Exploring the Path - Pāli Course

Kiccasaṅgahe kiccāni nāma
paṭisandhibhavaṅgāvajjanadassanasavanaghāyanasāyanaphusanasampaṭicchanas
antīraṇavoṭṭhapanajavanatadārammaṇacutivasena cuddasavidhāni bhavanti.¹

In the compendium of functions there are fourteen kinds: rebirth-linking, life-continuum, adverting, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, receiving, investigating, determining, javana, registration and departure.

Every moment in life one sees, hears, smells, tastes and touches tactile objects as well as thinks, plans, ruminates and ponders. How does humankind, more or less ‘automatically’ and quite ‘naturally’, manage to fulfil all such tremendous tasks every day and every instance of their lives? It seems that all happens mechanically.

For example, while reading a newspaper or a book, letters have to be recognised and composed into words then constructed into sentences and pages turned even while music is playing or the TV is running in the background. Still, one seems to comprehend what is written!

But does all meaning get fathomed? Will all the news of the newspaper be clearly and fully grasped; does all the information reach the reader’s intelligence?

Obviously there will be a wide difference in comprehending various news and not every input through all of the sense doors will be fully recognised. How do such processes automatically operate to relieve an individual from the deliberative need of worrying about such complex functions?

The Abhidhamma provides a thorough explanation about the phenomenon of cognition which is labelled cittavīthi. Vīthi means ‘street, avenue, road’, so the compound cittavīthi is translated as ‘course of cognition’, ‘cognitive process’, ‘processed cognition’ or ‘process of cognition’. The cittavīthi description classifies the possible functions that different types of consciousness take on under certain conditions so that the ‘process of cognition’ can operate.

As an example, when a driver moves his car from the garage onto the street, up to the main road, into a roundabout and then continues onto the highway, he has to undertake a fixed process that undergoes certain regulations. In the same way, once an object has entered the process of cognition it has to follow a fixed process to be fully recognised. This process is called cittavīthi.

It is explained that the ‘survival’ of each object up to final recognition in the course of cognition is variable. The cittavīthi process depends on what object impinges on the mind, whether it is an external or an internal object. When an external material object intrudes into the range of perception then it is recognised through any of the five sense doors (pañcadvārā). In the case of a mental object that impinges on the mind-door (manodvārā), the process is slightly different and more complex. Here it also depends whether it is merely an object of ideation² or an object that was first recognized by the sense door process and then needs to be processed further. There is a fixed period during which such a process has to be completed and this process consists and depends on the number of what are called ‘thought-moments’ (cittakkhaṇa). It will be seen below that a cittavīthi process consists in general of seventeen thought-moments. Similar to matter that vibrates, oscillates, and gets composed and decomposed in high frequency, the speed in which likewise mental states (cittāni) arise, disappear and exchange themselves is, according to the Abhidhamma, significantly faster.³

Before a brief portrayal of a cittavīthi process will be described,⁴ one needs to know that in general two processes are taking place. One is the process of cognising objects, the other is the constant subliminal flow of the maintaining life-energy or life-continuum that the Abhhidhamma terms bhavaṅga. This term derives from the combination of bhavassa + aṅga: being, becoming + part of, or from bhavaṅga: bhava + aṅga: existence + factor. In addition to ‘life-continuum’ as a translation, ‘sub-consciousness’ or ‘subliminal consciousness’ are sometimes used.

The bhavaṅga continuously flows on passively in its own course from the first moment of conception, maintaining the ‘mood’ of existence that has been imprinted on it through the paṭisandhicitta or paṭisandhiviññāṇa, the ‘relinking resultant consciousness’, at the first moment of conception. The paṭisandhicitta ‘imprints’ the quality of the last citta of the previous existence ‘onto’ or ‘into’ the bhavaṅga which maintains that ‘engraved individual character’ throughout the period of this very existence.⁵ It constantly ‘flows’ on silently and thus maintains the continuity of the individual but stops as soon as a cognitive process begins whenever any object enters the range of the six sense doors. The bhavaṅga upholds its silent function till the last moment of existence when departure or death (cuti) takes place. That is why the three cittāni in the above compound — paṭisandhi, bhavaṅga, and cuti — do not belong to the process of cognition and are therefore called process-freed (vīthimutta). Special emphasis is given to the last cittavīthi process that occurs just before the cuticitta, the decease-consciousness, as here the kammic conditions are laid for the next existence. ⁶

It must also be mentioned that a variety of the described cittāni perform these different functions. A citta may be compared to a person, who performs the function of a teacher in his job, as a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a friend, as a private stockbroker or even as a football player on weekends. In the same way, the same citta can take on various functions in different situations. Thus in the case that the wholesome sense-sphere consciousness citta ‘somanassasahagataṃ ñāṇasampayuttaṃ asaṅkhārikaṃ’ occurs as the very last moment citta in the previous existence, it will take on the resultant function of ‘somanassasahagataṃ ñāṇasampayuttaṃ asaṅkhārikaṃ’. With this in a good kammically determined next existence, this paṭisandhicitta conveys the mood and individual character ‘inherited’ from that last moment citta onto the life-continuum. The bhavaṅga will then sustain this ‘mood’ during its passive stream till the last moment up to death (cuti)⁷ when a new last citta (just before death) will again ‘adopt’ the respective different mood as new paṭisandhicitta:

Pariyosāne ca cavanavasena cuticittaṃ hutvā⁸ nirujjhati. Tato parañca paṭisandhādayo rathacakkamiva yathākkamaṃ eva parivattantā pavattanti.⁹

At the termination, the moment of passing away, it (the bhavaṅga) — having been the death-consciousness — perishes. Thereafter the rebirth-linking consciousness, and others, continue to occur in due sequences like a wheel of a cart.

Thus this next paṭisandhicitta ‘transports’ or ‘conveys’ the new impact to the next existence¹⁰ and ‘into’ the next existence’s bhavaṅga, and thus the flow of kamma is maintained ‘like a wheel of a cart’ that rolls on and on.

During each existence embedded in such vīthimutta-process millions of cittavīthi processes take place. The cittavīthi process for the pañcadvāravīthi, the process through the sense doors, runs as follows:

⏺   During the flow of bhavaṅga a passive state of mind prevails as long as no object interrupts it.

⏺   bhavaṅgacalana: when any object arrives at a sense door, a ‘vibration’ or ‘trembling’ of the bhavaṅga occurs. It is compared to a small pebble that falls on a placid water surface stirring the passive state of mind, i.e., the silent flow of the bhavaṅga. 

⏺   bhavaṅgaviccheda: what follows is called ‘stoppage’, ‘interruption’ or ‘arresting’ of the bhavaṅga, i.e., the flow is disrupted and does not continue.

These stages last three thought moments (one thought moment each) and then the actual process of cognition takes place:

⏺   pañcadvārāvajjana: (cakkhuviññāṇaṃ-dassana, sotaviññāṇaṃ-savanna, ghānaviññāṇaṃ-ghāyana, jivhāviññāṇaṃ-sāyana, kāyaviññāṇaṃ-phusana). The awareness or alertness that arises at or through the five sense doors (pañcadvārā) is called āvajjana, i.e., ‘opening’, ‘adverting’ or ‘turning’ to the object. The five senses automatically get alerted, or simply turn to an impression that has entered their range. This usually takes one thought moment. Āvajjana gets translated as ‘adverting’. ¹¹

⏺   sampaṭicchana: here the ‘entered’ object is ‘received’, ‘marked’ or’ noted’. It merely marks that there exists something without further analyses of any details. It does not comprehend the object but simply notices that there is ‘something’. Sampaṭicchana is translated as ‘marking’ or ‘receiving’.

⏺   santīraṇa: the function is to ‘investigate’ the object, ‘examine’ it in detail. The mind turns to the object and tries to determine the object’s nature via mental recollections based on past experiences, comparisons. Santīraṇa is translated as ‘investigation’.

⏺   voṭṭhapana: this is where the investigation part turns into ‘determination’. The term voṭṭhapana means ‘to stand, rest, settle down’. Here the characteristics of the object are ascertained, a clear attitude about the object as ‘such and such’ is achieved. It is said that at this point the ‘gateway’ for a moral or immoral thought process gets determined. ‘Right’ or ‘wrong’ discrimination results in ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘wholesome’ or ‘unwholesome’.

Again these stages last one thought moment each. So up to this point, eight thought moments have passed in a normal process.

⏺   javana: all translators have decided to leave javana untranslated. It literally means ‘running’, ‘swift’, ‘swift understanding’ and ‘alacrity’. It is described as a ‘lively, swift state of mind’ that adjusts the object according to its own suitability. It is at this moment that an agreeable object is approved as agreeable or a disagreeable object is rejected as disagreeable. Thus wholesome or unwholesome consciousness arises when the mind directly utilizes or rejects the respective object as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ or vice versa. The same object here may result in a different ‘apperception’ which will constitute different kammic effects depending on the ‘decision’ that is taken. Here seven similar thought moments occur and are described as having different strengths.¹²

⏺   tadārammaṇa: it literally means ‘that’ (tad) + ‘object’ (ārammaṇa). It describes that ‘that object’, conceived during the previous seven thought moments of the javana, is registered. It usually lasts two thought moments. Here the translation as ‘registration’ for tadārammaṇa seems to be best applicable, or ‘functioning’ on ‘that object’. It also is called tadālambaṇa.

The termination of the described process so far is seventeen thought moments: 3 + 5 (5 * 1) + 7 + 2 = 17.

Thus it seems obvious that not every one of the various physical and mental objects, which one constantly encounters, may be fully recognised. Therefore the analysis of the processes subdivides objects, corresponding to their respective impact on the doors, according to the force with which these present themselves. Those of a very great impact are called ‘very great object’ (atimahantaṃ), then there are ‘great objects’ (mahantaṃ), ‘small’ (parittaṃ) and ‘very slight object’ (atiparittaṃ) that arise at the five sense doors (pañcadvāre). When ideational objects occur at the mind-door (manodvāre), they are differentiated into clear (vibhūtaṃ) and obscure (avibhūtaṃ) objects.¹³

Thus, in case of a dominant impact, the process of cognition will begin immediately and the full process up to the seventeenth though moment will be traversed.¹⁴ But there are cases where not all required seventeen thought moments can be passed through. Thus in the case of a less forceful impression, the process starts with a later thought moment only, and here the object will not reach up to the end of the process but terminates midway¹⁵ or even halfway.¹⁶ Some objects that are not recognised at all only create a vibration but then die out immediately.¹⁷

It was stated previously that the manodvāravīthi, the process that occurs through the mind door, is a bit more complex. All objects, when they occur at the mind door, are already determined. Here a process up to voṭṭhapana is not necessary as only known objects appear at the mind door. So the mind door cognition process is differentiated according to the objects that occur: clear or obscure objects, sense objects that need to be progressed further, merely mental objects and objects that refer to the process of absorption.

⏺   A clear mind door process: a clear (vibhūta) object enters the range of the mind door:

Manodvāre pana yadi vibhūtamārammaṇaṃ āpāthamāgacchati,¹⁸ tato paraṃ bhavaṅgacalanamanodvārāvajjanajavanāvasāne tadārammaṇapākāni pavattanti, tato paraṃ bhavaṅgapāto.¹⁹

When a clear object enters the range of the mind-door then the following occurs: vibration of the bhavaṅga, mind-door adverting, the javana-process and the registration resultants. Then there is subsidence (fall back) into the bhavaṅga.

This process consists of ten thought moments beginning after the bhavaṅgacalana as preliminary, considering the mind-door adverting with one, the javana with seven and registration with two.

⏺   When the object is not clear but obscure (avibhūta), the process ends after the javana and then falls back into the bhavaṅga without any registration.²⁰

⏺   Consequent process: it is the name for the mind-door process as described above that happens in order to fully recognise sense objects that had already undergone the process through the pañcadvāravīthi. It is said that during this consecutive, ‘conformational’ process the object as a whole, in its colour, entity and name gets fully and distinctively recognised.

⏺   Independent mind-door process: this term refers to the manodvāravīthi which registers merely ideational objects. These can be a memory of a material object, an idea, a reflection, inference, comprehension, etc.

⏺   Appanājavana manodvāravīthi:²¹ this term describes the (rare) process of one-pointed fixation of the mind on one object. A meditator focuses on a certain object during meditation and because the meditator plainly captures it, that object is clearly perceived. Thus the process of absorption needs to be differentiated from the general manodvāravīthi. The appanājavana is described as one that runs in quick succession leading the meditator from the sense field to absorption. During this process the function of preparation (parikamma)²² is followed by the stage of access (upacārā),²³ again leading to the third function and moment of conformity (anuloma) which runs in accordance with the previous and the last stages. The last is called ‘change of lineage’ (gotrabhū). It can be the change of lineage from the sense sphere into the subliminal sphere jhāna or the one from lokiyo to lokuttaro when one turns into an ariya puggala.

It should be repeated that the description of such delicate, subtle and rapid successive processes as described by the Abhidhamma are not necessarily observable by a meditator but simply should serve as an outlook into the deeper elucidations of the teaching. For an average meditator it may be well enough to focus on the constant, rapid and interchanging flow of sensations and thus get a glimpse into the apparent nature of constant change. From there, one may then also dive into the deeper levels of the mind and thoroughly comprehend all four satipaṭṭhānā, in which the exchanging process of mental characteristics and contents confirm the dhammic truth that everything is anicca, dukkha and anatta.²⁴