Samyuttanikaya Sagathavagga 7th Andhavagga 2nd Cittasutta:

(180) The deva asked,
        What leads the world?  What propels it forward?
        All the world evolves with the power of a dhamma, what is it?
(180) The Buddha answered,
        Citta leads the world.  Citta propels it forward.
        All the world evolves with the power of a dhamma, it is citta.

It seems that we all live in the same world, but in reality things that are rupa-dhamma that can appear through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body sense and mind would not seem important if there were no citta, which is a reality that experiences them.  But because citta experiences objects that appear through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body sense or mind, each person's world evolves according to his citta.  Which world is better: the world of a lot of accumulated kusala, ready for metta, karuna, mudita and upekkha to arise, or the world of hatred and irritation?  To see the same individual, hear the same story about him could cause each person's world to condition metta or hatred, according to the power of each one's distinct accumulations.

 What appears through the eyes seem to indicate that there are many people in this world depending on the time and place. But if we fully realize the characteristics of the experiencing element, or the intelligence which arises and sees that which appears, at that moment we would know the instant was only seeing, uniquely the world of sight, not a person, animal nor any material things.  At that precise instant, there is only seeing, not yet thoughts about the shape, size and other matters concerning the thing seen.

 It should be correctly understood that the moments we think of the world, animal, person or various objects are moments citta thinks thoughts about what appears through the eyes.  But the moment of seeing is another instant, not the moment we are thinking of what appears.  Each person has a succession of single citta arising consecutively till they seem like a wide world, full of people and things.  But to truly understand the world we must know that realities appear only with each moment of citta.  Because they arise and fall away consecutively with great speed, they seem like an ever-lasting, ostensibly permanent world with a multitude of animals, people and things.  In reality, each moment of the world is the citta arising to experience an arammana for only an instant then falls away.

In Khuddakanikaya, Mahanidesa, 8th Pasurasuttanidesa, there is the following passage: The word "mind" in the context of "Think ditthi with the mind" means mind, which is citta, heart, manas, hadaya, pandhara, mana, manayatana, manindriya, vinnana, vinnana-khandha, mano-vinnana, element born of phassa [contact] etc.

 The Buddha used many words to help us understand the characteristics of citta, which everyone possesses.  It is difficult to comprehend the characteristics of what is uniquely the element of intelligence because it is the reality that knows, that itself experiences.  Although everyone probably understands some meanings of citta or "mind" that each has, we only know that we have it.  Without examination we do not know exactly when or which moment is citta.

 In Atthasalini, the commentary of Dhammasanganipakarana, Cittupadakandha, Athipayacittanidesa, there is the following passage: A reality called citta because citta is an intricate reality.

 There is a multitude of intelligence, not just one.  Citta is an intricate reality.  Its intricacy appears when we think diverse thoughts.  No matter what we do each day, when we consider it, we realize it was all according to the intricacies of citta.

 What have we done today?  Then this evening or tomorrow, what shall we do?  If there were no citta, nothing can be done.  We all have things to do every day depending on our individual lives.  We can see that all actions are according to the intricacies of each person's citta which causes various physical actions and vocalizations in daily life.  Citta is a reality that thinks.  We think a lot, each differently.  Among those who are interested in dhamma studies, the considerations differ.  Opinions about the practice of dhamma also vary.  Even worldly matters, happenings in the lives of people in each country, which collectively become current world events, occur according to the intricacies of each person's mind.  Thus is the present world, depending on the thoughts of each contemporary individual.  And how the world will be tomorrow would be according to the citta that thinks distinct intricacies.

 It is evident that citta is an intricate reality.  The seeing citta of the eye is one kind, different from the hearing citta, which is another, and distinct from the thinking citta, for example.

Called "mana" because (citta) experiences arammana.

 The word arammana or alambana means that which citta knows.  When citta, or intelligence or mind element arises, that which citta experiences is called "arammana".

 Is sound real?  When hard things come into contact, they condition sound.  But if, at that instant, no citta arose to experience it, the sound is not arammana.  Therefore, no matter what happens because of conditions, if the citta does not experience it then it is not arammana.

 Called "hadaya" because (citta) is an internal reality.

 Citta is internal because it is conscious of arammana that appears.  Arammana is external because it is what citta is experiencing.

 The study of citta is then the examination of conditioned realities that are appearing right now, both internally and externally.  Only then do we realize the characteristics of citta.  Citta is real but where is it?  Citta is an internal reality: while seeing the citta is not outside.  Color is appearing externally.  Citta is a conditioned reality that is within, a reality that is experiencing that which appears through the eye.

  Developing panna requires knowledge of the characteristics of realities exactly according to the truth that the Buddha had omniscience of and manifested.  Cittanupassna-satipatthana is therefore to be mindful and not forget to take notice, examine and study whenever we see, and gradually develop the knowledge that the reality that sees is an intelligence, a mind element that experiences that which appears through the eye.

 While hearing sound, sati is able to arise and realize that the reality that hears, is a reality that experiences, is a intelligence.  It is an internal reality, which is hard to examine and know.  The reality that hears sound arises to experience sound and falls away immediately.  Citta, which is an intelligence, arises and falls away very rapidly.  When we correctly understand that citta is seeing, hearing, thinking, etc. sati-patthana (development of experiencing realities through awareness) would arise and realize the characteristics of citta which is what experiences, the conscious element of that moment.

To develop wisdom enables us to recognize the characteristics of realities correctly in accordance with the dhamma that the Buddha manifested until full realization of the ariya-sacca-dhamma, which can eradicate kilesa, and attain of the ariya-puggala status: the sotapanna, sakadagami, anagami and arahanta respectively.

 Called "pandhara" because of its purity.  This word the Buddha intended the bhavanga-citta.

 Citta is a reality that arises and then falls away immediately.  The falling away of the previous citta conditions the next one to arise.  The seeing citta arises and falls away.  Therefore, there are not only citta that see, hear, experience body sense nor think all the time.  While we sleep deep and dreamlessly, citta arise and experience arammana continuously, however, not the arammana through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body sense and mind.  Any citta that is not conscious of the arammana through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body sense and mind is a bhavanga, a life-continuum of a person in a certain birth.  It keeps that lifetime until other citta arise to experience arammana through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body sense or mind alternately, consecutively, until being that person comes to an end.

 Therefore, citta is called pandhara because of the meaning "purity" which the Buddha intended bhavanga-citta that is pure only momentarily when citta does not experience arammana through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body sense or mind.  While sleeping soundly everyone seems pure, without liking, hating,
jealousy, stinginess, egotism, loving-kindness, nor beneficence, because there is no seeing, hearing, knowing body sense nor thoughts whatever.  While citta arises to experience arammana through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body sense or mind, we can realize that citta is impure because of a multitude of different kilesa accumulated, making us pleased to see pleasant things and irritated, displeased to see things we do not like.

 When citta arises to experience arammana through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body sense and mind, how do we feel?  Indifference, gladness and sorrow are not citta but each a kind of cetasika which the Buddha decreed vedana-cetasika.  Citta is a nama-dhamma that is eminent and presiding in experiencing arammana.  But citta is not a vedana-cetasika that feels indifferent, glad or sad about the arammana which is appearing.  Realities that arise cannot do so spontaneously but must depend on other realities as conditions for them to arise together.  Citta must arise simultaneously with cetasika.  Cetasika must accompany citta.  Citta and cetasika arise and fall away together, know the same arammana, and arise and fall away at the same location.  Each citta that arises is caused and accompanied by various cetasika, and performs different functions, thus there are several distinct kinds of citta.

 No one likes it when the citta is irritated, agitated, restless, sad or upset.  But we like the moment it is happy, fun and entertaining.  However, while we  are having fun, being merry and entertained, the citta is not pure because it arises concurrently with lobha-cetasika, which is the reality that attaches, desires, likes and enjoys the arammana.  We study the dhamma teachings of the Buddha so that satipatthana (mindfulness, awareness) remarks and experiences characteristics of realities that appear and develop panna by studying, examining and taking notice until the knowledge is fully realized correctly according to the truth.  It studies which reality is kusala, akusala, and neither kusala nor akusala.  All akusala, no matter how coarse or minute, are still akusala, not only when anger arises.

 Some may ask how anger can be prevented.

 Realities are anatta.  So too is dosa.  Dosa arises because of conditions.  The person who has eradicated dosa completely, whose dosa-cetasika never arises again, is the person who has developed panna until they realize the ariya-sacca-dhamma (  Dukkha-ariyasacca : All sankhara-dhamma are impermanent.  They arise and fall away and, therefore, are dukkha, not to be attached to or taken pleasure in. Dukkha-samuddaya-ariyasacca : Tanha or lobha, pleasure and attachment, is the samuddaya, or the cause for dukkha to arise.   Dukkha-nirodha-ariyasacca : Nibbana is a reality that eradicates dukkha by eradicating kilesa which is the cause of dukkha.  Dukkha-nirodhagamini-patipada : The eight ariyamagga or the development of sati-patthana is to develop panna to realize ariyasacca-dhamma.  This is the way to eradicate dukkha.] and attain the state of an ariya-puggala of the anagami level.)  and attain the state of an ariya-puggala of the anagami level.

 There are four levels of realization of the ariya-sacca-dhamma and becoming the ariya-puggala.

 The sotapanna realizes ariyasacca-dhamma, experiences nibbana for the first time and eradicates wrong view and doubt in the characteristics of realities.  When the sotapanna-puggala develops panna further, he realizes ariyasacca-dhamma, experiences nibbana again and eradicates contentment in the coarser sight, sound, taste, photthabba, to become the sakadagami-puggala.  When the sakadagami-puggala develops panna further, he realizes ariyasacca-dhamma, experiences nibbana once more and eradicates attachment to the sight, sound, taste, photthabba, as well as eradicates dosa to become the anagami-puggala.  When the anagami develops panna further, he realizes ariyasacca-dhamma, experiences nibbana one last time and eradicates all the rest of the akusala-dhamma to become the arahanta.  When the arahanta attains absolute parinibbana, there is no more rebirth.

 When we understand that each level of lokuttara-panna of the ariya-puggala eradicates levels of kilesa respectively, we must study to understand the way to practice and develop panna to fully realize the realities that appear and truly eradicate kilesa as the Buddha had manifested.

 Even after the Buddha had manifested the characteristics of citta in the meaning of the word "pandhara", he also explain citta via the definition of the word "manayatana" for deeper understanding.

Called "manayatana" because mana is ayatana, because the latter means home, origin, meeting place and the cause.  Truly, for even phassa arises in mana.  The sight, sound, taste, and external photthabba meet at mana as arammana thereof.  It even signifies cause for it causes photthabba etc., by definition as sahajata-paccaya.

Every instant of citta is a reality that experiences, the element that knows, the intelligence that cognizes.  But to understand the anatta characteristics of citta more fully is to know that citta is manayatana because it is the home, the origin, the meeting place and the cause [of realities].

Though in reality sight exists, sound arises, smell is conditioned to arise, taste exists, cold, heat, softness or hardness exists, if there were no citta to know them, to be the meeting place for these realities, things appearing through the eyes cannot appear, neither can sound, smell, taste, cold, heat, softness nor hardness.  Because citta is a reality that experiences, it is the home, the place, and the cause for realities to appear.  The color behind us cannot appear because it does not meet or come into contact with the seeing consciousness or citta.  Citta therefore does not arise to see what is behind.  Even though kamma is the condition for the cakkhuppasada to arise and fall away continuously as long as we are not blind, the citta that sees does not arise all the time.  Whenever color appears, citta is manayatana, the meeting of the rupa that comes into contact with the seeing consciousness.  The instant when rupa impinges on the cakkhuppasada, is rupayatana.  Whatever realities meet at the moment are all individual ayatana.

Sound must meet the sotappasada and the citta, only then citta can arise to experience sound which appears.  Citta is therefore manayatana, the meeting of realities that are appearing.

In the Atthasalini there is the following passage: citta means cause, for citta is the condition for phassa etc.

 Phassa is one of the 52 kinds of cetasika.  Phassa-cetasika is a nama-dhamma on which arammana impinges.  When rupa comes into contact with another rupa, for example a tree falls to the ground, this contact is not phassa-cetasika.  When sound impinges on the ear, the sotappasada is a rupa, sound is another, but if the phassa-cetasika does not arise and come into contact with the sound that is in contact with the sotappasada, the citta that hears cannot arise.

 Phassa-cetasika is a nama-dhamma that arises with citta, falls away simultaneously, experiences the same arammana and originates at the same place as the citta.  Citta is therefore the cause of phassa.  In the plane of the five khandha, citta and cetasika must arise at one rupa or another, whichever rupa is the place where citta and cetasika arise, that rupa is a vatthu-rupa.  The cakkhuppasada is a vatthu-rupa because it is the place of origin of the citta and cetasika that arise simultaneously.  Realities cannot arise alone by themselves but must have other realities as conditions arising concurrently at the time.

 The reality that conditions other realities to arise simultaneously is the sahajata-paccaya.

 "Saha" means together, simultaneous.
 "Jata" means arise, birth.

"Paccaya" is the dhamma that generates and supports other realities to arise and exist.  Hence all realities that arise are sankhara-dhamma because they depend on other realities as conditions to arise.  If there were no paccaya, they would not arise.  Also realities that are sahajata-paccaya cause other realities to arise concurrently.  Other realities are conditions by preceding the generated reality.  While others still are conditions by arising after that which they conditioned.

Thus citta is the sahajata-paccaya for the cetasika that arises simultaneously with it and the cetasika is the sahajata-paccaya of that citta.  When phassa-cetasika arises to meet an arammana, the citta that arises simultaneously with the phassa-cetasika knows the arammana that the phassa-cetasika is in contact with. It is not that phassa-cetasika comes into contact with one arammana and the accompanying citta experiences another.  Whenever phassa-cetasika arises in contact with a sound, the sota-vinnana-citta that arises simultaneously knows the same sound as arammana.

 The four paramattha-dhamma are citta, cetasika, rupa and nibbana.  Each paramattha-dhamma is condition for other paramattha-dhamma that are sankhata-dhamma to arise: citta is paccaya for cetasika and also rupa to arise (with certain exceptions), cetasika is condition for citta and rupa to arise (with certain exceptions).  Rupa is paccaya for other rupa, and paccaya for citta to arise when rupa is vatthu, that is, when it is basis for citta to arise; as well as when it serves as arammana for that citta.  This according to the characteristics of the paramattha-dhamma conditioned by different paccaya such as sahajata-paccaya.

 Citta and cetasika are sahajata-paccaya for rupa to arise simultaneously the instant citta arises or upada-khana.  Each citta has 3 anu-khana, namely upada-khana (the instant it arises), thiti-khana (the instant it is not yet gone) and bhanga-khana (the instant it is falling away).  Citta does not order rupa to arise.  Cittaja-rupa, or rupa conditioned by citta to arise, occurs concurrently with the citta at the moment of upada.  This with the exception of the patisandhi-citta because when patisandhi-citta arises it is accompanied only by kammaja-rupa, or rupa that arises because of kamma.  There is no cittaja-rupa.  When the patisandhi-citta has fallen away, citta is paccaya for rupa to arise concurrently from the pathama-bhavanga or the first bhavanga, onwards, excepting the ten dvipanca-vinnana-citta (5x2 panca-vinnana): 2 seeing citta, 2 hearing citta, 2 smelling citta, 2 tasting citta, 2 body sense citta; and the cuti-citta of the arahanta.  Otherwise, any instant the citta arises in the plane of the five khandha; it is always accompanied by a cittaja-rupa in every upada-khana.

 Each person accumulates realities intricately and distinctly.  Some have more akusala, others more kusala.  But for those who understand about developing sati-patthana and practice accordingly, all kusala would become parami that supports and assists sati to be mindful and conscious of characteristics of realities, which are not entities, people or the selves, until they are able to fully realize ariya-sacca-dhamma, eradicate kilesa completely, level by level.  For those who are only beginning to develop sati-patthana, sati-patthana is not yet strong while the notion of self is still powerful.  Whether while seeing, hearing, despising akusala or practicing kusala, they still hold realities to be us, to be our kusala.

 The aim of studying the paramattha-dhamma about citta is to provide conditions that promote understanding of the characteristics of the citta that is  seeing, hearing, thinking etc. so sati-patthana can arise and be mindful of these characteristics in the reality that is intelligence, the element that knows, which is experiencing whatever appears.

 While studying citta, do not assume to clearly know the characteristics of that citta already.  The objective of the study is not to become expert about citta, but to accumulate sankhara-khandha to condition sati to arise and be mindful of the citta, which is a nama-dhamma or the element of knowing, which is conscious now—in order that the developed panna could attenuate attachment to realities as the self.

1. What is bhavanga-citta?  Does it experience arammana?
2. When is citta called pandhara, and why?
3. What are citta and cetasika conditions for?
4. What is rupa condition for?
5. How many levels of attainment are there in the realization of the ariya-sacca-dhamma to become the ariya-puggala, and what are they?
6. What is vatthu-rupa?
7. What is ayatana?  Which realities are ayatana?
8. What is sahajata-paccaya?
9. What is cittaja-rupa?  When do they arise?  In the plane of the five khandha, which citta does not condition cittaja-rupa to arise?
10. What is the true purpose of the study of dhamma?

Dec. 19, 1999
Revised May 7, 2001