Attachment and Non-Attachment Are the Functional Role of the Integrated Cetasika of Manas

An Arhat in the state of nirodha-samāpatti (cessation of perception and feeling) has long eradicated the clinging to the self of the five aggregates; otherwise, they could not attain the fourth fruition (arhatship), nor cultivate the nirodha-samāpatti. When an Arhat reaches the fourth dhyāna (meditative absorption), they are no longer bound by the five aggregates, possessing freedom over life and death—able to depart or remain at will. Attaining nirodha-samāpatti grants them even greater ease.

Upon entering the first dhyāna, an Arhat has already eliminated the clinging to self-existence (ātma-grāha). They do not cling to feeling, perception, or volition mental factors, nor to the physical body, and this non-clinging does not necessarily occur only when the feeling and perception mental factors cease. Whether there is clinging or not is a function of the mental factors as a whole within the manas (ego-mind), not necessarily the function of individual mental factors like feeling, perception, or volition. The same applies to the clinging to dharmas (dharma-grāha): it is a function of the mental factors of manas as a whole. For instance, within nirodha-samāpatti, manas still possesses the mental factors of attention (manasikāra), contact (sparśa), and volition (cetanā), all of which function regarding dharmas; clinging to dharmas is not solely the function of the volition mental factor alone.

However, the manas of all Buddhas has completely eradicated clinging to dharmas. Their manas possesses not only the five universal mental factors but also the five object-determining mental factors and the eleven wholesome mental factors. Despite possessing so many mental factors, their nature of clinging is utterly extinguished. The Buddha’s manas has no clinging to dharmas, yet the volition mental factor continues to operate ceaselessly. The immaculate consciousness (amala-vijñāna) cognizes the volition mental factor of manas and collaborates with manas to manifest the infinite Buddha-lands throughout the ten directions. In truth, the tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature) cognizes all mental factors of manas in their entirety. The volition mental factor possesses the function of discernment; after the tathāgatagarbha cognizes it, it acts in accordance with the discernment of manas, cooperating with manas to accomplish tasks and presenting all dharmas required by manas.