Mind Consciousness Is a Dharma Arising from Causes and Conditions

Mind consciousness is a dharma arising from causes and conditions: there must be sense objects, the manas's attention (manaskāra) and deliberation (manasikāra), and the eighth consciousness transmitting seeds; and in the case of consciousness accompanied by the five senses (pañca-sahagata-mano-vijñāna), there must also be the five sense objects together with the cooperation of the five consciousnesses, before the functions of mind consciousness can manifest. The functions of mind consciousness include perceiving the various dharmas, perceiving the five consciousnesses, perceiving the manas, and perceiving the functions of the eighth consciousness; it can also introspect upon its own mind.

When one falls asleep, mind consciousness ceases and cannot perceive, much less introspect; when dreaming, mind consciousness has perception but hardly any power of introspection (pratyavekṣā-bala); when unconscious, mind consciousness ceases—there is no perception and no introspection; at death, mind consciousness ceases—there is no perception and no introspection; in the intermediate state (antarā-bhava), mind consciousness has perception but weak introspective power; at the second dhyāna and above, mind consciousness has perception but its introspective power is extremely weak, or there is no introspection; in the concentration of no perception (asaṃjñi-samāpatti), mind consciousness ceases—there is no perception and no introspection; in the cessation of perception and feeling (nirodha-samāpatti), mind consciousness ceases—there is no perception and no introspection. Dull and slow-witted people have perception but weak introspective power, or no introspection at all.