This higher doctrine of the Buddha describes two important sections of the Dhamma called “ Citta” and what they contain, called “Cetasikas”. At the outset it is important to make a proper distinction between these two entities. The mind or ‘citta’ is not ‘cetasika’ and ‘cetasika’ or ‘citta-content’ is not the mind or ‘citta’, They are two quite separate entities.

As an illustration let us consider a house and its contents. A house does not mean doors or windows. Conversely, doors and windows do not mean a house. A house does not mean a roof and a roof does not mean a house. They are two different entities. However, when we consider a house there is no house without a roof or doors or windows. When we talk of a house, the doors and windows are its components. That is not all. A house has a floor. There are other 102 features in a house such as beds, tables and chairs. When we talk of a house we consider all of these items taken together and call all of them a house. As mentioned earlier, what is meant by a citta or thought or mind and cetasika or its contents are two different entities.

But they all work together like a hand and its fingers. A hand is different from its fingers. But there is no hand without fingers. Here the ‘citta’ is comparable to the hand and fingers are like the ‘cetasikas’. They exist together, live together and also die together.

There are 52 cetasikas. Of them there are 14 which are totally contained and operate in unwholesome or ‘akusala’ thoughts. There are 25 wholesome or ‘kusala cetasikas’. The other 13 cetasikas operate in both kusala and akusala thoughts. We have no problem with kusala cetasikas. They grow and fruition in due course. But we do have a problem with those 14 akusala cetasikas.

If in a country with good and bad people living together, there are more bad people than good ones in it, it would be like war-zone. There will be frequent quarrels and it would not be a good place to go. Even if only a few are bad they will cause problems to others. Of the 52 cetasikas there are only 14 bad ones.

But because of them even the good ones cannot operate in comfort. There are 25 good cetasikas. Only 14 are bad ones. Now let us suppose that the citta or mind is trying to do good. But the bad ones do not allow them to operate.

Ref: The Signs Of Formations By Bhante Jinalankara Thero