The Process of the Operation of the Five Universal Mental Factors Is Like Copying a Painting.

When copying a painting, the eyes repeatedly and continuously observe and discern the scenery, while the mind consciousness observes and continuously memorizes it; during the copying, one paints while continuously recollecting, then repeats this process over and over until the copying is finished and the work is complete. One glances at the scenery, paints a little, ponders for a while, paints a little more, ponders a while more, back and forth repeatedly, until the painting is done. Then the painting is set aside—no more pondering, no more painting, no more attention directed toward it—and one moves on to the next activity.

The operation of the five universal mental factors is similar to copying a painting; the process of painting resembles the operating principle of the cognizing mind. When the cognizing mind operates on a certain dharma, it must finish operating on it before putting that dharma down and letting it go. If the operation is not complete, it will repeatedly direct attention toward it, repeatedly contact, receive, take in, discern, cognize, feel, and deliberate (manasikāra), constantly analyzing and examining, repeatedly operating and executing—a very complicated process. The order in which the mental factors operate is not necessarily feeling first and perception afterward; at the time of operation it is not fixed, but depends on the cognitive wisdom and level of the cognizing mind. Only when the operation is complete does a deeper feeling arise; after feeling, there is discernment again; after discernment, feeling again, until the manas feels that the discernment is clear, and then it stops directing attention. If, later on, the manas thinks of something that still needs to be understood, it will once again direct attention toward the dharma with contact, feeling, perception, and volition; once it has understood clearly and thought it through, the operation of the mental factors on that dharma ceases, and that dharma again disappears from the cognizing mind.

Sometimes after deliberation a decision is made, and sometimes no decision is made, because the manas feels that the discernment was not clear or thorough enough. As long as the manas does not make the final choice, the five universal mental factors do not conclude; only when the manas feels satisfied and its aim has been achieved does it stop deliberating and immediately make a decision on how to handle the matter.