The Connotation of the Five Particular Mental Factors

The five object-specific mental factors (pañca-viśeṣa-caitta) also accompany the running of the mind consciousness, playing a supporting role in its operation, but they cannot universally accompany the running of the mind consciousness; they cannot accompany the mind consciousness at all times, cannot accompany it in all places, cannot accompany it in all realms (dhātus), and cannot accompany it in relation to all dharmas.

The mental factor of desire (chanda) is the mind consciousness having the desire, intention, idea, and demand to create or engage with some dharma; it is the cause that initiates the subsequent running of the mind consciousness, but desire cannot be present at every moment, nor in every place, nor toward all dharmas, nor in all stages of meditation (bhūmis). The mental factor of determination (adhimokṣa) is the mind consciousness's thorough understanding of a dharma; only when the mind consciousness possesses the power of determination and understands the dharma can it make correct choices and act with wisdom in accordance with reality; but the mind consciousness of most sentient beings cannot achieve determination at every moment, nor in every place, much less have determination toward all dharmas. The mental factor of mindfulness (smṛti) is the mind consciousness giving rise to mindful thought toward the dharma it wants to engage with, is currently engaging with, or has already engaged with, initiating subsequent choices, engagements, and continued engagement with the dharma; but the mind consciousness cannot have mindfulness at every moment or in every place, whereas the manas can have mindful thought at every moment and in every place—and then it abides in a state of meditative concentration (samādhi).

The mental factor of concentration (samādhi) is the mind consciousness's state of focused attention, the state in which the mind consciousness is neither scattered nor drowsy, the state in which the mind consciousness's attention is highly concentrated and unified; but the mind consciousness cannot be in concentration at every moment or in every place, unless it remains in profound meditative absorption without emerging from samādhi. The mental factor of wisdom (prajñā) is the mind consciousness's powerful capacity for discernment, comprehension, reception, discrimination, choice, and engagement—the mind consciousness's powerful ability to handle problems; but the mind consciousness of ordinary sentient beings cannot have wisdom at every moment or in every place, much less have wisdom toward all dharmas.

These five capacities do not appear at all times; they appear only under particular circumstances. But the eighth consciousness's power of determination, power of concentration, and power of wisdom (prajñā-bala) exist at all times and are present at all times, exist everywhere and are present everywhere; its discernment and functioning pervade all dharmas, and its operation also pervades the three realms and the nine stages of existence (bhūmis). The Buddha's first seven consciousnesses, however, possess determination at all times and in all places, possess meditative concentration, and possess great wisdom.