The Concept of the Five Object-Specific Mental Factors (pañca-viṣaya-caitta)

At the buddha-stage, all eight consciousnesses possess twenty-one mental factors (caittas), and all of them are without the nature of self. The mental factor of desire (chanda) means having a goal to be accomplished; this goal does not necessarily carry the nature of self—it also has a selfless aspect. The mental factor of desire in a sage is selfless, without selfishness or personal craving; it is wholesome desire, arising with various thoughts and aims for the sake of sentient beings and for the sake of Buddhism. The nature of self is manifested in view-delusion and thought-delusion, and in ignorance; when ignorance is completely eliminated, the seventh consciousness is thoroughly without self.

The mental factor of determination (adhimokṣa) means having understanding, comprehension, and clarity with respect to the dharma one is engaged with. Only after clarity can one make choices and decisions, and only then can one act. The mental factor of mindfulness (smṛti) means having thoughts and mental attention in the mind. Whether it is mindfulness of dharmas one has experienced, or mindfulness of dharmas one wishes to know, it is all mindfulness—including the thought of investigating Chan, the thought of contemplating the Dharma—and only then can one's intentions and thoughts be realized. The mental factor of meditative concentration (samādhi) has two meanings: one is having a resolute mind regarding a dharma, remaining unshakably firm in that dharma; the other is being fixed on a certain dharma without moving, discerning and acting with single-minded focus. The mental factor of wisdom (prajñā) means wisdom-based action, wisdom-based discernment, wisdom-based choice, wisdom-based focus, and so on—all activities of consciousness are wisdom-based.

The mode of operation of the mind-king (citta) is manifested in the flowing forth and activity of the consciousness seeds; the mode of operation of the mental factors is manifested in the process of discerning, recognizing, and acting upon dharmas, such as the five universal mental factors and the five object-specific mental factors; it is also manifested in mental activities, such as wholesome mental factors, unwholesome mental factors, and mental factors that are neither wholesome nor unwholesome. These mental factors are not carried over from the consciousness seeds and are not of one substance with the consciousness seeds; each has its own mode of operation, yet they can merge together perfectly, cooperating seamlessly. In fact, the mode of operation of the mind-king is precisely the operation of the mental factors; the two are tightly bound together and cannot be separated.

Among the mental factors, the operation of the five universal mental factors and the five object-specific mental factors is not easy to distinguish from the activity and flowing forth of the consciousness seeds. Mental factors are easier to observe than the flowing forth of consciousness seeds; observing the flowing forth of consciousness seeds requires extremely deep meditative concentration and the wisdom of the seed-knowledge of Consciousness-Only. Mental factors are constantly changing: they can not only increase and decrease but also become more refined. The activity of consciousness seeds is sometimes concentrated and sometimes dispersed; when the consciousness seeds are dispersed in several places, the mental factors operate in those several places. Therefore, the mental factors operate in accordance with the flowing forth of the consciousness seeds and cannot operate independently.

For example, take the mental factor of meditative concentration among the five object-specific mental factors: when the mind-king can settle down, meditative concentration appears. This concentration can be strengthened, and it can also weaken and disappear; the mental factor of concentration is constantly changing—the more concentrated the consciousness seeds are, the stronger the mental factor of concentration becomes. These mental factors have a certain relationship with karmic seeds; they are bound together with the seeds of bodily, verbal, and mental actions from past lives. Therefore, the mental factors have a certain continuity between past and present lives. For example, for someone who practiced meditative concentration in a past life, if they practice meditative concentration a little in this life, the mental factor of concentration will easily arise.

Take another example, such as the mental factors of determination, mindfulness, and desire: each mental factor undergoes variation. Mental factors are not fixed; they can increase and decrease, and they can also undergo variation. They are related to karmic seeds and karmic power, yet they do not have separate karmic seeds of their own. For example, the mental factor of wisdom certainly increases or decreases continually through the conditioning of the environment; it is constantly changing. But the consciousness seeds of the mind-king do not change; the seeds themselves are forever pure as they are. The only difference lies in whether the seeds flow forth in a concentrated or dispersed manner: when the seeds are concentrated, the power of concentration is good, the force of discernment is great, and the wisdom of discernment is deep.