Section 4: The Mental Factor of Mindfulness Mental Factors of the Mind base\: A Practical Compass (Second Edition) (with over 30,000 additional words, reorganized)

Section Four: The Mental Factor of Recollection (smṛti)

1. Evidence That the Manas Possesses the Mental Factor of Recollection

Does the seventh consciousness actually possess the mental factor of recollection? To give an example: suppose you are attending a meeting in your office. When you left home that morning, because the water supply at home was shut off, you turned on the faucet and forgot to turn it off before leaving for work. During the meeting you suddenly remember this matter, feel very uneasy inside, and want to ask for leave to go home and deal with it, but feel embarrassed to speak up, and so you attend the meeting restless whether sitting or standing. Let us consider: is there a mental factor of recollection of the seventh consciousness here? If the seventh consciousness did not keep dwelling on the matter of the faucet, did not apply attention to and think about the mental object of the faucet, the mind consciousness would not recall this matter. If the manas did not contact this matter and did not dwell on it, no mind consciousness would arise concerning it. Moreover, being restless shows that the manas has something on its mind, making both body and mind unsettled; if the recollection were slight, it would not cause bodily unease and agitation.

During the meeting in the office, the mind consciousness suddenly remembers that the tap water at home was not turned off. How could this matter suddenly pop up in the mind? What is suddenly recalled is thrown to the mind consciousness by the manas, with the purpose of letting the mind consciousness find a way to deal with it. When the manas left the house, it already knew this was important and needed handling, and it kept dwelling on it and recollecting it, until the mind consciousness quieted down and could become alert to the information the manas gave Him; then the mind recalled that this matter remained unhandled. Or, when matters are few and there is relative leisure, or at a somewhat fixed time, the manas turns this matter out and lets the mind consciousness discern and handle it, and so the mind consciousness suddenly remembers it. As long as the manas keeps dwelling on this matter, the sixth consciousness will be restless and unable to settle the mind; if the manas gives up this matter, feeling it does not matter, the sixth consciousness will no longer think of it, and the mind will become peaceful.

Every mental object in the mind consciousness is produced by the manas through attention, contact, feeling, perception, and volition. Therefore, of the dharmas discerned by the mind consciousness, there is not one that the manas has not contacted and discerned, not one the manas does not know — it merely does not know the details. The three kinds of realms discerned by the mind consciousness — the real realm, the realm bearing essence, and the subjectively imagined realm — the manas can all contact and discern, and only afterward throws them to the mind consciousness for processing. The mind consciousness cannot, without cause, discern mental objects entirely on its own; without passing through the manas, without faculty and object contacting, the mind consciousness will not arise.

That the seventh consciousness has no mental factor of recollection was said for bodhisattvas before the bhūmis, because these bodhisattvas lack sufficient wisdom and cannot yet contemplate this part of the content. It is like the Buddha telling ordinary sentient beings that the eighth consciousness does not discriminate, and then telling enlightened bodhisattvas that the eighth consciousness also discriminates, only what it discriminates differs from the seven consciousnesses; telling bodhisattvas before the bhūmis and ordinary beings that the eighth consciousness has no self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana), while telling bodhisattvas after the bhūmis that the eighth consciousness also has self-validating cognition, with the four aspects present in full. When the Buddha had just attained the Way and was delivering people, He told sentient beings of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self; after all sentient beings had accepted this with faith, the Buddha finally said that the ultimate result of the Buddha-dharma is permanence, bliss, self, and purity. The Buddha's teaching of the Dharma guides sentient beings step by step; He taught according to beings' faculties (indriya) and capacity to receive, gradually leading them toward the true great Dharma, not proclaiming the genuinely most real Buddha-dharma at the very start, for then sentient beings could not bear it.

Another example: the mother at home is ill and has not eaten in the morning, yet you must go out to work; while working, your mind keeps worrying about your mother. Is there recollection of the seventh consciousness here? It is mainly the manas's dwelling on her; the mind consciousness may not recollect or think of her, being busy with work, but the manas certainly has recollection. The manas recollects first, and only afterward can the mind consciousness recollect; if the seventh consciousness did not dwell on this matter, the mind consciousness would work with an at-ease mind and would not think of it. The mind consciousness arises from the conjunction of the manas and dharmas: when the manas confronts a mental object, the eighth consciousness gives rise to the mind consciousness; whatever the manas conditions, only that can the mind consciousness discriminate. It cannot be that the manas conditions one dharma while the mind consciousness discriminates another. Therefore, when the sixth consciousness gives rise to recollection, it is precisely the result of the seventh consciousness's attention and volition, the result of the seventh consciousness's grasping at conditions and dwelling on them.

2. The Manas's Mental Factor of Recollection Can Bring Dharmas Forth

When recollection arises in the sixth consciousness, the seventh consciousness also has recollection. Although the recollection that can be observed on the surface is the function of the sixth consciousness at work, what lies deeply hidden behind it is the recollective power of the seventh consciousness. The dharmas recollected by the sixth consciousness are all brought forth by the seventh consciousness's grasping; if the seventh consciousness did not grasp and recollect, the sixth consciousness would not even arise, let alone recollection. If the seventh consciousness does not apply attention to a certain mental object and does not give rise to volition, the eighth consciousness will not give birth to the sixth consciousness to give rise to recollection. If the seventh consciousness is not subdued, its grasping at conditions does not cease, recollection does not stop, and the sixth consciousness will recollect continuously, thought after thought without interruption — then meditative concentration is hard to cultivate.

Some say that the seventh consciousness of bodhisattvas before the bhūmis and ordinary beings lacks the first four of the five object-specific mental factors, and therefore the seventh consciousness has no recollection. This may be because they cannot realize and observe the manas, and so cannot know the functions of the seventh consciousness's mental factor of recollection and other mental factors. Because the mental recollective power of the seventh consciousness is too deep and subtle, without sufficient wisdom and meditative concentration one cannot realize and observe it. As each person's cultivation progresses differently, the mental factors all undergo change: originally the mental factors contained afflictions and evil habitual tendencies; when cultivation reaches the point where afflictions vanish, they transform into the untainted; the mind's capacity grows and expands, and the mental factors change.

When meditative concentration strengthens, wisdom grows, and the power of recollection strengthens, becoming vast and deep-subtle. With such deep and subtle recollective power, one is irresistible wherever one turns, and nothing cannot be accomplished. Just as Guanyin Bodhisattva said: 我若向刀山，刀山自摧折；我若向火汤，火汤自枯竭；我若向地狱，地狱自消灭；我若向饿鬼，饿鬼自饱满；我若向修罗，恶心自调伏；我若向畜生，自得大智慧。The "I" here is in fact the eighth consciousness: whichever dharma the eighth consciousness is upon, that dharma's own substance vanishes, and the eighth consciousness alone is fully manifest. It can also be said to be the manas: when the manas's power becomes strong, whatever dharma it recollects, once the mental power arrives, the eighth consciousness manifests that dharma, and the dharma changes — such is the great power of the manas.

3. The Mind Consciousness and Its Functions Are Also Recalled Forth by the Manas

When the manas does not recollect a dharma, the mind consciousness does not arise, let alone the question of whether it recollects or not. When the manas contacts the dharma it recollects and wishes to discern it clearly, the tathāgatagarbha accordingly gives birth to the mind consciousness, which follows the manas's instructions and recollects the dharma the manas recollects, and only then can it discern the dharma. If the manas does not recollect the dharma, it does not contact it, does not wish to discern or act, and the tathāgatagarbha cannot give birth to the mind consciousness for further activity; there is no mind consciousness recollecting the dharma. Whatever dharma the manas does not recollect will not appear; the dharmas the mind consciousness recollects are all the result of the manas's recollection, all the result of the manas's direction and mobilization. Without the manas's contact-condition the mind consciousness cannot arise; without the decision of the manas's volitional mental factor it cannot arise. The mind consciousness cannot by itself decide its own arising and all its activities, because it is not the master consciousness, because of its lack of self-mastery (avaśatā). The mind consciousness is merely the manas's tool for getting things done and must obey the manas's dispatch.

4. Only After the Manas Moves a Thought Can There Be the Mind Consciousness's Recollection

The process by which a person's mind consciousness is set in motion is in fact one of measuring through "moving a thought," after which a thought arises.

Moving a thought: the manas must first move the thought; after attention, the volitional mental factor appears, and only then does the mind consciousness's thought come forth. Without the manas's recollection there is no mind consciousness's recollection. In investigating the huatou, ultimately one ties the manas to the huatou, never forgetting it for a moment, from morning to night, and only then can one break through. This too is the result of the manas moving a thought. After the manas moves a thought it applies attention; the five universal mental factors begin to operate, and the dharma arises. A thought with concrete content is the mind consciousness's recollection; when the mind consciousness's recollection has not yet arisen and has no concrete content, it is entirely the manas's recollection. Even when the mind consciousness has thoughts, there is still the manas's attention, contact, feeling, perception, and volition, and the manas's thought; if there were not, the mind consciousness would vanish at once — the mind consciousness cannot recollect alone. When faculty and object contact, consciousness manifests; once the faculty no longer contacts the object, consciousness vanishes instantly.

5. All Dharmas Are Recalled Forth by the Manas

Some say the manas has no perception and no recollection; yet all eight consciousnesses have the mental factors of attention, contact, feeling, perception, and volition — even the eighth consciousness has perception, let alone the manas, whose grasping nature is so strong — how could it lack perception? The five consciousnesses of eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body all have perception and grasping nature; how could the manas lack perception? If the manas had no perception, no discernment and grasping nature, the manas could not go on to make decisions and choices on the basis of perception, and how could subsequent dharmas arise? Therefore the manas must have the mental factor of perception, only then can all dharmas appear in the mind and worldly existence be sustained. Only in the attainment of cessation (nirodha-samāpatti) does the manas extinguish the mental factor of perception and enter concentration peacefully; the manas can then, within that concentration, extinguish the volitional mental factor, the five-aggregate body ceases, and one enters Nirvāṇa without remainder, liberated from the three realms.

As for recollection, the eighth consciousness also has it. The Sixth Patriarch said in the Platform Sutra that true suchness has no recollection yet nothing it does not recollect. Although the eighth consciousness itself does not have recollection like the seven consciousnesses, no mental activities like those of the seven consciousnesses, all dharmas are recollected forth by the eighth consciousness. The "Verses on the Structure of the Eight Consciousnesses" (八识规矩颂) say that the five consciousnesses of eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body also have recollection and can recollect the objects of the five senses. The manas is more active and nimble than the five consciousnesses, more important than them countless times over, able to determine the existence of all dharmas — all the more should it have recollection; it cannot be clumsier and more hidebound than the five consciousnesses.

If the manas had no recollection, if it recollected no dharma at all, the eighth consciousness could not cooperate with the manas to give birth to the mind consciousness and the five consciousnesses to act according to the manas's wishes, or give birth to any other dharmas. Only when the manas recollects a dharma does the eighth consciousness cooperate with the manas's recollection and choice to give birth to the mind consciousness to discern, or to remember, or to imagine, or to analyze, judge, infer, and deliberate. Without the manas's recollection, the mind consciousness can accomplish nothing — even the mind consciousness itself could not arise.

The function of the manas's recollection: for example, if the manas recollects getting rich thought after thought, it drives the mind consciousness to rack its brains for channels to wealth, letting no opportunity slip by; if the manas did not have this mental thought, the mind consciousness would not act thus. In a true practitioner the manas has no such thought of getting rich, and his mind is pure. But the practitioner's manas has the thought of cultivating the Path; thought after thought is cultivation, and what the mind consciousness thinks of is all the Buddha-dharma. Some people's manas recollects leaving home to cultivate the Path thought after thought, and the mind consciousness must constantly prepare for leaving home. Some people's manas deeply wishes for rebirth in the land of bliss (sukhāvatī); thought after thought is of the Buddha, and the mind consciousness's mind is filled thought after thought with the Buddha's name, whether aloud or not, and can even foreknow the time of death, sensing Amitābha Buddha coming to touch the crown and offer reassurance.

If the manas misses someone, recollecting that person thought after thought, that person's image will appear in the mind consciousness's mind; one may even dream of that person, and perhaps unexpectedly run into that person in broad daylight. All this is recollected forth by the manas, with no small help from the tathāgatagarbha. If the manas dwells on certain people or matters, one may be unable to sleep at night, or sleep unsoundly; with something on the manas's mind, the mind consciousness cannot fully cease and will always arise to help the manas consider some matters; in the morning the manas will also prompt the mind consciousness to rise early, lest something be delayed.

The definition and concept of recollection include not only recollecting people and events of the past but also people and events yet to appear, people and events that do not exist: as the manas recollects, the person appears and the event happens. This happens to everyone, as the saying goes: "Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives." Recollect someone and that person appears; recollect some matter and it happens; hope for something in the heart and it will appear. Why is this? Because the tathāgatagarbha understands the manas and is considerate of it: whenever possible, the tathāgatagarbha will not let the manas recollect in vain; even if one recollects evil things, evil things will likewise appear. Hence some elders tell their children: "Do not speak inauspicious words, do not think inauspicious thoughts; think of the good in all things." This is because the manas's recollection can be realized.

6. All Dharmas Are the Result of the Manas's Moving a Thought

The Buddha said the manas silently encompasses all dharmas; "silently encompasses" is equivalent to universally conditioning upon them. Most importantly, the eighth consciousness cannot manifest any dharma alone, cannot hold any dharma alone; the manas must participate, otherwise the eighth consciousness in Nirvāṇa without remainder could also manifest dharmas and hold dharmas, and then it would not be tranquil. The manas is the fundamental motive force for the arising of the dharmas of the three realms; the arising of any dharma is the result of the manas's impetus; the eighth consciousness cannot operate alone. This shows that on all dharmas there is not only the eighth consciousness's operation but also the manas's operation; thus the manas can condition all dharmas, and no dharma lacks the manas's operation. The manas's impelling role toward all dharmas is a deep, silent operation of mental recollective power. The manas has no characteristic of non-action; when it is not content with solitude, whatever dharma the mind recollects, that dharma appears. If the manas were in non-action, the mind tranquil and quiet, disliking clamor, the world would be tranquil — perhaps there would not even be a world.

Even the karmic retribution the manas is unwilling to accept, the matters it is unwilling to encounter, are also because of the manas's condition, the operation of the manas's original recollective power, that the eighth consciousness makes the karmic seeds manifest, and unlovely retribution appears. If it were not so, since arhats still have karmic seeds, in Nirvāṇa without remainder the eighth consciousness should manifest the karmic seeds; if they could manifest, it would not be the state of Nirvāṇa without remainder, and the eighth consciousness could create conditioned dharmas alone.

The mind consciousness cannot have any single function of its own; all are bound together with the manas, all are the result of the manas's assistance and direction. The mind consciousness cannot have its own independent operation apart from the manas; hence the manas's role is extremely prominent and important. And the manas also cannot have independent functions apart from the tathāgatagarbha; all operate together with the tathāgatagarbha, as the result of the tathāgatagarbha's cooperation.

7. The Cause of the Appearance of All Dharmas Is the Movement of the Manas's Mind

Since it is the movement of the manas's mind that makes all dharmas manifest, what is meant by "the mind moving"? The mind moving means recollection arising, wanting to do something; the volitional mental factor appears, the tathāgatagarbha knows it and immediately cooperates to manifest the myriad dharmas, and the result of the mind's movement appears. All dharmas are the result of the manas's mind moving, without exception.

Then does the manas have recollection, desire, determination (adhimokṣa)? If the manas had no mental thoughts,; without the mind consciousness's cooperative discernment, the manas can make extremely rapid decisions, and its volitional mental factor operates very quickly. All these show the manas has its special memory; this memory shows the manas has recollective power.

9. The Mind Consciousness's Sudden Understanding Is the Result of the Manas's Recollection

With an unsolvable problem, when the mind no longer wants to think about it, suddenly an answer appears in the head — what is going on? The problem the mind consciousness cannot solve is set aside and left alone, but the manas has not given up; it has been secretly deliberating (manasikāra) all along, unknown to the mind consciousness. But at a certain point the manas can think it through, then informs the mind consciousness, and the mind consciousness understands. Sometimes when the manas brings up a thought, the mind consciousness tries to suppress and overcome it — sometimes it can be suppressed, sometimes not. Hence we say the manas has recollection, only too deep and subtle for the mind consciousness without wisdom to know. We can no longer say the manas has no recollection; however one thinks about it, one knows the manas must have recollection, otherwise how could all dharmas appear?

10. Carrying Over Habits from Past Lives Shows the Manas Has the Mental Factor of Recollection

Seeing delicious food, one drools habitually, greed fully displayed — this is precisely the manas's habitual tendency of gluttony. The habit of craving delicacies is carried over from past lives. How has the manas carried over the past life's gluttonous nature, how brought over the past life's trait of loving delicacies? Many people habitually turn off the light and sleep at bedtime — a habit formed in this life; wherever they are, they sleep at sleep time, without the mind consciousness's deliberation and reminder; the manas naturally knows it is sleep time and naturally arranges sleep. Moreover, animals' mind consciousnesses cannot know time and cannot remind the manas of time, yet animals naturally sleep and wake at fixed times. How then does this habit of the manas arise? How does He know sleep time, how know He should sleep?

Moreover, in the morning the manas is accustomed to waking at the appointed time, all the less needing the mind consciousness's deliberation and reminder — besides, there is no mind consciousness yet; the mind consciousness is awakened and brought forth by the manas. How then does the manas know the time to get up, on what basis does He know He should wake? Could the manas remember time? Remember place? Remember food and drink? Remember everything experienced in past lives? When enemies meet, their eyes blaze; the blazing eyes and surging emotions are directed and produced by the manas. Meeting one's past-life enemy in this life, hatred arises inexplicably — can the manas remember the enemy?

Every night when the arhat enters concentration, in the morning he is accustomed to emerge from concentration at the appointed time. Within concentration there is no mind consciousness at all; how does the manas know the time to emerge, how know he should emerge, on what basis does He judge? Could the manas remember time and the matter of emerging from concentration? When the arhat enters the attainment of cessation, only the manas and the eighth consciousness remain, no mind consciousness. Even if there were a mind consciousness in concentration, it could not deliberate or transmit time information to the manas. Upon meeting someone, the mind consciousness likes them muddledly or dislikes them inexplicably — this is the mind consciousness being manipulated by the manas, muddled, inexplicable feelings. The mind consciousness does not know why; the manas knows but cannot say. On what basis then does the manas know?

So-called habit: after the first experience of something, its mental activity is stored as a seed in the tathāgatagarbha; upon meeting the condition a second time, the seed manifests, the manas corresponds with the seed, and again displays the first-time mental activity, which is again stored as a seed in the tathāgatagarbha; thereafter, whenever the same condition is met, the manas's mental activity is the same as before, even with greater inertia. Thus the manas's habitual tendencies grow heavier, its habits stronger — including habits from past lives and habits formed in this life. When bodily, verbal, and mental actions occur, the tathāgatagarbha also stores the mental activities of the manas and mind consciousness completely from beginning to end, without any loss.

From the output of karmic seeds to the creation of bodily, verbal, and mental actions, to recording and storing, the tathāgatagarbha personally attends to every detail. In this process, the manas's mental factors' operations and the manifestations of various mental activities ultimately all become seeds stored by the tathāgatagarbha. Afterwards, when the tathāgatagarbha outputs the karmic seeds again, the manas's mental activities correspond with the karmic seeds. Thus whatever the manas was accustomed to before, it is now accustomed to as well; the manas decides to create bodily, verbal, and mental actions, and the six consciousnesses' mental activities also accord with the manas's, displaying the manas's habits. If the manas formerly loved delicacies, now upon encountering them, the mental activity of craving delicacies manifests; the manas gives rise to craving, making the six consciousnesses appreciate, smell, taste, drool over, and delight in the food, and the six consciousnesses' greed is displayed. All these mental activities are again stored as karmic seeds, and the manas's gluttonous habit grows heavier. That the manas can carry over past-life habits shows it has recollective power.

11. Memory Is a Function of the Manas

Question: Just now I met a person, talked for a while, and we exchanged contact information. Is this matter memorized in the mind consciousness, or in the manas, or in both? What are the differences?

Answer: Any experienced person, event, object, or principle first falls into the mind consciousness, which may or may not remember it. After the mind consciousness remembers it, it may be memorized in the manas, letting the manas remember it too, or it may not be memorized in the manas, and the manas cannot remember. One possibility is that the manas is not interested; another is that the time was too short, the manas had no time to discern and remember, so the impression was not deep.

There is also a special case: the mind consciousness did not take it seriously and did not remember, but the manas had encountered it before and was fairly familiar; without the mind consciousness deliberately memorizing, the manas remembered it by itself. Later, though the mind consciousness does not think of the matter, it spontaneously and automatically comes to mind, and one finds it strange, asking oneself: "Why do I keep thinking of this?" This is the result of the manas's remembering and recollecting.

If a matter existed only in the mind consciousness with no impression in the manas, it could not be recalled again. Because the mind consciousness ceases anytime and anywhere; once it ceases, all memory is cut off, to the point of knowing nothing of the matter. Yet when the mind consciousness arises again, why can it still recall all previous matters? That is because the manas memorized them, letting the mind consciousness recall the experienced matters. Whether the mind consciousness recalls a matter is decided by the manas as master; it is the manas needing the recall to handle the matter that the mind consciousness arises and recalls.

Suppose a matter existed only in the mind consciousness — how then could the mind consciousness recall it? Is the mind consciousness self-arisen? Does it exist moment after moment upon all dharmas? Clearly not. Once the matter passes, the mind consciousness vanishes with respect to it. How then to recall afterwards? If the manas does not let the mind consciousness think, can the mind consciousness arise to think? If the manas does not let the mind consciousness recall, can it arise to recall? Neither is possible. The mind consciousness has no autonomy, cannot exist freely and continuously. The premise of the mind consciousness's existence is the manas's continuous contact with objects; the mind consciousness cannot autonomously and actively arise and then actively recall; it cannot become the master consciousness to replace the manas.

If one can recognize the true principle that the mind consciousness exists to serve the manas, and clarify the active-passive relationship between the manas and the mind consciousness, all dharmas become easy to handle and resolve, especially the problems of Consciousness-Only.

12. Only When the Manas Remembers Can the Mind Consciousness Recall

Question: Some say the manas's grasping nature is extremely vast and far-reaching, conditioning on nothing it does not grasp; therefore the manas cannot remember anything; remembering this life's past things has always been the business of the mind consciousness, the aware mind, and has nothing to do with the manas. Is this correct?

Answer: This is incorrect. Although the manas grasps at very wide-ranging dharmas and concentration is rather difficult, the manas can still remember all the people, events, objects, and principles it has experienced; it merely cannot recall them like the mind consciousness, making them clear to the mind consciousness. If the manas wants to process the dharmas it has memorized, it must let the mind consciousness recall them; only when the mind consciousness recalls them can the six consciousnesses process them concretely; if they cannot be recalled, they cannot be processed — the manas has no tool of the six consciousnesses and cannot itself perform any action.

If the manas does not want to process the memorized dharmas in any way, not considering them important or necessary, it will not let the mind consciousness recall them. Whether the mind consciousness recalls depends entirely on the manas's direction, mobilization, and control, on the manas's volition. Matters the manas experienced in past lives, if requiring special treatment and handling, will also be let the mind consciousness recall; but the mind consciousness has not experienced them and cannot recall them, feeling instead baffled and inconceivable, somewhat muddled; a cleverer mind consciousness will be half-understanding, seemingly understanding yet not. For example, walking somewhere, the mind consciousness feels very familiar yet cannot recall when it was here; but the manas knows — He knows he was here in a past life and now passes here — and lets the mind consciousness know and feel it too; yet the mind consciousness cannot recall, and only under the manas's suggestion feels as if it had experienced it.

Meeting someone is the same. Upon meeting toys and things familiar from before age three to five, the mind consciousness feels intimacy, a special feeling it cannot articulate. This is the manas suggesting to the mind consciousness; the manas knows these things, only cannot recall them, does not know the details, and so alerts the mind consciousness. Therefore the manas certainly has a memory function — it remembers but cannot recall. When the mind consciousness has superknowledge, it can rely on the manas's memory to recall matters of life after life. But when the manas does not need it, even with superknowledge the mind consciousness will not recall and discern — still directed and controlled by the manas.

Recall is a function unique to the mind consciousness, facilitated by the manas's attention. Why can the manas apply attention and decide to let the mind consciousness recall? Because the people, events, and things the manas experienced can be remembered; afterwards it wants to discern the details; hence faculty and object contact, the mind consciousness arises and recalls the experienced people, events, objects, and principles. If the manas does not condition on, does not decide to discern the experienced people, events, objects, and principles, there is no mind consciousness arising and recalling. Therefore memory is not only the mind consciousness's function but also the manas's; if the manas has not memorized and does not recollect, there is no contact and attention, and hence no mind consciousness's recall.

13. The Mind Consciousness's Recollection Is the Result of the Manas's Recollection (1)

If it is a dharma the manas does not recollect, how could the mind consciousness recollect it? When the manas contacts the dharma it recollects and wishes to discern it clearly, the tathāgatagarbha accordingly gives birth to the mind consciousness, which follows the manas's instructions to discern and recollect the dharma the manas recollects. If the manas does not recollect the dharma, it does not contact it, does not wish to discern or act, and the tathāgatagarbha cannot give birth to the mind consciousness for further recollective activity; there is no mind consciousness recollecting the dharma. Whatever dharma the manas does not recollect will not appear; the dharmas the mind consciousness recollects are all the result of the manas's recollection, all the result of the manas's arrangement and mobilization. Without the manas's contact-condition the mind consciousness cannot arise; without the decision of the manas's volitional mental factor it cannot arise. The mind consciousness cannot by itself decide its own arising and all its activities; it is not the master consciousness, because of its lack of self-mastery; it is the manas's tool, obeying the manas's dispatch.

14. The Mind Consciousness's Recollection Is the Result of the Manas's Recollection (2)

Question: "When a thought arises, immediately be aware of it; once aware, it vanishes." Which consciousness is the "thought" here? And which consciousness is the "awareness"?

Answer: The mind that can be aware of one's own thoughts is certainly the mind consciousness, which has the power of introspection (pratyavekṣā-bala); only by observing rather finely can one awaken to one's own thoughts. After the mind consciousness awakens to the thought being wrong, the manas, knowing it and also feeling it wrong, will cut off the thought — only the manas can decide as master to cut off the thought. The "thought" here is clearly the sixth consciousness's recollection; what is not easily observed is the manas's recollection. The sixth consciousness has the mental factor of recollection, can give rise to thoughts, has the mental activities of remembering and thinking, can recollect the myriad dharmas of the six objects — this is the function of the sixth consciousness's perceiving-aspect (darśana-bhāga) and self-cognition (svasaṃvitti). But if the manas does not recollect, absolutely no mind consciousness arises, let alone the mind consciousness's recollection. All the mind consciousness's recollections are the result of the manas's grasping and recollecting.

The "awareness" here is clearly also the sixth consciousness's awareness: the sixth consciousness introspects that it has given rise to a thought, and so does not want the thought; the manas agrees, and the thought is extinguished. This is the function of the sixth consciousness's self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana), knowing what it is doing, discovering it is indulging in idle thoughts, and so controlling itself to stop. But the idle thought has already appeared; awareness after the fact is late awareness. This is a method of cultivating concentration by extinguishing idle thoughts, not the innately possessed ultimate awareness-nature — the eighth consciousness.

When the mind consciousness lacks wisdom, it cannot discover the manas's recollection and awareness. When the mind consciousness becomes aware of its own thought and transmits it to the manas, if the manas understands the matter, it will determine (adhimokṣa) the mind consciousness's idea, awakening to its own thought being bad, and decides not to give rise to thoughts again, not to grasp at conditions; then the mind consciousness's recollection ceases, and the manas's recollection also temporarily ceases. If the manas cannot determine the mind consciousness's idea, it cannot awaken to its own thought, and the mind consciousness's thoughts continue unbroken.

15. The Manas's Thoughts Determine the State of Body and Mind

When the manas moves a thought, it affects the entire brain's central nervous system, affecting not only the hindbrain but also the forebrain, then issuing information and commands to the nerve tissues throughout the body; a series of changes in cells, blood, muscles, breath, and so on appears throughout the body, with all kinds of emotional and physiological reactions. The manas controls the whole body's activities by controlling the brain's neural conduction system, thereby expressing its emotions, whether anger or joy. Therefore, to be healthy in body, one must adjust one's mental attitude and change the manas's mental activities. This relies on the mind consciousness's correct and principled deliberation, on lawful teaching and guidance, thereby leading the manas to be open-minded, understand more truths, have wisdom opened, no longer get stuck in dead ends, no longer have afflictive emotions — then the body is healthy. This is the principle of body and mind depending on each other, of the mental state influencing the physical body's health.

For example, when the manas reduces its grasping and craving toward the physical body, the qi channels in the body run unobstructed, the body grows warm, thereby strengthening the body, and the physical body is healthy and at ease. Once meditative concentration strengthens and the manas no longer grasps at the body, the qi channels run smoothly through the whole body; when they reach the dantian, the body naturally grows warm. Sometimes when the thought reaches the dantian, the qi channels follow to the dantian, the mind naturally quiets, deliberation becomes fine and profound, body and mind become pliant, the energy field's attraction is great, and sentient beings like to gather around.

Then which "mind" is the thought directed at the dantian? If it is the mind consciousness's intent, the mind consciousness cannot by itself, without cause, reach the dantian; without the manas's guidance and control, the mind consciousness cannot arise and act on its own initiative; the manas's volitional mental factor does not manifest at the dantian; if the manas does not apply attention to the dantian, the mind consciousness cannot arise and recollect the dantian. Then who can intend, and first intend, the dantian? It must be the manas. Intentions in other respects are likewise led by the manas first, then guiding the mind consciousness's recollection; the mind consciousness must closely follow behind the manas, not half a step apart; all it knows is designated by the manas, forever unable to separate from the manas. But it is not excluded that after the mind consciousness arises, having ideas and thoughts, it influences the manas, and only then does the manas have ideas and thoughts, letting the mind consciousness continue its idle thoughts and remembering.

16. The Manas's Thoughts Are Not Easily Observed

Thinking has shallow thinking and deep-level thinking; with different levels and depths, wisdom differs. Shallow thinking is the mind consciousness's function; deep-level thinking is the manas's function. The mind consciousness's thinking is not very tiring, not using much energy; the manas's thinking is very tiring, consuming brain cells, because the manas can mobilize the body faculty, direct bodily actions, and set the nerve tissues in motion, hence requiring some nutritional consumption.

Intuition is the seventh consciousness's feeling. Thoughts of which one is unaware belong to the seventh consciousness; thoughts before the mind consciousness's awareness belong to the seventh consciousness; thoughts one cannot articulate belong to the seventh consciousness; thoughts one cannot shake off, never forgotten, belong to the seventh consciousness; relatively deep and subtle thoughts belong to the seventh consciousness. These thoughts are all deep and subtle, not easily perceived by the mind consciousness.

17. Hypnosis Cases Show the Manas Has a Memory Function

In hypnosis, the recollection of past lives and the behavioral manifestations are entirely the manas's activities, unrelated to the mind consciousness and not controlled by it. The mind consciousness's psychology and behavior relate only to this life, not to past lives; the manas relates to life after life. But the manas has only one single life(-span), so if unaffected by the mind consciousness, nothing is too distant for the manas — everything is as if before one's eyes.

In hypnosis, what did the manas recall? If the manas had no memory, how were those things expressed? The mind consciousness has no recollection of past lives (pūrvanivāsānusmṛti), simply cannot know past-life matters, and so cannot recall them, having no memory of past lives at all, because this mind consciousness is not the past life's mind consciousness; the two mind consciousnesses have no connection. The manas reproduced matters of many lives, showing the manas stored past-life matters in its mind; when needed, it can remember them, but recalling requires the mind consciousness's cooperation; otherwise, however many abilities the manas has, they would be of no avail.

All behavioral manifestations in hypnosis are the manas's own habitual tendencies, all displaying the manas's characteristics; whether in hypnosis there is wholesome or unwholesome nature, wholesome or unwholesome mental factors, greed or anger — all are the manas's characteristics.

That the manas presented all the past-life matters of the five aggregates shows the manas has a memory function; only the manas's expression must rely on the mind consciousness of this life during hypnosis; at this time the mind consciousness can only obediently follow the manas's instructions, may not act on its own authority, may not control or constrain the manas; what the manas presents is its own original face, the manas's nature, without concealment, fakery, or disguise. If we want to truly realize the manas's nature, observing the manas in the hypnotic state, we can understand the manas and gain wisdom.

18. The Manas's Manifestations in Hypnosis Show It Has the Mental Factor of Recollection (1)

If a person's mind consciousness is very weak, its alerting effect and pulling force on the manas are very small; at such a time, if he is hypnotized, the manas is easily induced by the hypnotist to reveal all the secrets it knows. If the manas itself is strong, with alertness and firm will, it will not be induced by the hypnotist and can keep the secrets at the bottom of the heart. There is a hypnosis case: the hypnotist wanted to know a person's account password, exploiting the person's semi-conscious state where the mind consciousness's resistance and discernment were very low, to hypnotize him, while installing on his head an instrument monitoring brainwaves to obtain his brainwave information at any time, to understand his inner thoughts and secrets through the brainwaves, and to translate the brainwaves into written information.

But this person had strong willpower and was long prepared. To the hypnotist's unimportant questions he answered truthfully; to the crucial questions about the password, at first he answered randomly, then refused to answer; but the thoughts in his mind still existed, so the instrument could display the fluctuations of his brainwaves, with current signals flickering on the instrument, and the brainwaves' written information was translated in real time. But at the most core password question, this person not only refused to answer but also discarded the thoughts in his mind, shutting down cerebral deliberation; the brainwaves became blank and could not be displayed, and of course the text could not be translated. In the end, the hypnotist used many methods but could not make this person reveal the account password.

What can be observed from this phenomenon? During hypnosis, the mind consciousness is very weak, playing only a slight discerning role; the five consciousnesses are also very weak, together with the mind consciousness playing a slight discerning role, transmitting the content of the hypnotist's voice they discern to the manas, and transmitting the body's pain to the manas. At first the mind consciousness still has a weak function of deliberation and analysis; as the coma deepens, the mind consciousness becomes less and less clear, until it vanishes; the six objects' information transmitted by the six consciousnesses becomes ever less clear, and the auxiliary function of deliberation and analysis is gone; at this point it is almost entirely up to the manas itself to face the hypnotist's hypnotic commands.

When the mind consciousness operates normally, the manas can follow the opinions and suggestions the mind consciousness deliberates and analyzes; and the mind consciousness's deliberation is also mostly centered on the manas, so what the manas follows is mostly still its own commands, complying with its own thoughts. Under hypnosis, the hypnotist's commands replace the mind consciousness's guidance and suggestions; if the manas's will is not firm and the hypnosis succeeds, it will follow the hypnotist's commands and straightforwardly, without any concealment, speak the secrets in the heart. The manas and the six consciousnesses are in a master-servant relationship: the six consciousnesses are responsible for observing and discerning the six objects, transmitting the six objects' information, obeying the manas's commands, and expressing the manas's ideas and views through bodily, verbal, and mental actions. When the six consciousnesses are very weak, the manas's ideas and views cannot be displayed, and many functions cannot be effectively exercised; but the manas can still condition on and discern the six objects' realms and still has its own guiding thoughts.

After the six consciousnesses become weak or vanish, is there still the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi)? Is the view of self at this time the same as when the six consciousnesses existed? Is it even more evident at this time? In fact, the view of self is possessed by the manas; the mind consciousness merely follows the manas's view of self, expressing the manas's view of self. In this case, the person was hypnotized, the six consciousnesses weak or vanished — did not the manas display a very strong view of self and self-grasping? In fact, what has been protecting the "self" all along is the manas. Self-grasping originates from the view of self; without the view of self there is no self-grasping; the strength of the manas's self-grasping precisely shows the strength of the manas's view of self.

19. The Manas's Manifestations in Hypnosis Show It Has the Mental Factor of Recollection (2)

How is language produced? How are brainwaves produced? Why can one not speak when the body is weak? Why, when the body is weakened to the extreme, do the brainwaves disappear? Why, fearing the password's disclosure, does the manas extinguish thoughts, thereby making the brainwaves disappear? Instrument measurements found that brainwaves come first, language sounds after; language sounds are the mind consciousness's function, while brainwaves are entirely the manifestation of the manas having ideas and thoughts; without the six consciousnesses, the manas still has mental activity and brainwaves. As soon as the manas has a thought, the brainwaves fluctuate; the brainwaves are unrelated to the mind consciousness; the manas directly extinguishes its own thoughts; with no recollection, there are no brainwaves.

If the body is not weak and has strength, a stream of qi is produced at the dantian; when this qi rises to the tongue faculty, language is produced. This shows the mind consciousness's activity is regulated and directed by the manas, centered on the manas. When the manas does not want to speak, does not want to express thoughts, there is no language or words; when the manas does not want to use the brain, the brainwaves fluctuate gently. What does this show? It shows the manas is the master, the king, the sovereign; the six consciousnesses are the servants, the ministers. "To catch bandits, first catch the king": cultivation must exert force on the manas; changing the manas is the royal way.

Does the manas actually have the mental factor of recollection? In the hypnotic state, because the manas has mental thoughts, brainwaves can appear; without mental thoughts there are no brainwaves. Wanting to achieve some purpose is the desire mental factor (chanda); does the manas have the desire mental factor? In the hypnotic state, the manas wants to protect the secrets in the heart and extinguishes thoughts — this wanting to protect is the desire mental factor. Clearly understanding and determining the object-realm is the determination mental factor (adhimokṣa); does the manas have the determination mental factor? In the hypnotic state, the manas clearly understands the content of the hypnotist's speech and the hypnotist's purpose — this is the determination mental factor. The manas's unwavering protection of the secrets in the heart is the concentration mental factor (samādhi). To protect the secrets, shutting down the thoughts in the heart — this is the manas's wisdom mental factor (prajñā). All afflictive mental factors also take the manas as the main; the mind consciousness's afflictions all revolve around the manas and do not count for much, easy to arise and easy to cease. As long as the manas has no afflictions, the mind consciousness of course has none; what the king does not allow, how can the servants do?

Consider also wartime: Communist Party members arrested by the enemy, tortured to extract confessions, enduring inhuman physical and mental torment — those with firm will never betrayed or sold out the organization even unto death. Was it the mind consciousness that was firm or the manas? Did the mind consciousness have faith or the manas? Was the hatred the mind consciousness's or the manas's? All dharmas lie with the manas. The manas deeply hates someone, yet outwardly uses the six consciousnesses to disguise itself, appearing to like this person very much; but a person of wisdom sees at a glance that in his bones it is hatred, not liking. In the hypnotic state, the manas's dominant position and mental factors are clearly observed; the manas's functions are extremely important.

20. Evidence That the Manas Has the Mental Factor of Recollection and Afflictive Mental Factors

A person's mind keeps thinking about a problem; suddenly he becomes aware of the thought in his mind and feels startled, even with a guilty feeling like a thief, quickly shaking his head to throw off the thought, thinking: how could I have this idea?

From this example one can see a person has two mental thoughts: one thought's idea arises autonomously, operating secretly — this is the manas's mental thought. The other thought at first has no awareness of the first thought, and upon suddenly becoming aware of it, feels surprised — this is the mind consciousness's mental thought. This shows the two thoughts are not identical; the mind consciousness's and the manas's ideas and views are not entirely the same; the two minds are not always in a state of mutual communication, mutual knowledge, and coordination. This also shows the manas's mental thoughts can arise at any time, can be uncontrolled by the mind consciousness, and sometimes can also be controlled by it. After the mind consciousness discovers it and feels it wrong, it feeds back to the manas, and the manas temporarily cuts off that thought; whether it will arise again later depends on the mind consciousness's power of control and the effect of persuasion and perfuming. Why does the manas keep giving rise to thoughts? How can one make the manas give rise to thoughts of the Buddha-dharma, thoughts of investigating Chan, and give rise to the questioning doubt of the Great and Small Vehicles?

Ordinary people's mind consciousnesses lack sufficient concentration and wisdom, and do not easily perceive the manas's mental thoughts; they do not even know what ideas they themselves have, yet unknowingly are driven by these ideas, muddledly doing certain things and saying certain things, and regret after awakening. If a thought of killing arises in the manas's mind, and the mind consciousness perceives it, it suddenly startles, feeling fear and doubt — this shows the manas has an angry mind, unknown to the mind consciousness; once perceived, it thinks: "I have such a thought?" Afterwards the two communicate, exchange, and perfume each other; when the manas's mental thought gains the upper hand and the mind consciousness decides to obey, they will collude as partners in evil, formulating and implementing the murder plan.

Formulating and implementing a theft plan is the same: the manas dominates, the mind consciousness obeys and assists. The evil karmic actions creating the afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion all arise thus. If the mind consciousness gives rise to afflictive thoughts of greed, anger, and delusion while the manas is pure, the mind consciousness's thoughts will not last long before vanishing, and may even be forgotten. These are wrong thoughts the mind consciousness perfumed from the external environment; if the manas holds to its original mind, the mind consciousness's thoughts are like floating clouds, scattering as soon as told to scatter. If the mind consciousness persistently and continuously contacts defiled environments and wrong thoughts keep appearing, reaching a certain accumulation, the manas may be perfumed and led astray, with the result of together with the mind consciousness creating defiled karma of greed, anger, and delusion. Therefore the environment a person is in plays a great role in his growth and greatly influences his ideas and views; only by dwelling among the good can one follow good and avoid evil.

That afflictions can continue and transmigrate life after life proves the manas has afflictions; the six-realm cycle of birth and death proves the manas has afflictions; the twelve-linked chain of dependent origination proves the manas has afflictions — and has all afflictions. That sentient beings are born carrying afflictions proves the manas has afflictions, has all afflictions. If the manas had no afflictions, no certain affliction, how then would all afflictions or a certain affliction appear? When did they begin to appear?

21. The Manas's Recollective Power Equals Karmic Power

The manas's power of wisdom (prajñā-bala) and recollective power are necessarily inseparable from meditative power; these three are absolutely inseparable. At the time of death, in the antarā-bhava, and after conception, everything relies on the manas's power of wisdom and recollective power. If the manas's wisdom power is good, the recollective power is good; at death one conceives by the manas's recollective power, determining the next life's destiny. The manas's recollective power is equivalent to karmic power. If the manas's wholesome vows are strong, right recollection is strong, showing that cultivation has changed the power of evil karma, wholesome karma exceeding unwholesome karma; if the manas's unwholesome thoughts are strong, evil karma is strong — this person's cultivation is ineffective, and at death and conception he is drawn by the stronger. If the manas has not realized the Buddha-dharma, at death and conception one is not a noble one but still an ordinary being with an ordinary being's destiny, transmigrating through birth and death according to destiny. If one does not strengthen the manas's wisdom, does not rely on the manas's wisdom, a lifetime's cultivation has no effect to show.

For example, recollecting the Buddha and recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) is right recollection. If reciting the Buddha's name has not perfumed the manas, the manas has not formed the habit of reciting the Buddha's name and so does not want to recite; at death the mind consciousness is weak, cannot recall reciting the Buddha, or lacks the strength to recite; then one does not correspond with the Buddha, cannot sense the Buddha coming to receive one, and can only drift with karma, transmigrating through birth and death. The result: a lifetime of reciting the Buddha's name leaves only a bit of seed, which plays no role at death. Such is the retribution of those who only grasp at the mind consciousness and do not cultivate deeply.

22. Only When the Manas Has the Mental Factor of Recollection Can One Recite the Buddha's Name Unconsciously

If reciting the Buddha's name and sutras has not successfully perfumed the manas, if the manas has no mental thought of reciting the Buddha's name and sutras, has not memorized the Buddha's name and the sutra text, then it cannot happen that after the mind consciousness wakes up, it finds itself still reciting the Buddha's name and sutras, or that after the mind consciousness finishes work, it turns back to find itself still reciting. The mind consciousness's unconscious reciting of the Buddha's name and sutras is all led by the manas; it is the state of the manas's spontaneous cultivation: the manas likes reciting the Buddha's name and sutras, and the mind consciousness, led by the manas, never forgets to recite no matter what it does. Therefore the manas must have the mental factor of recollection, must have memory, and must have determination (adhimokṣa); otherwise the manas could not be perfumed and would not keep thinking of reciting the Buddha's name and sutras. From another angle, the manas must also accord with meditative concentration, having become a habit; persisting in one thing is concentration — only thus can the mind consciousness constantly do one thing.

23. Why Does the Manas Have Memory and Habits?

When there is no mind consciousness's supervision and guidance, on what basis does the manas deliberate (manasikāra) and choose? On the inertial cognition it has always carried on, called habit, also called experience. The manas has experienced countless people, events, objects, and principles great and small, and has never perished, never been interrupted; therefore the manas has no "which life, which world," no "life after life" — He has only one single life, and His experience is extremely rich. Although the manas lacks rigorous logical deliberation, inference, and analysis, the experience it has carried on and accumulated suffices to let it react quickly and cope when encountering sudden events, with relatively few errors — truly seasoned by experience.

On this point, the manas absolutely has memory. If He had no memory, He would be cut off from Himself and from people and things of one second ago, unable to recall any person or matter from one second before; then the manas's volitional mental factor would not decide to awaken the mind consciousness to discern matters from one second before; before and after one second would be split into two unrelated segments, and no dharma in the world could develop any further. Not to mention the manas letting the mind consciousness recall childhood events — there would be no such thing as "past events"; all undertakings would likely cease and lapse, because there is no connection between before and after; forgetting things would happen constantly, and normal life would be impossible.

24. Does the Buddha Still Give Rise to Mental Movement and Thoughts?

Among the five object-specific mental factors there is the mental factor of recollection. The Buddha's eight consciousnesses all have the five object-specific mental factors, all have the mental factor of recollection; therefore all eight consciousnesses move thoughts. With one thought the Buddha can manifest countless Buddha-lands and countless transformation bodies. The Buddha has deliberation, and so has thoughts; all of the Buddha's first seven consciousnesses have recollection; only the thoughts the Buddha moves are all pure thoughts, without ignorance. The Buddha's eight consciousnesses are all wisdom-consciousnesses; whatever is a consciousness-mind has mental factors; with mental factors there are thoughts; with a consciousness-mind there are thoughts. The Buddha also has thoughts, deliberates, has ideas; the Buddha also recollects certain sentient beings, recollects certain matters, the matter of delivering sentient beings; the Buddha also devises strategies and thinks of methods.

The deluded mind is the false mind, the consciousness-mind that is arisen, the consciousness-mind lacking self-mastery; the seven consciousnesses are all deluded minds. The Buddha's seven consciousnesses are also arisen, subject to birth and illusory transformation — also deluded minds. The thoughts arising from the seven consciousnesses are called deluded thoughts. The deluded thoughts of sentient beings and the Buddha's deluded thoughts differ greatly: sentient beings' deluded thoughts have ignorance; the Buddha's deluded thoughts have no ignorance, being completely and thoroughly pure.

25. When the Manas Is Constantly Examining and Deliberating, Are There Any Thoughts in the Mind?

Only when the manas has a dharma it thinks of does it deliberate and examine; first there is recollection, then deliberation and examination; without recollection there is no deliberation. If the manas's mind is empty, recollecting nothing, there is no mental activity, no need to examine or deliberate anything; at this time the manas is pure. But when the manas has not been subdued, its grasping at conditions is rather heavy, the thoughts in its mind are very many, and so the mind endlessly deliberates, ponders, examines, judges, and weighs without stop; what it cannot figure out by day, it continues examining and deliberating at night; in severe cases one wakes at midnight unable to sleep. Hence it is said that sentient beings' manas has the nature of constant examination and deliberation. For arhats whose manas has been subdued, there are almost no thoughts in the mind; they do not much think about things; the manas only occasionally deliberates, but not constantly — it cannot be called "constant." Therefore, whenever the manas deliberates a dharma, there is a thought; the deliberated dharma is the thought, the manas's recollection.

26. The Difference and Connection Between the Mental Factor of Perception and the Mental Factor of Recollection

The five universal mental factors: attention (manaskāra), contact (sparśa), feeling (vedanā), perception (saṃjñā), volition (cetanā). The five object-specific mental factors: desire (chanda), determination (adhimokṣa), recollection (smṛti), concentration (samādhi), wisdom (prajñā). The mental factor of perception belongs to the five universal mental factors, operating at all times and places; whenever a consciousness-mind appears, the mental factor of perception operates, because the consciousness-mind's main function is to recognize and know the contacted dharmas; perception is discerning and knowing, taking a mark upon the mind. Only after taking a mark upon the mind can there be choice; only after choosing a dharma can the five object-specific mental factors operate.

The operation of the five object-specific mental factors: first, toward the chosen dharma one gives rise to desire, interest, aspiration, and seeking; after gaining some determination (adhimokṣa) regarding the dharma, one recollects it, and the mental factor of recollection appears. Without the prior knowing of the dharma, there would be no subsequent determination of it; if the dharma cannot be determined, one will not recollect it. Because one does not understand the dharma and does not aspire to it, how could one keep it in mind and recollect it? Being able to keep it in mind shows one has already understood the dharma and feels it important, needed by oneself. This means that because there is the mental factor of perception, there is the mental factor of recollection — hence the word "xiangnian" (think of): first thinking, then recollecting.

This mental factor of recollection corresponds to the mindfulness factor among the seven factors of enlightenment. For example, having studied the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths, only by fully understanding the Four Noble Truths, knowing their importance for the cycle of birth and death, and having attained a considerable degree of determination, can the mindfulness factor of enlightenment appear, the mind constantly thinking of the Four Noble Truths and comparing them with daily five-aggregate activities. If one has not yet fully discerned and known the principle of the Four Noble Truths, one cannot recollect the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths. A thought is the mental factor of recollection; it is not present at all times — there are interruptions. If uninterrupted and the recollection lasts long, whatever dharma is recollected, one is concentrated on that dharma and has meditative power. Therefore after the mental factor of recollection comes the mental factor of concentration.

From this one can see that the operation of the five universal mental factors has no preconditions; they can follow the consciousness-mind at all times and places, whereas the appearance of the five object-specific mental factors necessarily requires preconditions; they cannot appear at all times and places, only occasionally when conditions are complete. The mental factors of desire, determination, recollection, concentration, and wisdom each require different conditions; the five mental factors are respectively also the conditions for the appearance of the subsequent mental factors; the prior mental factors can determine whether the subsequent mental factors appear. Therefore the wisdom mental factor is not possessed by everyone and cannot appear on all dharmas; the concentration mental factor is thus, the recollection mental factor is thus, and the determination and desire mental factors are all thus.