Whether there is grasping or not is the function of the entire mental factors of the manas.

An arhat in the cessation meditation (nirodha-samāpatti) has long since extinguished the self-grasping of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha); otherwise he could not attain the fourth fruit, let alone cultivate the cessation meditation. When an arhat cultivates to the fourth dhyāna, he is already free from the bondage of the five aggregates — free in birth and death, able to leave when he wishes and stay when he wishes; having cultivated the cessation meditation, he is even more at ease.

When an arhat is in the first dhyāna, he no longer has grasping at a self of the person; he does not cling to the feeling, perception, or volition (cetanā) mental factors, nor to the physical body — it is not necessary for the two mental factors of feeling and perception to cease before there is no clinging. Whether or not there is clinging is the function of the mental factors of the manas as a whole, not necessarily the function of individual mental factors such as feeling, perception, or volition. The same applies to grasping at dharmas: it is the function of the mental factors of the manas as a whole. For example, in the cessation meditation the manas has the mental factors of attention (manaskāra), contact (sparśa), and volition (cetanā), all of which are functions directed toward dharmas; it is not that only the single mental factor of volition has grasping at dharmas.

However, the manas of all Buddhas has completely extinguished grasping at dharmas. Their manas possesses not only the five universal mental factors, but also the five particular mental factors and the eleven wholesome mental factors. With so many mental factors, their clinging nature has nevertheless been extinguished. The Buddha's manas has no grasping at dharmas, yet its volition mental factor continues to operate ceaselessly. The undefiled consciousness (amala-vijñāna) cognizes the volition mental factor of the manas and, in coordination with the manas, manifests immeasurable Buddha-lands in the ten directions. In fact, the tathāgatagarbha can cognize the entire set of mental factors of the manas. The volition mental factor has the function of decision-making; after the tathāgatagarbha cognizes it, it cooperates with the manas according to the manas's decisions to carry out its tasks, presenting to the manas all the dharmas it needs.