In Buddhism, mental formations refer to the mental factors that arise in the mind and shape our thoughts, emotions, and actions. There are 52 mental formations recognized in Buddhist teachings, and they can be broadly categorized into five groups, known as the five universal mental factors:

1. Contact (phassa): The mental factor that enables the mind to come into contact with an object or experience.
2. Feeling (vedana): The mental factor that determines whether an object or experience is pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral.
3. Perception (sanna): The mental factor that recognizes and identifies objects and experiences based on their characteristics.
4. Volition (cetana): The mental factor that motivates and drives our thoughts, emotions, and actions.
5. Attention (manasikara): The mental factor that focuses the mind on a particular object or experience.

In addition to these five universal mental factors, there are many other mental formations that can arise in the mind, including positive factors like mindfulness, generosity, and loving-kindness, as well as negative factors like anger, greed, and delusion. Buddhist teachings emphasize the importance of recognizing and understanding our mental formations in order to cultivate positive qualities and overcome negative ones.
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