Do the Five Sense Consciousnesses Possess a Thinking Function?

The first five consciousnesses also possess the five omnipresent mental factors: attention, contact, sensation, perception, and volition, though these are simpler and coarser compared to the five omnipresent mental factors of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. The sixth and seventh consciousnesses contemplate dharma-objects, which can be very subtle and profound, while the first five consciousnesses contemplate the five sense-objects, doing so in a coarse and simple manner. As long as one can distinguish the five sense-objects from dharma-objects and avoid conflating them, one can discern the difference between the volition of the five consciousnesses and the volition of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. The volition of the five consciousnesses is not the same as the cognitive function of the mental consciousness; they are distinct, and the difference is significant. Distinguishing the five sense-objects from dharma-objects is extremely challenging, so differentiating the discernment of the five consciousnesses from that of the mental consciousness is equally difficult. Separating the functions of the mental faculty (manas) and the mental consciousness is similarly unattainable for most people.

What people commonly refer to as thinking generally denotes the thinking of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses regarding dharma-objects, particularly the thinking of the isolated mental consciousness concerning the realm of mere images. The five consciousnesses inevitably participate in this process. However, the volition within the five omnipresent mental factors of the five consciousnesses primarily serves a function of judgment and decision-making. After the five consciousnesses discern the corresponding five sense-objects and take their forms, they make a simple, coarse judgment, then decide whether to continue discerning or to stop and avoid. The mental consciousness simultaneously participates in this discernment. The reason the discernment of the five consciousnesses is considered coarse is that the five sense-objects are rough and do not require detailed discrimination. Thus, their discernment is swift, demanding little mental effort from the five consciousnesses, as if bypassing mental processing. In contrast, the dharma-objects accompanying the sense-objects are more subtle, requiring the mental consciousness's refined discernment. Consequently, the mental consciousness's discernment and analytical thinking are comparatively slower and more mentally taxing.

When the five sense-objects are significant and impactful, the mental faculty (manas) primarily follows the judgment and decisions of the five consciousnesses, lacking the time to process the mental consciousness's analysis and judgment. Thus, it overlooks the mental consciousness's discernment and thinking. Generally, the discernment of the five consciousnesses is more direct and rapid, while the mental consciousness's discernment is subtler and slightly slower than that of the five consciousnesses. For major events, the mental faculty prioritizes the reaction of the five consciousnesses and cannot attend to the mental consciousness's response. Therefore, in some sudden incidents, there is no opportunity to utilize the mental consciousness's analytical thinking; the mental faculty directs the completion of the action, causing the mental consciousness to realize what happened only afterward. In summary, thinking refers to the thinking of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. The volition of the first five consciousnesses is simpler, coarser, and more direct than thinking; it is less profound and does not need to be profound, because the objects of the five senses are shallow, coarse, and intuitive.