”attention”, ”mental advertence”, ”reflection”.
1. As a psychological term, attention belongs to the formation-group (sankha^ra-kkhandha; s. Tab. II) and is one of the 7 mental factors (cetasika) that are inseparably associated with all states of consciousness (s. cetana^). In M. 9, it is given as one of the factors representative of mind (na^ma) It is the mind”s first ”confrontation with an object” and ”binds the associated mental factors to the object.” It is, therefore, the prominent factor in two specific classes of consciousness: i.e.”advertence (a^vajjana, q.v.) at the five sense-doors” (Tab. I, 70) and at the mind-door (Tab. I, 71). These two states of consciousness, breaking through the subconscious life-continuum (bhavanga), form the first stage in the perceptual process (citta-vi^thi; s. vin~n~a^na-kicca). See Vis.M. XIV, 152.
2. In a more general sense, the term appears frequently in the Suttas as yoniso-manasika^ra, ”wise (or reasoned, methodical) attention” or ”wise reflection”. It is said, in M. 2, to counteract the cankers (a^sava, q.v.); it is a condition for the arising of right view (s. M. 43), of Stream-entry (s. sota^pattiyanga), and of the factors of enlightenment (s. S. XLVI, 2.49,51). - ”Unwise attention” (ayoniso-manasika^ra) leads to the arising of the cankers (s. M. 2) and of the five hindrances (s. S. XLVI, 2.51).