Kamavacara cittas

According to Abiddhamma there are four classes of Cittas(mind). Citta means consciousness of the senses or awareness of an object. Four cittas are given below:

1. Kamavacara Citta{consciousness mostly experienced in the sense spheres( Kama-loka)}

2. Rupavacara Cittas{ consciousness mostly experienced in the fine, arterial sphere(Rupa-loka)}

3. Arupavacara Cittas{ consciousness mostly experienced in the immaterial sphere(arupa-loka)}

4. Lokuttara Cittas{consciousness mostly experienced in the supramunde(transcendental)}

Now I am explaining about Kamavacara Cittas. There are 54 Kamavacara Cittas which are divided into three classes. They are:

1. Akusala Cittas- immoral consciousness (12)

2. Ahetuka Cittas-rootless consciousness (18)

3. Kama-sobhana Cittas-beautifule consciousness in the sense-sphere (24)

Kamavacara Citta{consciousness mostly experienced in the sense spheres( Kama-loka)} is 54.

1. Akusala cittas(immoral consciousness)

Akusala means ‘immoral’. People usually commit wicked and evil deeds with akusala cittas. So akusala cittas bear bad results. Akusala cittas are 18 Cittas and They are divided into 3 groups. They are (i) Lobha cittas-8 (consciousness rooted in greed or attachment), (ii).Dosa citta-2 (consciousness rooted in hatred or illwill) and (iii) Moha-2 (consciousness rooted in delusion or ignorance) are the three roots of evil. Their opposites are the roots of good.

Lobha, from lubh, to cling, or attach itself, may be rendered by 'attachment' or 'clinging'. Some scholars prefer 'greed'. Craving is also used as an equivalent of lobha. In the case of a desirable object of sense, there arises, as a rule, clinging or attachment. In the case of an undesirable object, ordinarily there is aversion.

In Pali such aversion is termed dosa or patigha. Dosa is derived from dus, to be displeased. Patigha is derived from 'pati', against, and 'gha' (han), to strike, to contact. Ill-will, hatred are also suggested as equivalents of 'patigha'.

Moha is derived from muh, to delude. It is delusion, stupidity, bewilderment. It is 'moha' that clouds an object and blinds the mind. Sometimes 'moha' is rendered by ignorance. According to Abhidhamma, moha is common to all evil. Lobha and dosa do not arise alone, but always in combination with moha. Moha, on the other hand, does arise singly-hence the designation 'momha', intense delusion.

(i) Lobha cittas are eight cittas. They are given the following.

1.1 Somanassa-sahagatam ditthigata- sampayuttam asankharikam ekam.

1.2 Somanassa-sahagatam ditthigata- sampayuttam sasankharikam ekam.

1.3 Somanassa-sahagatam ditthigata- vippayuttam asankharikam ekam.

1.4 Somanassa-sahagatam ditthigata- vippayuttam sasankharikam ekam.

1.5 Upekkha-sahagatam ditthigata- sampayuttam asankharikam ekam.

1.6 Upekkha-sahagatam ditthigata- sampayuttam sasankharikam ekam.

1.7 Upekkha-sahagatam ditthigata- vippayuttam asankharikam ekam.

1.8 Upekkha-sahagatam ditthigata- vippayuttam sasankharikam ekam

(ii) Dosa cittas are two cittas. They are given the following.

1.1 Domanassa- sahagatam patigha-sampayittam asnkharikam ekam(One consciousness, unprompted, accompanied by displeasure, and connected with illwill).

1.2 Domanassa- sahagatam patigha-sampayittam sasnkharikam ekam(One consciousness, prompted, accompanied by displeasure, and connected with illwill)

(iii) Moha cittas are two cittas. They are given the following.

1.1 Upekkha-sahagatam vicikiccha-sampyuttam ekam( One consciousness, accompanied by indifference and connected with skeptical doubt).

1.2 Upekkha-sahagatam uddhacca-sampyuttam ekam( One consciousness, accompanied by indifference and connected with restlessness).

2. Ahetuka Cittas( Rootless Consciousness)

Hetu=mula=cause or root-condition

Akusala-hetu=unwholesome roots(lobha, dosa, moha)

Kusala-hetu= wholesome roots (alobha, adosa, amoha)

There are 18 Ahetuka Cittas and they bear bad kamma resulty. They are divided into three groups. They are:

i. The 7 Akusala-vipaka cittas are unwholesome resultant cittas that arise as the inevitable result of akusala cittas

ii. The 8 Ahetuka kusala vipaka cittass are wholesome and roothess resultant cittas that arise as the inevitable results of kusala cittas.

iii. The 3 Ahetuka kiriya cittas are rootless functional consciousness.

Of the seven Akusala-vipaka Cittas the first 5 are know as Panca-vinnana 5 cittas that are aware of the 5 senses. These 7 Akusala-vipaka cittas are:

i.i. Upekkha-sahagatam cakkhuvinnanam( eye-consciousness accompanied by indifference)

i.ii. Upekkha-sahagatam sotavinnanam( ear-consciousness accompanied by indifference)

i.iii. Upekkha-sahagatam ghanavinnanam(nose-consciousness accompanied by ghanavinnanam)

i.iv. Upekkha –sahagatam jivhavinnanam(tongue- consciousness accompanied by indifference)

i.v. Upekkha-sahagatam kayavinnanam(body-consciousness accompanied by painful feeling)

i.vi. Upekkha-sahagatam sampaticchana-cittam( receptive-consciousness accompanied by indifference)

i.vii. Upekkha-sahagatam santirana-cittam(investingating-consciousness accompanied by indifference.

ii. The 8 Ahetuka kusala vipaka cittass are:

ii.i. Upekkha-sahagatam Upekkha-sahagatam cakkhu-vinnanam(eye-consciousness accompanied by indifference)

ii.ii. Upekkha-sahagatam sotavinnanam( ear-consciousness accompanied by indifference)

ii.iii Upekkha-sahagatam ghanavinnanam(nose-consciousness accompanied by ghanavinnanam)

ii.iv. Upekkha -sahagatam jivhavinnanam(tongue- consciousness accompanied by indifference)

ii.v. Upekkha-sahagatam kayavinnanam(body-consciousness accompanied by painful feeling)

ii.vi Upekkha-sahagatam sampaticchana-cittam(receptive-consciousness accompanied by indifference)

ii.vii. Upekkha-sahagatam santirana-cittam(investingating-consciousness accompanied by indifference.

ii.viii. Somanassa-sahagatam santirana cittam(investingating-consciousness accompanied by joy)

In the Abhidhamma Teaching we are in contact with disagreeable senses in account with our own past according to our own past akusala-kamma( unwholesome deeds) and at these instances akusala vipaka cittas will arise in the cognition process. On the other hand we are in contact with agrreable senese on account of our own past kusala-kamma(wholesome deeds) and at these instances kusala-vipaka cittas will arise in the cognition process. All the akusala-vipaka cittas and the ahetuka kusala vipaka cittas, being comparatively weak as they are not aware of the senses as good or bad yet, are accompanied by neutral feeling; the exception are that the two body kayavinnana cittas are accompanied by either painful or pleasant feeling and the somanass-santirana cita, which arise when the sense is excellent, is accompanied by joy.

iii. The 3 ahetuka kiriya cittas are:

iii.i. Upekkha-sahagatam pancadvaravajjana-cittam(five-door adverting consciousness accompanied by indifference)

iii.ii. Upekkha-sahagatam manodyaravajjana-cittam(mind-door adverting consciousness accompanied by indifference)

iii.iii. Somanassa-sahagatam hasituppada-cittam(smile-producing consciousness accompanied by joy)

The functions of the first two in the process of cognition are that the mind adverts consciousness towards the sense. For example, the Panacadvaravajjana citta works like a wave-length selector of a radio. Because of it we can take note of the senses one after one. When the sense or thought object appears at the mind-door, it is manodvaravajjana, which adverts the consciousness towards the sense.

The third process, which is the Hasituppada-citta can arise only in Buddha and Arhats when they smile.

2. Kama-sobhana cittas(Beautiful Consciousness of the sense sphere): Kama-sobhanan cittas are 24 kama-sobhnana cittas. They are divided into three groups. The are given below:

i. Maha-kusala cittas( great moral consciousness)-8

ii. Maha-vipaka cittas(great resultant consciousness)-8

iii. Maha-kiriya cittas(great functional consciousness)-8

Maha-kusala cittas occur when normal world lings and ariyas with the exclusion of arahats perform meritorious deeds such as dana (offer), sila(morality) and bhavana(meditation).

Maha-vipaka cittas are kamma-results of maha-kusala cittas of past lives. They function as patisandhi-cittas(rebirth consciousness), bhavanga-citt(sub consciousness or life-continuing conciousness) and cuti-citta( death conciousness) in human beings and devas in their present lives.

Maha-kiriya cittas occur in arahats when they perform wholesome deeds. Arhats have no attachment to anything. They expect no rewards from their wholesome deeds. So their kiriya-cittas are just functional and will not bear any kamma-results in future lives. Arahats do not have any future life.

i. Maha-kusala cittas( great moral consciousness) are eight cittas. They are:

i.i. Somanassa-sahagatam nana-sampayuttam asankarikam ekam.

i.ii. Somanassa-sahagatam nana-sampayuttam sankarikam ekam.

i.iii. Somanassa-sahagatam nana-vippayuttam asankarikam ekam.

i.iv. Somanassa-sahagatam nana-vippayuttam sankarikam ekam.

i.v. Upekkha-sahagatam nana-sampayuttam asankarikam ekam.

i.vi. Upekkha-sahagatam nana-sampayuttam sankarikam ekam.

i.vii. Upekkha-sahagatam nana- vippayuttam asankarikam ekam.

i.viii. Upekkha-sahagatam nana- vippayuttam sankarikam ekam

Maha-vipaka Cittas and Maha-kiriya Cittas: The eight maha-vipaka cittas as well as the eight maha-kiriya cittas are named in the same way as the eight maha-kusala cittas. When one wishes to differentiate between the three groups of cittas.

• somanassa-sahagatam nan-sampayuttam asankharika maha-kusala citta,

• somanassa-sahagatam nan-sampayuttam asankharika maha-vipaka citta,

• somanassa-sahagatam nan-sampayuttam asankharika maha-kiriya citta,

Usually it is said that the first maha-kusala citta gives result to the first maha-vipaka citta and the second maha-kusala citta to the second maha- vipaka citta.

Condition for the arising of the maha-kiriya cittas in arahats are the same as those described for maha-kusala cittas.

The end I have tried to explain Kamavacara Cittas according to my knowledge. I have taken some source from teacher lecture papers. Kamavacara cittas long discus. Here I sort explain about kamavacara cittas.

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