The Mental Factors of the Seventh Consciousness Are Transformed with Practice

Mental factors (caitta) are the mental activities of the consciousness-mind. Through continuous cultivation and continuous subduing of one's own mind, the mental activities of the seven consciousnesses will continuously transform — from heavy afflictions to lighter afflictions, and the lighter afflictions will then gradually disappear. The wholesome mental factors will become more numerous and stronger, the mental activities will become increasingly pure, meditative concentration will become increasingly stable and strong, and wisdom will become increasingly profound. Therefore, through continuous practice, the mental factors will continuously transform. If, after a period of practice, the mental factors have not transformed in the least, the afflictions have not become lighter, meditative concentration has not arisen, and wisdom has not increased, then the practice is not effective.

Whether a Buddhist practitioner achieves success in practice is marked by the mental factors. When practice is truly accomplished, the afflicted mental factors of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses will be reduced and eliminated, the wholesome mental factors will increase and become complete, and the functions of the five particular mental factors will also increase and become complete. When one cultivates to the Buddha ground, the eight consciousnesses will be fully endowed with the twenty-one mental factors, with their functions brought to the ultimate. A true Buddhist practitioner should observe one's own mental factors at every stage — that is, introspect on one's own mind-ground. If one finds that the mind-ground has not transformed, it shows that the practice is still not effective and perhaps has not yet been set on the right track. Each person's level and progress of practice differ, and so do their mental factors, which shows that people's minds are all different. If someone says that the mental factors of their mind consciousness number as many as fifty-one, while the afflicted mental factors of the manas are still as many and as heavy as before, then that person is still a beginning Buddhist practitioner with extremely heavy afflictions and extremely poor conduct.

The mental factors spoken of in ordinary bodhisattva treatises generally refer to the mental factors of the eight consciousnesses of ordinary beings and bodhisattvas who have not yet undergone the transformation of the basis, not those of the eight consciousnesses of bodhisattvas who have already undergone the transformation of the basis and attained the bhūmis. These mental factors must transform through continuous practice in order to represent achievement in practice, in order to transform consciousness into wisdom, and in order for the path to buddhahood to gradually approach perfection. The transformation of mental factors is the mark of achievement in practice.

In fact, before entering the stage of the transformation of the basis and attaining the bhūmis, after making some progress in Buddhist practice, the mental factors of the several consciousnesses are already secretly transforming; it is just that the quantity accumulated is not yet sufficient for a qualitative leap. Mental factors are the mark of whether a person has practiced. Even if non-Buddhists have cultivated meditative concentration, the mental factors of their seven consciousnesses will also transform to some extent. Mental factors are not immutable, nor are they the same for everyone. The mental factors of the consciousness-minds of all sentient beings who have not yet begun to practice are also not entirely the same, each having its own emphasis. Therefore, when this person directly observes his own mental factors, they are thus; when that person directly observes his own mental factors, they are thus — not necessarily the same. This shows that human nature has its differences and people's minds are not entirely alike.

If one directly perceives that the mental factors of one's sixth consciousness include the six root afflictions of greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, doubt, and wrong views, along with eight great secondary afflictions, two medium secondary afflictions, and ten minor secondary afflictions, then that person has not practiced at all — one has neither meditative concentration nor good moral character. Ordinary people cannot directly perceive the mental factors of their seventh consciousness. If one could directly perceive that the mental factors of one's seventh consciousness include strong greed, anger, and delusion, as well as sloth, distraction, lack of faith, loss of mindfulness, restlessness, incorrect knowledge, heedlessness, drowsiness, strong self-grasping, deep arrogance, deep attachment, a strong view of self, and a tendency to cling, and that these are stubborn and hard to change, then that person has not practiced at all, and meditative concentration would also be very difficult to arouse.

If the mental factors of this person's seventh consciousness do not correspond in the least with the eleven wholesome mental factors, then this person's practice has not even gotten on the path; his afflictions are very heavy, and perhaps he is even an evil person. Even if ordinary people have not studied Buddhism, the mental factors of the manas still have a wholesome side. If the wholesome outweighs the unwholesome, then at the end of life that person can be reborn in heaven and enjoy blessings. The six realms of saṃsāra are determined by the wholesomeness or unwholesomeness of the mental factors of the manas. If the manas is wholesome and performs wholesome deeds, one will be reborn in heaven in the next life; if the manas is unwholesome and commits unwholesome deeds, one will fall into hell in the next life. From this it can be known that bodhisattvas who, after the first bhūmi, are in the stage of the transformation of the basis, having severed afflictions and reached an undefiled mind-ground, must necessarily undergo a transformation of the mental factors of their sixth and seventh consciousnesses: the afflicted mental factors are eliminated, the wholesome mental factors increase, and the mental factors of concentration and wisdom are strengthened. This is absolutely certain; otherwise they would be no different from ordinary beings.

When practice becomes effective, the great secondary afflictions are the first to lighten, and some are eliminated. For example, the mental factor of lack of faith lightens and is eliminated — from not believing, one gradually comes to believe, and then to complete faith; the mental factor of sloth lightens and is eliminated — one gradually becomes diligent; the mental factor of heedlessness lightens and is eliminated — previously one often indulged body and mind in pleasure and leisure, but now one is no longer interested in those things; the mental factor of drowsiness rarely appears — previously one felt drowsy as soon as one practiced, but now one's energy is abundant and attention is concentrated; the mental factor of restlessness also decreases and disappears — previously, when studying Buddhism, one's wandering thoughts flew about chaotically, but now, concerning things one has experienced, they pass without leaving a trace, and one does not have deluded thoughts about the future; previously the mind was always scattered, but now, when contemplating the Dharma, one's energy can be concentrated for a period of time; previously one had incorrect knowledge of the Four Noble Truths, the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, and other Buddhadharma, but now one's views and knowledge are correct; previously, even if one mentally recited the Buddhadharma, one would forget it after a moment, but now one can continuously keep it in mind without losing mindfulness.

As practice deepens, the medium secondary afflictions also become lighter and are even eliminated. For example, previously, when one did something wrong, one was always without shame or remorse; now the mind of shame and remorse gradually increases, and if one commits a major wrong, one will feel extremely ashamed and remorseful. From this it can be seen that only when the afflicted mental factors are reduced and lightened will the wholesome mental factors correspondingly increase and grow heavier; when the afflicted mental factors are eliminated, the wholesome mental factors appear.