How Does the Mental Factor of Mental Engagement (manaskāra) Arise?

The mental engagement (manaskāra) of the consciousness-mind toward a dharma is an extremely complex process, and observing it clearly is very difficult. The initial mental engagement toward a dharma occurs at the seed stage—that is, when the seeds of consciousness have not yet been transmitted and the consciousness-mind has not yet arisen. This is because when the seeds of consciousness are about to arise, there must be a place of arising and a direction of mental engagement; this direction and place is the object of mental engagement, the location where the dharma resides.

For example, when playing basketball and shooting the ball toward the hoop, the eyes must aim in the direction of the hoop; one cannot shoot in some other direction. This direction is analogous to the place of mental engagement—that is, the hoop. Here, the basketball is analogous to the seeds of consciousness, the eyes are analogous to the consciousness-mind, and aiming is analogous to mental engagement. When holding the ball, the target should be oriented toward the hoop; when shooting, the hand must align with the direction of the hoop, preparing to send the ball in that direction. Likewise, before the seeds of consciousness arise within the tathāgatagarbha, there must also be a direction of arising. All seeds of consciousness have mental engagement before they arise. Wherever the consciousness-mind arises, in whatever place, upon whatever dharma it arises, the mental engagement is directed toward that dharma.

After the seeds of consciousness arise, the consciousness-mind will continue its mental engagement without interruption. This is because when the consciousness-mind continuously operates upon a certain dharma, it must keep directing mental engagement toward that dharma. If the mental engagement ceases, the transmission of the seeds of consciousness will shift to another direction, and the other mental factors—contact, feeling, perception, and volition—will no longer appear. Therefore, only through sustained mental engagement can the consciousness-mind's discernment of a certain dharma continue; once mental engagement ceases, there will be no subsequent contact, feeling, perception, or volition. The mental factor of mental engagement is very important: without the mental factor of mental engagement, the other mental factors will not appear, and the consciousness-mind will have no function with respect to that dharma.