Only Solitary Consciousness Can Give Rise to Thoughts

Question: The perceptual function (seeing aspect) of the first five consciousnesses and the five-accompanying mental consciousness discerns and perceives without thoughts, whereas the perceptual function (seeing aspect) of the solitary mental consciousness involves differentiation, thinking, etc., which constitutes thoughts. Is that right?

Answer: Thoughts refer to mental activities such as ideas, thoughts, intentions, concerns, considerations, and so forth. This is the functional activity of the seventh consciousness and the solitary mental consciousness; it is not a function of the five-accompanying mental consciousness. The five-accompanying mental consciousness operates together with the five sense consciousnesses, contacting and discerning the objects of the five sense fields (five dusts). Based on this, the solitary mental consciousness engages in activities such as deliberation, analysis, judgment, and decision-making regarding the mental objects (dharmas) discerned by the five-accompanying mental consciousness. The mental thoughts involved in deliberation and analysis do not pertain to the five sense objects; they belong to the realm of solitary images, detached from the five dusts. Therefore, only the solitary mental consciousness can have thoughts; the five-accompanying mental consciousness has no thoughts because it cannot function independently from the five dusts and the five sense consciousnesses.

The solitary mental consciousness performs inferential (anumāṇa) and erroneous (non-valid, abhāva) discernment functions. Its objects belong to the realm of solitary images, detached from the immediate sensory environment; they are not presently existing dharmas. In contrast, the five-accompanying mental consciousness engages in direct perception (pratyakṣa) discernment, always discerning dharmas that are presently existing. If no dharmas are present before the senses, the first five consciousnesses and the five-accompanying mental consciousness do not arise. While the five-accompanying mental consciousness is discerning the presently existing dharmas, the solitary mental consciousness uses this as a basis to inferentially deliberate about other dharmas not currently present, or to engage in erroneous recollection, fantasy, or flights of fancy. When the five-accompanying mental consciousness is not present, the dharmas deliberated upon by the solitary mental consciousness are even more unrelated to the present dharmas. Even when the five-accompanying mental consciousness is discerning present dharmas, the solitary mental consciousness can still detach from the current environment and indulge in flights of fancy. Combining the five-accompanying mental consciousness and the solitary mental consciousness, it is said that mental consciousness has three types of discernment: direct perception (pratyakṣa-pramāṇa), inference (anumāṇa-pramāṇa), and erroneous cognition (abhāva-pramāṇa).