Buddhism by the numbers - 51 mental formations

 According to Buddhist psychology, there are 51 mental formations or mental factors (cetasikas) that can arise in the mind. These are typically categorized as follows:

1. Universal mental factors (7):

- Contact (phassa)

- Feeling (vedanā) 

- Perception (saññā)

- Volition (cetanā)

- One-pointedness (ekaggatā)

- Life faculty (jīvitindriya)

- Attention (manasikāra)

2. Occasional mental factors (6):

- Initial application (vitakka)

- Sustained application (vicāra)

- Decision (adhimokkha)

- Energy (viriya)

- Joy (pīti)

- Desire (chanda)

3. Unwholesome mental factors (14):

- Delusion (moha)

- Shamelessness (ahirika)

- Fearlessness of wrongdoing (anottappa)

- Restlessness (uddhacca)

- Greed (lobha)

- Wrong view (diṭṭhi)

- Conceit (māna)

- Hatred (dosa)

- Envy (issā)

- Avarice (macchariya)

- Worry (kukkucca)

- Sloth (thina)

- Torpor (middha)

- Doubt (vicikicchā)

4. Beautiful mental factors (25):

- Faith (saddhā)

- Mindfulness (sati)

- Shame (hiri)

- Fear of wrongdoing (ottappa)

- Non-greed (alobha)

- Non-hatred (adosa)

- Neutrality of mind (tatramajjhattatā)

- Tranquility of mental body (kāyapassaddhi)

- Tranquility of consciousness (cittapassaddhi)

- Lightness of mental body (kāyalahutā)

- Lightness of consciousness (cittalahutā)

- Malleability of mental body (kāyamudutā)

- Malleability of consciousness (cittamudutā)

- Wieldiness of mental body (kāyakammaññatā)

- Wieldiness of consciousness (cittakammaññatā)

- Proficiency of mental body (kāyapāguññatā)

- Proficiency of consciousness (cittapāguññatā)

- Rectitude of mental body (kāyujukatā)

- Rectitude of consciousness (cittujukatā)

- Right speech (sammāvācā)

- Right action (sammākammanta)

- Right livelihood (sammā-ājīva)

- Compassion (karuṇā)

- Appreciative joy (muditā)

- Wisdom faculty (paññindriya)

These 51 mental factors combine in various ways to create our mental states and experiences. Understanding and cultivating wholesome mental factors while reducing unwholesome ones is an important aspect of Buddhist practice[1][2].

Citations:

[1] https://plumvillage.org/transcriptions/51-mental-formation

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_factors_%28Buddhism%29

[3] https://plumvillage.app/our-mind-and-mental-formations/

[4] https://studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/science-of-mind/mind-mental-factors/primary-minds-and-the-51-mental-factors

[5] https://thebuddhistcentre.com/system/files/groups/files/the_51_mental_events.pdf