How Do Karmic Actions Arise

The process of the operation of the five universally pervasive mental factors is the process of creating karmic actions. If wholesome mental factors are involved, the karma created is wholesome; if unwholesome mental factors are involved, the karma created is unwholesome. The mental factors of attention and contact are themselves neither wholesome nor unwholesome. If wholesome or unwholesome mind states are added, their attention and contact become either wholesome or unwholesome in nature. The mental factors of feeling, perception, and volition are themselves neither wholesome nor unwholesome. If wholesome or unwholesome mental factors are added, these mental factors of feeling, perception, and volition then acquire a wholesome or unwholesome nature. If, during the operation of the five universally pervasive mental factors, the mental factor of wisdom participates, the karmic action is characterized by wisdom; conversely, it is a karmic action characterized by ignorance. If the mental factor of determination participates, that person is intelligent, empathetic, and has strong comprehension. When the mental factor of concentration arises, feeling and perception are both subtle; the five universally pervasive mental factors operate slowly and subtly; attention and contact arise passively; and the mental factors of feeling, perception, and volition manifest and function according to conditions, operating spontaneously.

The mind faculty (manas) plays a driving role in the operation of all phenomena and is the master of karmic actions. This can be observed in the ordinary activities of body, speech, and mind. For example, when raising a hand, then picking up a pen, and then pressing the pen to paper, if one observes this process carefully, one can clearly feel a mental force driving it. Sometimes the driving is obvious, sometimes it is not obvious, and sometimes it is very casual, as if there is no driving, but it is actually habitual action. However, no matter how casual or inattentive the operation of the mind faculty is, it is difficult to observe without wisdom in the intellectual consciousness.

Another example is when we ride a bicycle very skillfully. It seems that we are not applying the mind to ride; the intellectual consciousness does not need to think or consider how to ride. Yet, the mind faculty is directing and operating in every moment, applying the mind continuously, only the intellectual consciousness is unaware of it. When riding skillfully, even if one wants to fall, it is not easy to fall. When one does not know how to ride, even if one does not want to fall, one still falls. This is because when skilled, the intellectual consciousness does not need to think and control; the mind faculty has already mastered it and can direct and control it freely. When unskilled, the mind faculty has not learned it, so the intellectual consciousness must repeatedly think and permeate the mind faculty until the mind faculty fully masters it and can control it freely, after which the intellectual consciousness does not need to exert much effort.

Some people always say they did something unintentionally. But no matter how unintentional your intellectual consciousness may be, the mind faculty is intentional; it is the mind faculty that drives the doing of that thing, and thus that thing is accomplished, only you are unaware of it. Under familiar circumstances, unconscious and subconscious actions are all directed, operated, and controlled by the mind faculty, not by the intellectual consciousness. The intellectual consciousness merely cooperates with the mind faculty, having no particular thoughts, opinions, or views. Furthermore, when the intellectual consciousness is unintentional, it does not mean the mind faculty is unintentional. Only when the mind faculty is unintentional is the mind truly non-active (wu wei).