The mental factors of the seventh consciousness (manas) transform in accordance with one's cultivation

Mental factors (caittas) are the mental activities of the conscious mind. Through continuous study and practice, the mental activities of the seven consciousnesses are continually subdued, and the mental activities will continually transform: deep and heavy afflictions turn into mild afflictions, and mild afflictions gradually disappear. Wholesome mental factors will become more numerous and stronger, the mental activities will become increasingly pure, meditative concentration (samādhi) will become more stable and firm, and wisdom will become deeper and more penetrating. Therefore, through continuous practice, the mental factors will continually undergo transformation. If one has practiced for a period of time but the mental factors have not changed at all, the afflictions have not become milder, meditative concentration has not arisen, and wisdom has not advanced, then the practice is not effective.

The hallmark of whether a Buddhist practitioner has achieved success in cultivation lies in the mental factors. When practice is truly accomplished, the afflictive mental factors of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses will decrease and be eliminated, the wholesome mental factors will increase and become complete, and the functions of the five object-specific mental factors will also increase and become complete. When one cultivates to the stage of Buddhahood, the eight consciousnesses will fully possess all twenty-one mental factors, with their functions brought to the utmost. A true Buddhist practitioner should, at every stage, observe his own mental factors—that is, introspect his own mind-ground. If he finds that his mind-ground has not changed much, it shows that his practice is still not effective, and perhaps he has not yet gotten on the right track. Each person's level and progress of cultivation differ, and so the mental factors differ, which shows that people's minds are all different. If someone claims that his mind consciousness has as many as fifty-one mental factors, while the afflictive mental factors of the manas remain as many and as heavy as before, then such a person is still a beginner in Buddhism, with extremely heavy afflictions and very poor moral conduct.

Generally, the mental factors discussed in the bodhisattva treatises refer to the mental factors of the eight consciousnesses of ordinary beings and bodhisattvas who have not yet transformed the basis, not to the mental factors of the eight consciousnesses of post-bhūmi bodhisattvas (bhūmi-pratiṣṭhita-bodhisattva) who have already transformed the basis. These mental factors must all undergo transformation through continuous practice; only then does it represent achievement in cultivation, only then can one transform consciousness into wisdom, and only then can the path to Buddhahood gradually approach perfection. The transformation of mental factors is the hallmark of success in cultivation.

In fact, even before reaching the stage of transformation of the basis and attaining the bhūmis—after making some progress in practicing Buddhism—the mental factors of the several consciousnesses are already quietly transforming; it is only that the accumulated quantity is not yet sufficient to bring about a qualitative leap. Mental factors are the marker of whether a person has cultivated or not. Even when non-Buddhists attain meditative concentration, the mental factors of their seven consciousnesses will undergo some transformation. Mental factors are not fixed and unchanging, nor are they identical in everyone. Even among sentient beings who have not yet begun to cultivate, the mental factors of their conscious minds are not entirely the same; each has its own emphasis. Thus, this person's contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) of his own mental factors reveals one thing, while that person's contemplation of his own mental factors reveals another; they are not necessarily the same. This shows that human natures each have their differences, and people's minds are not all alike.

If someone, through valid direct cognition, observes that the mental factors of his sixth consciousness include the six root afflictions of greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, doubt, and wrong view (mithyā-dṛṣṭi), as well as eight universal afflictions, two intermediate afflictions, and ten minor afflictions, then such a person has no cultivation whatsoever—neither meditative concentration nor good moral character. Ordinary people cannot directly observe the mental factors of their seventh consciousness; but if one could directly observe that the mental factors of one's seventh consciousness include intense greed, hatred, and delusion, as well as laziness, distraction, lack of faith, forgetfulness, restlessness, incorrect knowledge, non-diligence, torpor, strong self-grasping, deep arrogance, heavy greedy attachment, strong self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi), and a tendency toward seeking out objects, all stubbornly held and hard to change, then such a person has no cultivation at all, and meditative concentration will be very difficult to arise.

If this person's seventh-consciousness mental factors do not correspond at all with the eleven wholesome mental factors, then his practice has not gotten on track at all; his afflictions are very heavy, and he may even be an evil person. Even ordinary people who have not studied Buddhism have a wholesome side to the manas's mental factors; if the wholesome outweighs the unwholesome, such a person can ascend to the heavens after death and enjoy blessings. The cycle of the six realms of rebirth is determined by the wholesomeness or unwholesomeness of the manas's mental factors: if the manas is mentally wholesome and performs wholesome karma, one ascends to the heavens in the next life; if the manas is unwholesome and commits evil karma, one falls into hell in the next life. From this we can know that for bodhisattvas after the first bhūmi, who are in the stage of having transformed the basis, because they have eliminated afflictions and their mind-ground has reached purity (anāsrava), the mental factors of their sixth and seventh consciousnesses must necessarily undergo transformation: afflictive mental factors are eliminated, wholesome mental factors increase, and the mental factors of meditative concentration and wisdom are strengthened. This is absolutely inevitable; otherwise they would be no different from ordinary beings.

When practice becomes effective, the universal afflictions are the first to lessen, and some are eliminated. For example, the mental factor of non-faith lessens and is eliminated, gradually turning from disbelief to belief, and finally to complete faith; the mental factor of laziness lessens and is eliminated, and one gradually becomes diligent; the mental factor of non-diligence lessens and is eliminated—whereas before one constantly indulged one's body and mind in pleasure and ease, now one has no interest in such things; the mental factor of torpor rarely appears—whereas before one would feel drowsy as soon as one began to practice, now one's energy is vigorous and one's attention highly focused; the mental factor of restlessness also decreases and disappears—whereas before, when studying Buddhism, one's wandering thoughts flew about, now experiences pass without lingering, and one does not fantasize about the future; whereas before the mind was always very scattered, now when contemplating the Dharma, one can concentrate for a period of time; whereas before one had incorrect knowledge of the Four Noble Truths, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, and other Buddhist teachings, now one's views are correct; whereas before, when one recited the Dharma in one's mind, one would forget it after a while, now one can keep it constantly in mind without forgetfulness.

As practice deepens, the intermediate afflictions will also become mild and may even be eliminated. For example, whereas before, when one did wrong, one always lacked shame and remorse, now the sense of shame and remorse gradually increases; if one commits a major wrongdoing, one will feel deeply ashamed. From this we can see that only when afflictive mental factors decrease and lessen will wholesome mental factors correspondingly increase and strengthen; when afflictive mental factors are eliminated, wholesome mental factors appear.