The mental factors of the seventh consciousness (manas) are not fixed and unchanging

Mental factors (caittas) are the mental activities of the conscious mind. Through continuous study and practice, the mental activities of the seven consciousnesses constantly subdue one's own mind; the mental activities must continuously transform, from heavy and deep afflictions to mild afflictions, and mild afflictions disappear. Wholesome mental factors become more and more numerous and stronger, mental activities become more and more pure, meditative concentration becomes more and more stable, and wisdom becomes deeper and more penetrating. Therefore, mental factors certainly must be continuously changed through cultivation. If after a period of practice the mental factors have not transformed at all, afflictions have not become milder, meditative concentration has not arisen, and wisdom has not advanced, then the practice is not yet effective.

The hallmark of whether a Buddhist practitioner has achieved attainment lies in the mental factors. When true attainment is reached, the afflictive mental factors of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses are reduced and eliminated, wholesome mental factors increase and become complete, the functions of the five object-specific mental factors increase and become complete, and at the buddha-stage the eight consciousnesses fully possess all twenty-one mental factors, with their functions exerted to the utmost. A true practitioner of Buddhism should, at every stage, observe his own mental factors—that is, his mental activities. If he finds that his mind has not changed much, it shows that his practice is not yet effective, and perhaps he has not yet gotten on the right track. Each person's level of practice and progress differ, and so their mental factors differ; this 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 numerous and heavy as before, then this person is a beginner in Buddhism, with extremely heavy afflictions and very poor character.

The mental factors discussed in the general bodhisattva treatises refer to the mental factors of the eight consciousnesses of ordinary beings and bodhisattvas who have not yet accomplished the transformation of the basis, not to the mental factors of the eight consciousnesses of post-bhūmi bodhisattvas who have already accomplished the transformation of the basis. These mental factors must all undergo transformation through continuous practice, so that consciousness can be transformed into wisdom; only then does this represent achievement in cultivation, and only then can the path to buddhahood gradually approach perfection. The transformation of mental factors is the hallmark of attainment in practice.

In fact, before the transformation of the basis is accomplished, after one has entered the Buddhist gate and practiced with some results, the mental factors of the several consciousnesses are already quietly transforming; it is only that the accumulation of quantity is not yet sufficient, so that a qualitative leap cannot yet occur. Because mental factors are the marker of whether a person has cultivated or not—even non-Buddhists who have attained meditative concentration have some transformation in the mental factors of their seven consciousnesses—mental factors are not fixed and unchanging, nor identical for everyone. Even for sentient beings who have not yet begun to practice, the mental factors of their conscious minds are not all the same; each has its own emphasis. Therefore, this person directly observes his own mental factors to be thus, while that person directly observes his own mental factors to be otherwise; 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 directly observes that the mental factors of his sixth consciousness include the six root afflictions of greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, doubt, and wrong views, along with eight major derivative afflictions, two middling derivative afflictions, and ten minor derivative afflictions, then this person has no cultivation whatsoever—neither meditative concentration, nor good character and moral cultivation. Ordinary people cannot directly observe the mental factors of their own seventh consciousness; but if one could directly observe that the mental factors of one's seventh consciousness include strong greed, hatred, and delusion, as well as non-faith, distraction, laziness, forgetfulness, restlessness, incorrect knowledge, non-diligence, torpor, strong grasping at self, deep arrogance, deep greedy attachment, strong self-view, and a tendency toward seeking out objects of attachment—and if these are stubborn and hard to change—then this person has no cultivation at all, and meditative concentration will also be very hard to bring about.

If this person's seventh-consciousness mental factors do not correspond at all with the eleven wholesome mental factors, then this person's practice has not even gotten started; his afflictions are very heavy, and he may 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, this person can ascend to the heavens at death and enjoy blessings. The transmigration through the six realms is determined by the wholesomeness or unwholesomeness of the manas's mental factors: if the manas's mind is wholesome and performs wholesome karma, one ascends to the heavens in the next life; if the manas is unwholesome and commits unwholesome karma, one falls into hell in the next life. From this it can be known that for bodhisattvas at the first bhūmi and beyond, who abide in the stage of having accomplished the transformation of the basis, because they have eliminated afflictions and their minds have reached the untainted state, the mental factors of their sixth and seventh consciousnesses must necessarily undergo transformation: afflictive mental factors are eliminated, wholesome mental factors increase, and the samādhi mental factors and wisdom mental factors are strengthened. This is absolutely inevitable; otherwise they would be no different from ordinary beings.

When practice becomes effective, the major derivative afflictions are the first to lighten, and some must be eliminated. For example, the mental factor of non-faith lightens and is eliminated, going from non-faith gradually to faith, and finally to complete faith; the mental factor of laziness lightens and is eliminated, and one gradually becomes diligent; the mental factor of non-diligence lightens and is eliminated—whereas before one constantly indulged one's body and mind in pleasure and ease, now one has no interest in any of that; the mental factor of torpor rarely appears anymore—before, one would feel torpid as soon as one began to practice, but now one's energy is vigorous and one's attention highly focused; the mental factor of restlessness also decreases and disappears—before, when studying Buddhism, stray thoughts flew about, but now experiences pass through the mind without lingering, and one does not fantasize about the future; before, the mind was always very scattered, but now when contemplating the Buddha-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 Buddha-dharmas, now one's views are correct; before, one would recite the Buddha-dharma in one's mind and forget it after a while, but now one can keep it in mind continuously without forgetfulness.

As practice deepens, the middling derivative afflictions 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 wrong, one feels deeply ashamed. From this it can be seen that only when afflictive mental factors decrease and lighten will wholesome mental factors correspondingly increase and strengthen; when afflictive mental factors are eliminated, wholesome mental factors appear.