Sarvāstivādin School's Five Categories
Great Tibetan Kingdom's Virtuous Tripitaka Master, Monk Facheng, at the Ganzhou Xiuduo Temple Dharma Assembly
There are five categories of phenomena:
1. Form 2. Mind 3. Mental factors 4. Formations not associated with mind 5. The unconditioned
What is meant by 'Form'? It refers to all material phenomena that arise from the Four Great Elements and are produced by them.
What are the Four Great Elements? They are the earth element, the water element, the fire element, and the wind element.
What is meant by 'derived form'? It refers to the eye faculty, the ear faculty, the nose faculty, the tongue faculty, the body faculty; all sights, sounds, smells, tastes, a portion of tangible objects, and also non-manifest form.
What are called the mental factors? They are mind, mentation, and consciousness. And what are these? They are the six consciousnesses: visual consciousness, auditory consciousness, olfactory consciousness, gustatory consciousness, tactile consciousness, and mental consciousness.
What are called the mental associates? They are the various phenomena that correspond with the mind. And what are these? They are: feeling, perception, volition, contact, attention, desire, resolve, faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, wisdom, investigation, examination, heedlessness, heedfulness, wholesome roots, unwholesome roots, indeterminate roots, various fetters, bonds, subtle and gross phenomena, various secondary afflictions, entanglements, abidings, knowledge, insight, and all direct realizations. There are also other phenomena that correspond with the mind. Categories such as these are called mental associates.
What are called the mental non-concurrent formations? They are the various phenomena that do not correspond with the mind. And what are these? They are: acquisition, the attainment of signlessness, the attainment of cessation, the state of signlessness, life faculty, commonality, acquisition of place, acquisition of object, acquisition of realm, birth, aging, abiding, impermanence, nominal aggregates, phrase aggregates, and syllable aggregates. There are also other phenomena that do not correspond with the mind. Categories such as these are called mental non-concurrent formations.
What is called the unconditioned dharmas? They refer to the three types of unconditioned: space, non-analytical cessation, and analytical cessation. These are called the unconditioned dharmas.