination. Because the eighth consciousness must know what the manas is attending to, which aspect of the mental sense object it attends to—only after knowing this can the eighth consciousness manifest the six consciousnesses upon that mental sense object. Once the six consciousnesses manifest, bodily, verbal, and mental actions begin to be performed—the bodily, verbal, and mental actions emerge.

If the manas still has not deliberated clearly, the manas will continue to contact, continue to attend, continue to feel, continue to discriminate, and finally deliberate again and make a determination. Before the determination is made, these five universal mental factors keep operating back and forth; their sequence may not follow the order of attention, contact, feeling, perception, volition—it may be reversed. Contact may come first and discrimination after; or contact may come first and feeling first, with discrimination after the feeling. Perhaps after discrimination there is feeling again, and if the feeling and discrimination are still unclear, deliberation follows again. If the deliberation is still unclear, there is further contact, further feeling, further discrimination.

Which mental factor comes first is not fixed—the sequence here becomes scrambled. Initially there is attention; attention is definitely at the seed stage. At the seed stage, corresponding to that mental sense object, attention arises; then the consciousness seeds emerge, right at that mental sense object, and the manas contacts the mental sense object. Whichever mental sense object is attended to, the seeds arise onto that mental sense object, forming the conscious mind. Contact with that mental sense object—attention comes first, then the seeds arise; only after the seeds emerge and there is a conscious mind can there be contact with the mental sense object.

After contact, there is reception; after reception, grasping the mark and discriminating; after discrimination, deliberation. If the deliberation is unclear, contact continues; after contact there is reception and feeling, or at this point attention occurs again, and then there is discrimination again. With further contact, further discrimination, the sequence of the mental factors hereafter becomes scrambled. The initial sequence follows the order of attention, contact, feeling, perception, volition—this is how the mental factors operate.