How Is the Mental Factor of Attention (Manasikāra) of the Manas Aroused?

Q: The attention (manaskāra) of the manas of ordinary beings is invariably associated with greed and anger, without exception. How does the pure manas of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas engage in attention? Since the manas has no greed or anger and no driving force of desire, how can it engage in attention? Can the manas engage in attention in a state of neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā) or in a neutral (avyākṛta) state?

A: The attention of the manas is not only triggered by afflicted mental factors such as greed and anger, but also by the mental factor of desire (chanda). Desire may be wholesome, unwholesome, or neither wholesome nor unwholesome. Wholesome desire is the power of great vows; unwholesome desire is the affliction of greed, anger, and delusion. Another portion of the manas's attention is habitual attention, arising from the inertial function of the manas itself.

Original text in the Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra: 云何能生。作意正起。由四因故。一由欲力。二由念力。三由境界力。四由数习力。云何由欲力。谓若于是处。心有爱著。心则于彼。多作意生。云何由念力。谓若于彼。已善取其相。已极作想。心则于彼。多作意生。云何由境界力。谓若彼境界。或极广大。或极可意。正现在前。心则于彼。多作意生。云何由数习力。谓若于彼境界。已极串习。已极谙悉。心即于彼。多作意生。若异此者。应于一所缘境。唯一作意。一切时生。

This explains the conditions for the arising of the mental factor of attention (manaskāra): desire, recollection, object, and habit. The reason the manas engages in clinging to objects is precisely because it has desire and recollection. Maitreya Bodhisattva has already made this very clear: without desire and recollection, attention cannot arise. This is especially true of the manas's desire and recollection—only after the manas engages in attention can the six consciousnesses arise, and only then can the six consciousnesses engage in attention. On what basis does the manas cling to objects? Precisely because of the power of desire and the power of recollection. Without these two powers, He would have no inclination of mind, would not wish to cling to any object, would not generate attention toward dharmas, and subsequent dharmas would not appear. If the manas lacked the mental factor of desire, on what basis could the six consciousnesses manifest the mental factor of desire? If the manas had no desire, how could the myriad dharmas appear? Even the manas of a Buddha possesses the mental factor of desire—how much more so that of ordinary beings. The five consciousnesses all have determination (adhimokṣa); the manas has determination even more so. Without determination, how could the manas comprehend the discernment information of the six consciousnesses, understand all the states and dharmas it experiences, and how could it respond and deal with them?

The arising of the five universally present mental factors (sarvatraga-caitasika) is led and grounded by the power of desire and the power of recollection. The manas's power of desire and power of recollection are the fundamental driving force for the manifestation of all dharmas. There is also the habitual and inertial function of the manas: when it lacks desire and recollection, it will habitually engage in clinging attention. Thus we unconsciously see forms, hear sounds, smell fragrances, and feel tactile sensations, even though the mind consciousness sometimes does not wish to know these dharmas. The detailed explanation is as follows:

First, the power of desire: this is the manas's greed and attachment toward objects. Only in this way can the mind continuously engage in attention on these objects, continuously give rise to deliberation (cetanā) and discernment, and the tathāgatagarbha must continuously bring forth new objects and mental activities.

Second, the power of recollection: this refers to the manas continuously grasping the marks of objects and continuously cognizing them. Only then can the mind continuously generate the mental factor of attention toward objects, and ultimately continuously engage in mental deliberation and discernment. The tathāgatagarbha must then continuously cooperate in bringing forth subsequent mental activities and objects. In other words, without desire and recollection, the mind cannot engage in attention—especially the desire and recollection of the manas. Only after the manas engages in attention can the six consciousnesses arise, and only then can the six consciousnesses engage in attention.

Third, the manas's continuous attention is also due to the power of the object being too strong, compelling the mind to attend to the object whether it wants to or not. The tathāgatagarbha then cooperates in bringing forth subsequent mental activities and objects.

Fourth, for objects that are frequently encountered and very familiar, the manas will engage in more attention toward them. The mental factor of deliberation (cetanā) will continuously arise, and the tathāgatagarbha will continuously bring forth subsequent mental activities and objects. The manas's power of habitual repetition (vāsanā) is extremely great. Throughout life after life, or for countless kalpas without beginning, it has been habituated to the same dharmas. When encountering these dharmas and objects in later lives, it will continuously engage in attention and clinging—the power of this is immense. If the mind consciousness is not strong, it cannot control this. For example, the habitual tendencies of craving for sensual desires, craving for food, craving for sleep, craving for wealth, and so forth are exactly like this.

If none of the above four conditions apply, the manas can engage with fewer objects, attend to fewer dharmas, and deliberate and discern a single dharma—and it can do so at all times. Therefore, the nature of clinging also refers to the manas's habitual attention. To cultivate meditative concentration (samādhi), one must control and change the manas's inertial attention and subdue its nature of clinging.

Whether karmic seeds mature or not has no necessary relationship with the manas's attention. Whether karmic seeds mature or not, the tathāgatagarbha naturally knows this. Then the tathāgatagarbha begins to bring forth the corresponding conditions and, according to the karmic seeds, brings forth the corresponding dharmas.