The Meaning of the Five Specific Mental Factors (the Five Determinate Mental Factors)

The five object-specific mental factors also accompany the mind consciousness in its operation, serving to assist its functioning, but they do not universally accompany the mind consciousness; they cannot accompany the mind consciousness at all times, cannot accompany it in all places, cannot accompany it throughout all realms, and cannot accompany it upon all dharmas.

The mental factor of desire (chanda) arises when the mind consciousness has the desire, intention, thought, and demand to create some dharma; it is the cause that initiates the subsequent operation of the mind consciousness. But desire cannot be present at every moment, nor in every place, nor upon all dharmas, nor in every stage of meditation. The mental factor of determination (adhimokṣa) is the mind consciousness's thorough understanding of a dharma. Only when the mind consciousness possesses the power of determination and has understood the dharma can it make correct choices and act with wisdom in accordance with reality. But the mind consciousness of most beings cannot maintain determination at every moment, nor in every place, much less have determination upon all dharmas. The mental factor of mindfulness (smṛti) is when the mind consciousness gives rise to mindful thought regarding dharmas it wants to create, is creating, or has already created, thereby initiating subsequent choices, creations, and continued creations regarding those dharmas. But the mind consciousness cannot have mindfulness at every moment and in every place; the manas, however, can have mindful thought at every moment and in every place—and then it abides in a state of meditative concentration (samādhi).

The mental factor of concentration (samādhi) is the mind consciousness's state of focused attention, a state in which the mind consciousness is neither distracted nor drowsy, a state in which its attention is highly concentrated and unified. But the mind consciousness cannot be in concentration at every moment and in every place, unless it is in profound meditative absorption and does not emerge from it. The mental factor of wisdom (prajñā) is the mind consciousness's powerful capacity for discernment, comprehension, reception, discrimination, choice, and action—its powerful ability to deal with problems. But the mind consciousness of ordinary beings cannot possess wisdom at every moment and in every place, much less upon all dharmas.

These five capacities do not appear at all times; they arise only under particular circumstances. But the eighth consciousness's power of determination, power of concentration, and power of wisdom (prajñā-bala) exist at all times and are manifest at all times; they exist everywhere and are manifest everywhere. Its discernment and functioning pervade all dharmas, and it also pervades the operation of the three realms and nine stages of being. The Buddha's first seven consciousnesses, however, possess determination, meditative concentration, and great wisdom at all times and in all places.