The Five Object-Specific Mental Factors of the Five Sense Consciousnesses

Question: The first five consciousnesses only have the function of direct perception (pratyakṣa) in discerning, without inference. Therefore they should not possess the five object-specific mental factors. The arising and operation of the first five consciousnesses is mainly driven by the manas, right?

Answer: The first five consciousnesses have the mental factor of meditative concentration (samādhi). If the five consciousnesses had no concentration, the eye consciousness would grasp at multiple objects, the ear consciousness at multiple objects, the nose consciousness at multiple objects, the tongue consciousness at multiple objects, and the body consciousness at multiple objects; the mind consciousness would certainly follow along and grasp at multiple objects as well—would not the mind then be in great confusion? If the five consciousnesses had no concentration, the mind consciousness could not be concentrated either; the mind consciousness would inevitably discern everywhere along with the five consciousnesses, and in this way the mind would easily become tangled in chaos.

It is evident that the five consciousnesses can each become concentrated on one or two objects without scattering, discerning in a subtle manner; this shows that the five consciousnesses can have concentration and be in correspondence with concentration. If the six consciousnesses had no concentration, it would show that the manas is unconcentrated, because the grasping at objects by the five and six consciousnesses is the result of being led by the manas's clinging; if the manas does not wish to perceive objects, the six consciousnesses cannot perceive objects. Therefore, if the manas had no concentration and were not in correspondence with concentration, cultivation could never attain meditative concentration (dhyāna), and the four dhyānas and eight samādhis could not be cultivated; sentient beings could only live in the human world of the desire realm, and there would be no sentient beings in the heavens.

The five consciousnesses have the wisdom of discernment; they can generate discrimination and confirmation regarding the five sense objects, and can clearly discern and discriminate the five sense objects. Therefore the five consciousnesses have the mental factor of wisdom (prajñā). When the wisdom of the five consciousnesses is strong, it is also brought forth by the concentration mental factor of the five consciousnesses—concentration giving rise to wisdom is precisely this principle. By the same token, most of the wisdom of the manas is also brought forth by concentration, especially the wisdom after afflictions have been eradicated and consciousness has been transformed into wisdom, which is even more brought forth by the concentration mental factor of the manas. Since the five consciousnesses can confirm what the five sense objects actually are, this shows that the five consciousnesses have the mental factor of determination (adhimokṣa), being able to clearly understand and firmly determine the characteristics of the dharmas of the five sense objects.

The five consciousnesses' capacity to approach or avoid the objects of the five sense objects shows that the five consciousnesses have the mental factor of desire (chanda). For example, when the eye consciousness encounters gentle colors, it actively approaches them; when it encounters intensely glaring sunlight, it naturally avoids it—this is the desire mental factor of the eye consciousness. The ear consciousness strives to avoid grating sounds, while toward gentle, soft music the mind yearns for it. The nose consciousness has an inclination to avoid pungent odors, while toward warm fragrances it approaches the object and gives rise to craving and attachment. The tongue consciousness actively seeks out and approaches delicious flavors, while striving to avoid irritating tastes. The body consciousness approaches gentle and pleasant touches and gives rise to craving and attachment, while urgently avoiding touches that are contrary and intensely painful. The above shows that the five consciousnesses have a weak desire mental factor, far weaker than the desire mental factor of the mind consciousness, not manifesting obviously and not easy to observe.

The five consciousnesses also have a certain degree of mindfulness (smṛti) toward previously experienced objects; because of this mindfulness, they can have the desire mental factor, and can give rise to craving and attachment, not wishing to leave the object, clinging to the object without letting go.

The five consciousnesses possess the five object-specific mental factors in full, only weakly; generally they manifest as the five object-specific factors of the consciousness accompanied by the five senses (pañca-sahagata-mano-vijñāna), but upon subtle analysis, they can still be distinguished. On the whole, the arising and operation of the five consciousnesses is still controlled and determined by the manas; thus the desire mental factor of the five consciousnesses appears even weaker and more vague, obscured by the manipulation of the manas, and very difficult to detect.