Mind-consciousness element (Buddhism)

This has the function of investigating or receiving. It appears five times among the indeterminate consciousnesses: as resultant with profitable or moral resultant, accompanied by joy or accompanied by equanimity or indifference; as resultant with unprofitable or immoral resultant; as functional accompanied by joy or accompanied by equanimity or indifference. It is without root cause (is unconditioned). Its proximate cause is the heart basis. As resultant it cognizes the six kinds of object (the five senses and the mind element). It is associated with joy when it is present at the occurrence of entirely desirable objects; it appears twice during the series of events comprising cognition, at the stage of investigating the five-doors (senses) and as registration at the end of impulsion or apperception. It is associated with equanimity or indifference when it is present at the occurrence of desirable-neutral objects; it appears five times, as it proceeds by investigating, registering, rebirth-linking or reconception, life-continuum, death.

In Hinayana Buddhism, 89 consciousnesses are enumerated in aggregate (khanda). Of these, 21 are profitable or moral, 12 are unprofitable or immoral and 56 are indeterminate (resultant or functional). The unprofitable all arise in the sphere of sense and desire, whereas profitable and indeterminate consciousnesses arise in sense, fine-material, immaterial and supramundane spheres.