How Does the Mental Factor of Attention (Manasikāra) Arise?

The mental engagement (manasikāra) of the mind consciousness toward dharmas is an extremely complex process, and it is very difficult to observe it clearly. Initially, mental engagement toward dharmas occurs at the seed stage—that is, when the consciousness seeds have not yet been delivered and the mind consciousness has not yet arisen. This is because when consciousness seeds are about to arise, there needs to be a place of arising, a direction for mental engagement. This direction and place are the object of mental engagement—the location where the dharma resides.

For example, when playing basketball and needing to throw the ball into the hoop, the eyes must aim at the direction of the hoop to shoot; the ball cannot be thrown in other directions. This direction corresponds to the place of mental engagement, namely the hoop. Here, the basketball corresponds to the consciousness seeds, the human eyes correspond to the mind consciousness, and aiming corresponds to mental engagement. When holding the ball, the target should face the direction of the hoop; when shooting, the hand must align with the direction of the hoop, and one needs to prepare in that direction before throwing. Likewise, before consciousness seeds arise within the tathāgatagarbha, they also need a direction for arising. All consciousness seeds have mental engagement before they arise. When the mind consciousness arises at a certain place, arises upon a certain dharma, it must mentally engage with the place of that dharma.

After the consciousness seeds arise, the mind consciousness continues its mental engagement without interruption. This is because when the mind consciousness operates continuously upon a certain dharma, it must maintain mental engagement with that dharma. If mental engagement ceases, the delivery of consciousness seeds would shift direction, and the other mental factors—contact, feeling, perception, and volition—would no longer arise. Therefore, the mind consciousness must sustain mental engagement in order for its discrimination of a certain dharma to continue. Once mental engagement ceases, there will be no subsequent contact, feeling, perception, or volition. The mental factor of mental engagement (manasikāra) is very important; without it, the other mental factors would not arise either, and there would be no functioning of the mind consciousness with respect to that dharma.