The Two Klesha Caitasika Dharmas of Manas

The defilement mental factors associated with the mental faculty are divided into two types. One type constantly accompanies the mental faculty in its manifest activities without interruption for even a moment, such as the defilements mentioned in the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra: self-view, self-conceit, self-love, and ignorance (self-delusion). The other type does not constantly accompany the mental faculty in its manifest activities; this refers to mental factors other than the aforementioned four defilements, such as major, medium, and minor derivative defilements like anger, joy, and resentment. If these defilements were to manifest constantly, the physical and mental well-being of sentient beings, both self and others, would be severely harmed, their lives would become chaotic, and their lifespan would not endure. Only the defilements of self-view, self-love, self-attachment, and self-conceit are those that constantly manifest in ordinary sentient beings.

All people, when encountering profound teachings, are unable to engage in direct contemplation and practice; they can only grasp a superficial understanding. Therefore, they can only resort to rote memorization. The doctrine of the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination reveals that the reason sentient beings undergo endless birth and death within the six realms is due to the ignorance of the mental faculty. If the mental faculty were without ignorance, the Twelve Links would cease, the defilements of sentient beings would be exhausted, and they would be liberated from birth and death. Ignorance conditions volitional formations; volitional formations condition consciousness. Fully understanding these seven words clarifies whether the mental faculty truly possesses anger. If there is no anger within the ignorance of the mental faculty, it will not prompt the six consciousnesses to create karmic actions of anger, thereby reducing karmic actions leading to birth and death by nearly half. As for the consciousness having anger, it is inconsequential because the consciousness cannot determine the creation of karmic actions of anger; thus, there would be no seeds of anger karma, and consequently, no karmic actions of anger leading to birth and death.

Furthermore, where does the anger of the consciousness originate? How does it arise? Many people are unable to directly observe whether the mental faculty possesses anger, cannot clearly delineate the logical dialectical relationship between the mental faculty and the consciousness, and are unaware of the origin of the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the six consciousnesses. They merely engage in rote memorization and consider their shallow understanding to be correct. As stated in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, at the very beginning of a sentient being's life, only the mental faculty and the ālaya-vijñāna exist. Only after the mental faculty gives rise to thoughts do heaven, earth, the myriad things, and the five aggregates and six consciousnesses come into being. If the mental faculty has no anger, where does the anger of the consciousness come from? How do karmic actions of anger appear? Why do sentient beings struggle and fight with each other? How does this arise?

The defilements of the consciousness are easy to subdue and eradicate. Merely understanding the theory and comprehending it clearly allows for effective control over the defilements. However, because the mental faculty does not sever the defilements, when encountering fundamental problems, if the consciousness is momentarily negligent, the defilements immediately reappear, and the person reveals their true nature. For instance, during dreams, or after becoming intoxicated, when the consciousness is weakened and lacks reason, the defilements of the mental faculty manifest fully. Are the anger and angry actions displayed after intoxication also those of the consciousness? Why is it easier to commit unwholesome karmic actions after drinking? Why does one reveal their true nature after drinking? Why does one's character become apparent after drinking?

Subduing defilements refers to eradicating the defilements of the consciousness, but this is only temporary, not permanent. If the defilements of the mental faculty are not severed, the defilements eradicated by the consciousness will re-arise when conditions are sufficient, fundamentally uncontrollable. Therefore, the defilement of anger is only completely severed at the third fruition stage (anāgāmi), which indicates that the mental faculty severs the defilement of anger only at the third fruition. The anger defilement of the consciousness can be eradicated during the stage when an ordinary person understands the principle, but this is not ultimate. When encountering special conditions, the consciousness can still manifest the anger defilement. For example, some people have a gentle temperament, are exceptionally good-natured, and never become angry under normal circumstances—this is a state where the consciousness lacks anger. However, once encountering a special situation that touches their bottom line, such a person might still commit murder. This is the anger of the mental faculty manifesting.