Of the fifty-one mental formations there are five universal mental formations that are operating all the time: contact, feeling, attention, perception, and volition. They form a sequence, with one mental formation leading to the next, and the whole process from contact to volition can take place in less than a second.
Contact occurs when a sense organ touches a sense object, for example when our eyes see a flower. Whether we’re aware of it or not, our senses are always coming into contact with something. A contact may make an impression that is mild or strong. Only when the intensity of a contact is important enough will attention manifest. Contact also serves as the foundation for feeling to arise. Mindfulness can come in at any time. But if it can be brought in by this point, it can intervene in the process of perception, before the energies of perception and volition push you to respond out of habit.
Perception is the energy that recognizes the form and characteristics of the object of our attention and gives it a name, like leaf or mountain. We have a concept of what is there. But we have to be careful, because all of us are frequently victims of wrong perception. We see a rope and may think it’s a snake. So whatever we touch with our mind, we should know first of all that it is the object of our perception, and that our perception may be erroneous. Mindfulness can help us avoid wrong perception.
Perceptions and feelings give rise to volition, the energy that pushes us to respond—to do something, to run toward or away from something. Sometimes you know that doing a certain thing may destroy you, yet you still want to do it, because your volition is so strong. With the intervention of mindfulness and concentration, you can have the insight and determination to say, “No,” and you are free.
Our brain has neuroplasticity; it can change, and we can change. The five universal mental formations form a neural pathway that can take us to a habitual response or, with the intervention of mindfulness, concentration, and insight, can create a new neural pathway that leads to understanding and compassion, happiness and healing.