The Five Universally Present Mental Factors Mutually Co-arise

Among the five universally operating mental factors (sarvatraga-caitasika), "accompanying everything" (一切俱) means that the five universally operating mental factors accompany all consciousnesses and accompany all dharmas. As long as any consciousness is operating, the five universally operating mental factors must be operating; apart from the five universally operating mental factors, a consciousness cannot operate, cannot exist, and cannot engage in cognitive activity. Therefore, on all dharmas, there are also the five universally operating mental factors of consciousness, because on all dharmas there is necessarily at least the operation of the eighth consciousness and the seventh consciousness, and the five universally operating mental factors must inevitably accompany the operation of these two consciousnesses.

The meaning of the five universally operating mental factors arising together with one another is that these mental factors arise and operate gathered together. For example, when the eighth consciousness gives rise to a dharma, all of the five universally operating mental factors must accompany the eighth consciousness's operation from beginning to end—not a single one is missing. But with the sixth and seventh consciousnesses, this is not necessarily so. After the sixth and seventh consciousnesses direct attention (manaskāra) toward something, if they are not interested, they will not make contact (sparśa)—especially the seventh consciousness, the manas. After contact, feeling (vedanā) does not necessarily follow—especially the seventh consciousness, the manas. After feeling, perception (saṃjñā) does not necessarily follow—especially the seventh consciousness, the manas. After perception, volition (cetanā) does not necessarily follow—especially the seventh consciousness, the manas. If the manas's mental factors do not continue to operate, the six consciousnesses cannot appear; even if they do appear, they will cease and stop operating. In particular, if the manas's volition mental factor (cetanā) does not arise, none of the six consciousnesses can appear. From this one can see the kingly, ruling position of the manas—how great His power is.

The Buddha-dharma is profoundly deep; if one's contemplation is even slightly lacking in power, deviations will arise. Yet the vast majority of people's contemplation contains deviations that they themselves cannot discover and are unwilling to admit. Many people, precisely because their own contemplation lacks power and they have no alternative, have no choice but to accept the words of famous figures one hundred percent, relying on a ready-made answer, taking it as ultimate, believing this to be reliable—yet even when it is wrong, they do not know it. This is an extremely widespread phenomenon in the current Buddhist community.