How To Understand The Mind
Condensed Meaning
Chapters: Part 1
1. What is Our Mind?
2. How the Mind is Able to Move
3. The Gross, Subtle and Very Subtle Minds
4. Primary Minds and Mental Factors
5. The Five All-Accompanying Mental Factors
6. The Five Object-Ascertaining Mental Factors
7. The Eleven Virtuous Mental Factors
8. Virtue, Non-Virtue and Delusion
9. The Six Root Delusions
10. The Twenty Secondary Delusions
11. The Four Changeable Mental Factors
1. What is Our Mind?
2. How the Mind is Able to Move?
3. The Gross, Subtle and Very Subtle Minds
The explanation of How to Understand the Mind begins with an explanation of what is our mind, how the mind is able to move, and the different levels of mind.
The definition of the mind is something whose nature is empty like space, always lacking form, shape and colour, and whose function is to perceive or understand objects.
2. The subtle mind
3. The very subtle mind
4. Primary Minds and Mental Factors
From the point of view of its function, the mind can be divided into primary minds and mental factors.
The definition of primary mind is a cognizer that principally apprehends the mere entity of an object.
Primary mind, mentality and consciousness are synonyms.
2. Ear consciousness
3. Nose consciousness
4. Tongue consciousness
5. Body consciousness
6. Mental consciousness
The definition of mental factor is a cognizer that principally apprehends a particular attribute of an object.
2. Object
3. Aspect
4. Time
5. Substance
2. The five object-ascertaining mental factors
3. The eleven virtuous mental factors
4. The six root delusions
5. The twenty secondary delusions
6. The four changeable mental factors
5. The Five All-Accompanying Mental Factors
2. Discrimination
3. Intention
4. Contact
5. Attention
The definition of feeling is a mental factor that functions to experience pleasant, unpleasant or neutral objects.
2. Unpleasant feelings
3. Neutral feelings
2. Mental feelings
2. Uncontaminated feelings
The definition of discrimination is a mental factor that functions to apprehend the uncommon sign of an object.
2. Discriminations associated with ear consciousness
3. Discriminations associated with nose consciousness
4. Discriminations associated with tongue consciousness
5. Discriminations associated with body consciousness
6. Discriminations associated with mental consciousness
2. Non-mistaken discriminations
2. Unclear discriminations
The definition of intention is a mental factor that functions to focus its primary mind on an object.
2. Virtuous intentions
3. Neutral intentions
2. Non-virtuous verbal actions
3. Non-virtuous mental actions
2. Non-meritorious actions
3. Unfluctuating actions
There is a threefold division of both meritorious and non-meritorious actions: those that are throwing karma, those that are completing karma, and those that are karma whose results are experienced in the same life.
The definition of contact is a mental factor that functions to perceive its object as pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.
2. Contact associated with ear consciousness
3. Contact associated with nose consciousness
4. Contact associated with tongue consciousness
5. Contact associated with body consciousness
6. Contact associated with mental consciousness
The definition of attention is a mental factor that functions to focus the mind on a particular attribute of an object.
2. Incorrect attention
2. Inappropriate attention