Mental associates from XiongShili

What is the main topic here, and why talk?

In this paper, I would like to introduce the theory about mental associates from contemporary Chinese philosopher, XiongShili.

So called mental associates theory is about 38 mental factors which associate and accompany with mind. When the mind is working, there will be plenty of associate factors working together. XiongShili tried to clarify how many and what kinds of mental associates will be there.

Why should we learn this theory? Because theory reveal how suffering happen and how to remove it.

In his opinion, mind is the manifestation of the substance, which is the reality, is clear and pure, and the mental associates are complex factors arose later. Mental associates work together with mind, but sometimes they tend to surpass the mind and make mind unclear or invisible. For example, when a baby found a lemon on the table for the first time, he will notice that there is a yellow matter on the table. Then, he might be seduced by the yellow color or smell of lemon, and naturally want to taste it. After he bite the lemon and taste the sour juice in it, he might begin to like or dislike the sour taste, and then determine whether to eat the lemon in the future. In this process, mind helps baby noticing the lemon on the table, and all the mental associates cause baby desiring, tasting, feeling, liking or disliking, determining and so on. Until now, we just describe a nature process happened everyday. But the main reason for this description is that these nature process tends to lose control and cause endless defilement.

Thus we move to the part of defiled mental associates and whole mental associates. Defiled mental associates include all kinds of emotion problems, bad feelings, bad habits. And whole mental associates meant the specific method to solve those problems. Let’s continuing the example above. If the baby determined to eat more lemon, and want it endlessly, this is exactly the result of ‘greed’; therefore parents need to come and stop him, this is what we called ‘non-greed’. Greed is the problem and non-greed is the solution here. Both of them are mental associates.

From this little example, we watched that how did mental associates arose between a baby and a lemon. XiongShili purpose is to point out all the mental associates matter here. So that people will know how to deal with them and how to save themselves.

As a philosopher in Chinese tradition, XiongShili hardly studied philosophy without the care towards practical humankind problems. He suffered from endless war and corrupt government, supposed that political system and social reform are not primary rpoblem but the mind. He thought that everybody have clear and pure mind, but just covered by the defiled mental associates. Thus he suggested people realized that there is a pure mind underneath and practiced whole mental associates to deal with those defiled ones.

Actually his purpose and logic is not complex at all. It is clear. The only complex one is the list of mental associates themselves.

How would you like to introduce it?

In this paper, I would talk about 3 main parts of mental associates. By these 3, I would reveal that Xiong how show his core philosophical thinking here.

Obviously, there is a problem that, whether you should talk about how did everything differs from before? Or what’s the main idea of Xiong?

The difference is the core? Or the core is the core?

For example, Xiong moved ‘uncertainty’ from defiled one to the object-discerning one, but does it matter? This transformation of course mean something, but did this part significantly build XiongShili’s philosophy.

Of course I have a little doubt here.

But this problem is open.

I want to examine the meaning of these parts.

Thus, I would compare all these items and give an direct information that what’s the difference here and there. Since I have compared them before, it is easy to reveal some differences.

Real problems here

I think you have to consider the real difference here, not only the superficial transformation. But some significant changing, some words he did not say before.

Thus, the comparison should be done between those key problems.

Like what I have compared before, the difference between Xiong and Yogacåra is quite obvious.

• The 1st difference is that the Omnipresent mental associates have some new definitions. ‘Received sensations’ became polarized with only enjoyment and disliking. This leads to ‘desire’ becoming a eternal factor here. To Xiongshili, ‘Desire’ is the symbol of life. Once the desire is here, the life will be continuing. For Buddhism, desire is only the part of acknowledgement; for Confucianism, desire is also a hard issue to be talked. But for Xiong, desire has been put at a core place for life. Even a important place which mind have to come together with it. But do I need to concentrate on the tradition of desire’s problem? I don’t think so. But this problem do have some hard-core contents.
  
• The 2nd difference is the ‘uncertainty’. For Buddhism uncertainty meant the doubt towards Buddhist teaching. But for XiongShili, uncertainty means to refuse the authority and transition, to look for the truth by personal investigation. Since the point is totally different, Xiong’s transformation only shared name with Buddhism but not contents.
  

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