The Arising of the Six Consciousnesses and Mental Factors (Caittas)

When the six faculties contact the six sense objects, the six consciousnesses arise. The six faculties together with the six sense objects constitute the twelve entrances (āyatanas). The six faculties here refer to the supreme faculties (rūpa-prasāda), located at the back of the head; the five supreme faculties together with the manas make up the six faculties, also called the six inner entrances. The six sense objects are the five inner sense objects, plus Form subsumed under the Dharmāyatana, which together make up the six inner sense objects, also called the six outer entrances. The six inner entrances and the six outer entrances together are called the twelve entrances. Among them, the faculties and the sense objects are certainly together: the five inner sense objects arise within the supreme faculties at the back of the head, and the eighth consciousness, relying on the five sense objects, further manifests Form subsumed under the Dharmāyatana, which contacts the manas. Only when faculties and sense objects are together can there be contact; after contact, the eighth consciousness can produce the six consciousnesses.

That the faculties and sense objects contact each other means they are certainly together—but where? The five supreme faculties are located at the back of the head, so the five sense objects must manifest and arise at the supreme faculties at the back of the head. The five inner sense objects are certainly produced there at the supreme faculties at the back of the head, so faculties and sense objects are together, and being together, they make contact. After this contact, the eighth consciousness produces the five sense consciousnesses; at the same time, the mental sense object also contacts the manas at the supreme faculties at the back of the head. The five sense consciousnesses are produced, and the mind consciousness will certainly also be produced, discriminating the six sense objects simultaneously with the five sense consciousnesses—this is called the mental consciousness accompanying the five sense consciousnesses (pañcavijñāna-sahagata-manovijñāna).

When the six faculties contact the six sense objects, the six consciousnesses are thereby produced. After the six consciousnesses are produced, the three then conjoin and contact one another—that is, the six consciousnesses again contact the six sense objects and discriminate them. The faculties and sense objects remain in continual contact; if faculties and sense objects do not contact, the six consciousnesses must cease. Then the six consciousnesses again contact the six sense objects, and having contacted them, there is the capacity of reception—receiving and accepting the six sense objects. After accepting the six sense objects, the six consciousnesses have discriminated and grasped them; this is the mental factor of perception (saṃjñā) manifesting.

After discriminating the six sense objects, the six consciousnesses begin to deliberate (manana). If the deliberation is unclear, they again direct attention, generating mental engagement toward the six sense objects once more. After this mental engagement, there is again discrimination, again feeling—and at this point, the feeling acquires feelings of suffering, happiness, sorrow, joy, and neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā). The initial feeling is reception, acceptance; after accepting, it is as if the six sense objects have been taken in, and only then does one know what the sense objects are—this acceptance represents taking them in. The feeling that comes later carries emotional coloring, and feelings of suffering, happiness, sorrow, joy, and neutrality will arise.

After the feeling arises, if the feeling is unclear, there is again grasping of characteristics and discrimination, and the mental factor of perception will arise again. Once the mental factor of perception arises and discriminates the characteristics, deliberation begins. If the deliberation is unclear, there is renewed contact—contacting again; after contact, He discriminates again, or thinks again, or continues to feel. Thus, after discrimination and feeling, there is further deliberation, until finally, when the matter has been deliberated clearly and discriminated distinctly, the six consciousnesses give rise to a mind of perception and decision, and action is about to begin.

The content discriminated by the six consciousnesses must also be transmitted to the manas. The manas, simultaneously, toward the six sense-object realms discriminated by the six consciousnesses, gives rise to the operation of the five universal mental factors, producing a series of mental activities. Finally, when the manas gives rise to a decisive mind, determining how to act, the eighth consciousness discerns this and, in accordance with the manas's deliberative decision and its mental engagement, operates in coordination. For the eighth consciousness must know what the manas is mentally engaged upon—which aspect of the mental sense object it is engaged upon; only after knowing this can the eighth consciousness manifest the six consciousnesses upon that mental sense object. Once the six consciousnesses manifest, the bodily, verbal, and mental actions begin to be enacted—the bodily, verbal, and mental actions emerge.

If the manas still has not deliberated clearly, the manas will continue to contact, continue to direct attention, continue to feel, continue to discriminate, and finally deliberate again and make a decision. Before the decision is made, these five universal mental factors keep operating back and forth; their sequence may not follow the order of mental engagement, contact, feeling, perception, and volition—it may be reversed. Contact may come first and discrimination after; or contact may come first and feeling first, with discrimination after feeling. Perhaps after discrimination there is again feeling, and if the feeling and discrimination are still unclear, then deliberation follows again. If the deliberation is still unclear, there is further contact, further feeling, further discrimination.

Which mental factor comes first is not certain—the order here becomes scrambled. Initially there is mental engagement; mental engagement is certainly at the seed stage. At the seed stage, corresponding to that mental sense object, mental engagement arises; then the seeds of consciousness are produced, and right there at that mental sense object, the manas contacts the mental sense object. Whichever mental sense object the mental engagement is directed toward, the seeds are produced onto that mental sense object, forming the conscious mind. Contact with that mental sense object occurs—first there is mental engagement, then the seeds are produced; only after the seeds emerge and there is a conscious mind can there be contact with the mental sense object.

After contact, there is reception; after reception, there is grasping of characteristics and discrimination; after discrimination, there is deliberation. If the deliberation is unclear, there is further contact; after contact, there is reception and feeling, or at this point mental engagement occurs again, and then there is again the capacity of discrimination. There is again contact, again the capacity of discrimination—here the order of the subsequent mental factors becomes scrambled. The initial order follows the sequence of mental engagement, contact, feeling, perception, and volition; such is the operation of the mental factors.