Patthana in Daily Life

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PAHNA IN DAILY LIFE

AN INTRODUCTION TOTHE LAW OF CONDITIONALITY

U Hla Myint2010


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Pahna In Daily Life


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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ..................................................................9 Preface ................................................................11

Introduction ................................................................15

Hetu-paccayo Root condition .......................................49

rammaa-paccayo Fascination .............................................63(Sense-object) condition

Adhipati-paccayo Predominance condition ..........................75(sahajta, rammaa) Anantara-paccayo Continuity condition .................................93

Samanantara-paccayo Contiguity condition ...............................111

Sahajta-paccayo Co-nascence condition ..........................113Aamaa-paccayo Mutuality condition.................................126Nissaya-paccayo Dependence condition ...........................127

(sahajta, purejta) Upanissaya-paccayo Strong-dependence condition................129

(rammaa, anantara, pakatupa)Purejta-paccayo Pre-nascence condition ........................146

(vatthu, rammaa)Pacchjta-paccayo Post-nascence condition .......................152sevana-paccayo Repetition condition ...............................156Kamma-paccayo Kamma condition ..................................159

(sahajta, nnakkhaika)

Vipka-paccayo Resultant condition ................................175hra-paccayo Nutriment condition ..............................176(sahajta, kabakra)


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Indriya-paccayo Faculty condition ...................................179(sahajta, rpajvita, vatthu-purejta)

Jhna-paccayo Jhna condition .....................................183Magga-paccayo Path condition ........................................188

Sampayutta-paccayo Association condition .............................198

Vippayutta-paccayo Dissociation condition ...........................200(sahajta, pacchjta, vatthupurejta)

Atthi-paccayo Presence condition ................................209

(sahajta, rammaa, vatthu-purejta)Avigata-paccayo Non-disappearance condition ................209

Natthi-paccayo Absence condition .................................211

Vigata-paccayo Disappearance condition .......................211

Conclusion ..............................................................214


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The founding members of Tathagata MeditationCenter (TMC) used to study the Buddhas teachingswith Late Venerable Sayadaw Slnanda. Among thelectures they have learnt from him, the Dependent

Origination was published this year 2010. In this lecture,Sayadaw occasionally referred to Pahna, the law ofconditionality. Undoubtedly, he would have wished toteach them the Pahna, too. Unfortunately, however,he passed away before this wish was ful lled.

With dedication to their beloved teacher, TMC askedme in 2008 to write a book on Pahana for generalreaders. I felt greatly honored by this assignment. Ifthis book meets its objective and serves as a grain ofsand to slowly begin building up your broad knowledgeof Abhidhamma, that will bring me great happiness forwhich I can never fully thank all the TMC members whosupported this project. I cannot even express how muchI owe to my Pahana teachers including U Dhammika-bhivamsa (known as Thamanay Kyaw by pen-name),U Kusala (Kyout See) and U Vijay-lakra with whomI studied Pahna about three decades ago in Maha-gandhayon Pali Institute, Upper Burma. Above all else, Imust express my immeasurable gratitude to Venerable UPanditbhivamsa, the abbot of Panditarama MeditationCenters, under his guidance I studied English in Burmaand England on top of good training in Vipassanmeditation.


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Last but not least, I would like to thank Mr. LuyenPham, Mr. Son Tu, Mr. Kenneth Morris and Ms BarbaraJanus, Mr. Steven Armstrong, Mr. Jake Davis, all ofwhom helped make sure everything went well with thisbooks publication.

With much metta and gratitude,

U Hla Myint


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PREFACE

The Buddhas teaching is classi ed into threesubjects known as Three Baskets ( ti-piaka ): Vinaya (monastic code), Suttanta (doctrinal teaching) andAbhidhamma (higher teaching). By the very name

Abhidhamma, it shows that it was held in high esteemand honored as the higher teaching and more profoundthan the other two.

The Abhidhamma has seven books:Dhammasangan, Vibhanga, Dhtu-kath, Kath-vatthu,Paggala-paatti, Yamaka and Pahna . Among them,the Pahna, consisting of ve voluminous sectionswhich all together have 2,640 pages in the Burmeseedition, is regarded as the deepest and broadest. Thematerial covered by this book Pahna in Daily Life isfound in just the rst ten pages of this great book. So,you can imagine how much further we would need togo for a comprehensive understanding of the Pahna.However, this book is intended to give readers a tasteof the Pahna, like taking a drop of salty water out ofthe mighty ocean.

This book is designed to help you understandthe Pahna conditions in daily life, but attempts aremade to keep all its contents in harmony with theauthentic texts. Pi references are given in this book

just for those who wish to refer to the texts. For generalreaders, however, these can be skipped. The basicAbhidhamma introduced here will be greatly helpfulfor your understanding of the Pahna. On top of this,


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a rightful faith in the possibility of rebirth would be afundamental requirement to be able to appreciate theAbhidhamma as well as all the other teachings of theBuddha. This is because they are ultimately all linked tothe notion of rebirth in one way or the other.

May you be well, happy and peaceful!

U Hla Myint


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Namo Tassa Bhagavato ArahatoSammsambuddhassa


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AN INTRODUCTION TO

THE LAW OF CONDITIONALITY(PAHNA)

INTRODUCTION

The Meaning of Pahna

The term Pahna is composed of pa (pre x)and thana (noun), which literally mean variousconditions. For example, in order for the rose in front ofour house to look beautiful and smell fragrant, it requirescountless contributing conditions in addition to its basicgenetic structure, such as good soil, suitable amountof water, sun, air, our love for roses and so on. Unlesswe love roses, we would not choose to grow them infront of our house. A rose cannot grow well if it receivestoo much or too little fertilizer, water, sun, and so on.Moreover, depending on their genetic predisposition,one rose can differ from another in color, size, etc.,even though they have been grown under the sameconditions. This strong force of nature is called NaturalStrong Dependence Condition ( pakatpanissaya ). Inthe same way, everything in the world is determined by

countless causes and conditions. Pahna is all aboutthese powerful conditions and in particular about theconditions necessary for cognitive phenomena andtheir relationship to our delusory sense of I, me and


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mine.

As an example, therefore, lets take our love of

roses:1. We usually fall in love with a rose because of its

beauty and fragrance. So, the fascination of itslook and smell, called sense-objects ( arammaa ),is near conditions causing its attraction for us.This fascinating power of a sense-object is calledFascination Condition ( arammaa-paccayo ).

2. There are also remote conditions for our love ofroses. According to Abhidhamma, we must havefallen in love with roses some time earlier in this life(rammanusaya ). We are also believed to havebeen attached to such fascinating objects as thisin our past lives ( santnnusaya ). Both kinds of

love-related mental states were impermanent anddisappeared there and then. But they left a dormantform of their energy behind in our mind like animpression on our memory. When the right conditionsare met, the dormant form of our love becomesactivated and motivates our intention to grow rosesin front of our house. Such instinctive power of

psycho-physical phenomena is called NaturalStrong Dependence Condition ( Pakatpanissaya- paccayo ).

3. In the present moment when our mental state of lovecomes into existence, it repeats six or seven timescontinuously during its mental process in accordancewith the law of mind ( citta-niyma ). And this kind ofprocess can also be repeated countless times in anongoing series of love-associated thoughts.

Such massive repetition makes our love become so


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strong that it can activate our limbs and body to growthe roses in front of our house. Similar in many ways toa series of electric charges that power a machine.

In this case, preceding mind-moments 1 contributeto succeeding ones 2 continuously. The power of thisconstant ow of mind is called Repetition Condition(sevana-paccayo ), Continuity Condition ( anantara- paccayo ) and Contiguity Condition or Absolute ContinuityCondition ( samanantara-paccayo ). This power actuallybelongs to the mental states that have disappearedahead of conditioned phenomena. Therefore, it isalso called Absence Condition ( natthi-paccayo ) andDisappearance Condition ( vigata-paccayo ).

4. Even a single mental state such as love requirescertain conditions in order to become strong. Likeany other mental states, the mental state of our lovenever arises alone, but it is always accompaniedby many other mental states, which are supportingone another by the force of co-existence andmutuality. Separate individual threads, to take ananalogy, are very fragile and weak, but they becomevery strong when twisted together into a rope. Inthe same way, our love becomes very powerfulby the force of co-existence and mutuality withits concomitant consciousness and other mentalstates. This mutually supportive power of mental

1 The word mind-moment actually refers to individual mind-units that constituteour thought-processes, but not to a time period of mind. Time, location, forma-tion, etc. are concepts, which manifest depending on mind and matter. Otherthan mind and matter, they can be found nowhere, nor can they be said to ap-pear or disappear in any form.

2 According to Abhidhamma, within a few seconds of thought there arise millionsof mental processes, which each consists of 10 to 17 mind-moments. Referringto such individual mind-moments or thought-units, the two terms citta or v iana (consciousness) will be used synonymously in this book.


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states is referred to under several names: Co-nascence Condition ( sahajta-paccayo ), MutualityCondition ( aamaa-paccayo ), DependenceCondition ( nissaya-paccayo ), Association Condition(sampayutta-paccayo ), Presence Condition ( atthi- paccayo ), Non-disappearance Condition ( avigata- paccayo ).

5. There are some further conditions necessary forlove to become even stronger. Among the love-

associated mental factors, delusion serves as theroot factor of love ( hetu-paccayo ) because this kindof love is rooted in the delusory sense of beauty andfragrance; desire, mental energy, and consciousnessserve as its predominant factors ( adhipati-paccayo );volition as its working factor ( kamma-paccayo );mental contact, intention, and consciousness as

its nutrition factors ( hra-paccayo ); psychic life,consciousness, feeling, energy and concentrationas its faculty factors ( indriya-paccayo ); attention,

joy, happiness and concentration as its absorptionfactors ( jhna-paccayo ); and wrong view, wrongthought, etc., as its path factors ( magga-paccayo ).With these conditions working together, our love ofroses becomes strong enough to activate our actionof growing a rose in front of our house.

6. Last but not least is the role of sense-bases on whichour love-associated mental states depend. All ourmental states carry out their functions depending ontheir corresponding physical bases such as, eye, ear,

nose, tongue, body, and heart3

. Like the electronic3 Eye means sensitive material in the eye where the images re ect on that helps

us to see. Ear means sensitive material phenomena in the ear where the soundstrikes and then we hear. Nose means the sensitive material in the nose. Tonguemeans tongue sensitive material in the tongue, and body means the sensitive


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energy functions in an electronic device, our loveof a rose takes place and carries out its function inour heart. Such dependability in the power of thephysical phenomena is called Base DependenceCondition ( vatthu-purejta nissaya-paccayo ).Thus, our love for roses is not created by anybody, not

by a person, nor gods or goddesses. Nor is it anythingor anyone that can be taken as I or mine, for it is,like anything else on earth, the product of conditions.

It exists nowhere in particular, but just comes intoexistence when the right conditions are met similar toa ame that appears when a match is rubbed againstthe right surface. Another example given in Pi is musicthat sounds only when musical instruments are played.The conditionality of mental and physical phenomenais what Pahna teaches us. This is the meaning ofPahna.

There are 24 Conditions:

1. Hetu-paccayo Root condition

2. rammaa-paccayo Fascination condition(Sense-object condition)

3. Adhipati-paccayo Predominance condition

(sahajta, rammaa) material in the whole body except the tip of the nails and the outer part of thehairs.Regarding the heart base (hadayavatthu), Buddha did not explain what it is. Ac-cording to the commentaries, it is just blood in the heart, not the whole heart.More accurately, it is material phenomena that arise in the blood inside the heart.It is called heart-base since it serves as the base for our thoughts (from Depen-dent Origination by Sayadaw U Slnanda).

Here, the Pi cannon just makes the general statement that thoughts depend onwhatever physical phenomena on which they arise. The commentaries, however,unanimously take the heart as the base of our thoughts. In the modern days ofsuccessful heart transplantation and deeper understanding of the brains func-tions, however, some Pi scholars, referring to the original Pi, would like to takebrain as base of our thoughts rather than the heart.


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4. Anantara-paccayo Continuity condition

5. Samanantara-paccayo Contiguity condition

6. Sahajta-paccayo Co-nascence condition7. Aamaa-paccayo Mutuality condition

8. Nissaya-paccayo Dependence condition(sahajta, purejta)

9. Upanissaya-paccayo Strong-dependencecondition

(rammaa, anantara, pakatupa)10. Purejta-paccayo Pre-nascence condition

(vatthu, rammaa)11. Pacchjta-paccayo Post-nascence condition12. sevana-paccayo Repetition condition13. Kamma-paccayo Kamma condition

(sahajta, nnakkhaika)14. Vipka-paccayo Resultant condition15. hra-paccayo Nutriment condition

(sahajta, kabakra)16. Indriya-paccayo Faculty condition

(sahajta, rpajvita,vatthu-purejta)

17. Jhna-paccayo Jhna condition18. Magga-paccayo Path condition

19. Sampayutta-paccayo Association condition

20. Vippayutta-paccayo Dissociation condition(sahajta, pacchjta,vatthupurejta)


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21. Atthi-paccayo Presence condition(sahajta, rammaa, vatthu-purejta)

22. Natthi-paccayo Absence condition

23. Vigata-paccayo Disappearance condition

24. Avigata-paccayo Non-disappearancecondition

Note: The Pali words in the parenthesis are for

academic study only.Three Factors to Scrutinize: For a better

understanding of Pahna, we need to scrutinize threefactors that are related to each of the 24 conditions. Inthe case of the relationship between a rose and ourlove of it, the beautiful appearance and fragrance of therose are the Conditioning Factors ( paccaya ); our loveand love-associated mental states are the ConditionedFactors ( paccayuppanna ); fascination condition is theConditioning Mode ( paccaya-satti ). Here, conditioningmeans producing ( janaka ), and supporting(upahambhaka ) or maintaining ( anuplaka ) the effectso that it continues to arise. We should understand thecorrect meaning of these factors within this context.

The Phenomena Involved: The phenomenainvolved in the 24 conditions are of three kinds:

1. Mental phenomena ( nma ) (Nibbna is also countedas nma in a sense)

2. Physical phenomena ( rpa )

3. Conceptual phenomena ( paatti ) like time, location,mode, manner, form, shape and so on.

In order to understand what exactly these


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phenomena are, it is necessary for us to learn some basicAbhidhamma before studying these 24 conditions.

Basic AbhidhammaIn the Abhidhamma, there are four kinds of ultimate

phenomena ( paramattha ): consciousness ( citta ),mental states ( cetasika ), physical phenomena ( rpa ),and nibbna . Other than these four, everything else arenon-substantial illusions or make-believes or concepts(paatti ).

Consciousness (Citta)Three Kinds of ConsciousnessesAccording to Buddhas teaching, cognitive

phenomena constitute consciousness ( citta ) and itsmental states ( cetasika ), which are collectively called

mind ( nma). The consciousness is only one kind interms of experiencing or perceiving the sense-objects,but it is classi ed into 89 kinds by its concomitant mentalstates. Basically, however, it can be generally dividedinto three types as follows:

1. Sub-consciousness: The rst kind ofconsciousness is called inborn consciousness , which isthe result of past kamma 4. This inborn consciousnessdetermines whether we are smart, stupid, kind orcruel. In other words, it represents both our heredityand personality. Like the water current of a river, thisinborn consciousness arises and passes away everymoment throughout ones entire life except during theintervals of fully conscious thoughts. Literally, this inbornconsciousness is called by three names: relinking4 Kamma is a kind of mental legacy that is left dormant by the volitional actions

we have done in the past. It always brings us its corresponding result when theright conditions are met. See the 13 th Condition for detail.


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consciousness ( paisandhi ) at the rst moment of a lifeor conception, and death consciousness ( cuti ) at thelast, and life-continuum ( bhavaga ) in between whenthere is no conscious thought. There is no equivalentterm for it in common English but the closest conceptwould likely be sub-consciousness 5. The unbroken

ow of inborn consciousness or sub-consciousnesstakes place when we are in our mothers womb, in deepsleep, or otherwise unconscious.

When sense-objects impinge on its stream,this sub-consciousness gives rise to wholesome orunwholesome thought depending on our mindset(manasi-kra ). In other words, our thoughts enter into themind-stream through our inborn consciousness or sub-consciousness, which is, therefore, called mind-door(mano-dvra )6. Referring to this inborn consciousnessor sub-consciousness, the Buddha said as follows:

Pabbasaramida bhikkhave citta. Taca gantukehi upakkilesehi upakiliha .Monks, crystal clear is the mind, which is interfered with interim mental hindrances.

(Aguttara-nikya)There are 19 kinds of sub-consciousness as follows:

1.The sub-consciousness of animals, ghosts orhell beings is called santraa 7 that results fromunwholesome kamma.

2.The sub-consciousness of human beings who aredisabled by birth is also called santraa that results

5 The two terms, inborn consciousness and sub-consciousness will be thereforeused synonymously.

6 Mano-dvra pana bhavaganti pavuccati . (Abhidhammattha-sangaha 47)7 santraa is literally translated as investigating consciousness, which is one of

18 Rootless minds.


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from wholesome kamma of poor quality, as it wasdone without wisdom, and preceded or succeededby unwholesome mental states.

3. The sub-consciousness of normal human beings anddivine beings is one of the eight Great Resultantconsciousnesses. These eight consciousnessesare the results of past wholesome kamma of goodquality.

4. The sub-consciousness of the Brahma beings 8 is

one of the nine jhnic resultant consciousnesses (5Fine-Material Sphere Resultant, and 4 ImmaterialSphere Resultant). These consciousnesses are theresults of jhnic absorptions from the previous life.2. Sense-Consciousness: The second kind

of consciousness is called sense-consciousness ,which mainly consists of the ve sense-relatedconsciousnesses: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting andtouching. Each is divided into two kinds, wholesomeand unwholesome.

When a sight impinges on our eye-door, thecontemporaneous moment of sub-consciousnesspasses away ( atta-bhavaga ); the second sub-

consciousness shakes ( bhavaga-calana ); the thirdsub-consciousness breaks the subconscious ow(bhavagupaccheda ); and next our full attention isdrawn toward the sight ( paca-dvrvajjana ). Thenthere arises the seeing consciousness ( cakkhu- viaa ) followed successively by the sense-object-receiver (sampaicchana ), the sense-object-investigator

(santraa ), and the sense-object-determiner 8 Ghost ( peta in Pali), Deva and Brahma are beings that we cannot see through

our naked eyes unless they want us to. However, there has been a lot of scienti cresearch which has shown the possibility of the existence of unseen beings likeghost.


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(vuhabbana ). The same process takes place whensound, smell, taste and touch knock on our ear-door,nose-door, tongue-door, and body-door, respectively.These sense-consciousnesses (except paca- dvrvajjana and vuhabbana ) are linked to our pastkamma. As a result of good kamma, we experiencedesirable sense-objects; as a result of bad kamma, weexperience undesirable ones. So, through these sense-consciousnesses, we simply experience sense-objectsat their present moment in a passive manner withoutany wholesome (kusala) or unwholesome (akusala)reaction or with any happy ( somanassa) or unhappy(domanassa ) feeling.

3. Full Consciousness: The third kind ofconsciousness is fully active consciousness , knownas javana . This is actually what we call thoughts

involving wholesome (kusala) or unwholesomereactions ( akusala ), and happy (somanassa) , unhappy(domanassa) or neutral feeling (upekkh). This fullconsciousness is powerful enough to leave behind itsassociated mental energy ( via-satti ) in dormantform. It is of two kinds: ve-sense-door javana (paca- dvrika-javana ) and mind-door javana ( mano-dvrika-

javana ).We have described above the eight mind-

moments, beginning with the rst sub-consciousnessand concluding with sense-object-determiningconsciousness ( vuhabbana ), which arise when one ofthe ve sense-objects comes through its corresponding

sense-door. The ve-sense-door javana takes placeimmediately after this vuhabbana . The mind-door javana (thoughts) arises when any kind of sense-object including general objects or objects of the mind


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(dhamm-rammaa )9 comes through the mind-door(sub-consciousness). Javanas of either kind ( ve-sense-door javana or mind-door javana) repeat sixor seven times, and are succeeded by two momentsof registering consciousness ( tadrammaa ) if thesense-object is obvious enough to draw full attention(atimahanta-rammaa ). These javanas or thoughtsare classi ed into 55 kinds as follows:1. Eight Greed-rooted thoughts that motivate such

unwholesome deeds as stealing, sexual misconduct,abusing drinks and drugs, etc.

2. Two Hate-rooted thoughts that motivate suchunwholesome deeds as killing, tormenting, hurting,speaking ill of other, insulting or backbiting words,etc.

3. Two Delusion-rooted thoughts that gives rise to all themindless actions including gossiping, daydreaming,restless minds, and wandering thoughts

4. Smile-producing thought ( hasituppda ) that belongsto an Arahatta, a fully enlightened person

5. Sixteen wholesome thoughts (8 Great Wholesome,and 8 Great Functional) that motivate such gooddeeds as generosity, morality, volunteer work,cultivation of mind and so on

6. Eighteen Jhnic thoughts that are associatedwith highly developed concentration (or jhnicfactors). They are: ten Fine-Material SphereConsciousnesses (5 Wholesome, 5 Functional)

and eight Immaterial Sphere Consciousnesses (49 General objects or objects of the mind (mind-door objects) are the objects

that can come only through our sub-consciousness, but not ve senses. Theyinclude all kinds of mental, physical and conceptual phenomena exclusive ofpresent ve-sense-door objects.


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Wholesome, 4 Functional).

7. Eight Supramundane thoughts (4 Paths, and 4

Fruitions) that are associated with highly developedinsight knowledge, or the Eight-fold Noble Path.

Note: See the Appendix-1 for the enumeration ofconsciousnesses or thoughts mentioned above. Amongthe seven kinds of thoughts ( javana ) mentioned above,the rst ve are regular thoughts that include such mentalstates as thinking, planning, daydreaming, analyzing,reasoning, happy, and unhappy and so on. The last two( jhna and supramundane) are the consciousnessesthat are highly developed with concentration and insightknowledge, respectively, which will be explained in detailin the 17 th and 18 th pahna conditions.

The Mental Process of Five SensesFor better understanding of what is mentioned

above, we need to understand two kinds of mentalprocess ( vthi ), namely ve-sense-door process (paca- dvrika vthi ), and mind-door process ( mano-dvrikavthi ), which often interfere with the ow of the sub-consciousness. When the ve sense-objects impinge

on their corresponding sense-doors, the mental process(paca-dvrika vthi ) takes place with the successivemind-moments as follows:

1. Past sub-consciousness ( atta-bhavaga )2. Vibrational sub-consciousness ( bhavaga-calana )3. Arresting sub-consciousness ( bhavagupaccheda )

4. Five-sense-door-examiner or advertingconsciousness ( paca-dvrvajjana )

5. Seeing consciousness ( cakku-via ) (hearing,


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smelling, etc.)

6. Sense-object-receiver or receiving consciousness

(sampaicchana )7. Sense-object-investigator or investigating

consciousness ( santraa )8. Sense-object-determiner or determining

consciousness ( vuhabbana )9. Seven moments of fully active consciousness

( javana ) accompanied by wholesome orunwholesome mental states ( cetasika ) dependingon ones mindset

10. Two moments of sense-object-registrar or registeringconsciousness ( tadrammaa )

In this mental process, the mind-moments 1 to3 are subconscious moments, 4 to 7 are sense-consciousnesses, and the rest is regarded as full-consciousnesses. Actually, only the 9 th (that includesseven mind-moments) is real full-consciousnessbecause it involves unwholesome (akusala) orwholesome (kusala) mental reaction, and happy(somanassa) , unhappy (domanassa) or neutral feeling(upekkh), and is, therefore, powerful enough to leavebehind its mental energy in dormant form. The 8 th and10 th mind-moments, however, are included in the full-consciousness just because they respectively precedeand succeed the full-consciousness called javana .The 5 th, however, is not included in full-consciousnessbecause it precedes and contributes only to the sense-consciousnesses, but not to the full-consciousnesses.

Interpretation: Examining, receiving,


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investigating, determining, and registering are actionsthat normally take time and energy. In the case of mentalprocess ( vthi ), however, these terms actually refer to theparticular mind-moments that react to a sense-object insuch unique manners. Mind-moments like these are soshort that billions of them can take place within a splitsecond. So, these terms should be interpreted as thecertain kinds of mental function rather than what theyreally mean in daily language.

The Mental Process of Sixth SenseWhen a general object (see previous footnote

9) impinges on the mind-door (the ow of sub-consciousness), the mind-door mental process ( mano- dvrika vthi ) arises as follows:

1. Vibrational sub-consciousness(bhavaga-calana )

2. Arresting sub-consciousness ( bhavagupaccheda )3. Mind-door-examiner or adverting consciousness

(mano-dvrvajjana )4. Seven moments of the fully active consciousness

( javana ) that can be associated with wholesome orunwholesome mental states depending on onesmindset

5. Two moments of registering consciousness(tadrammaa )Note: In this mental process, the rst two are

subconscious moments, and the remaining momentsare taken as full consciousnesses for the same reasonmentioned above. There are no sense consciousnesses.


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Mental States (Cetasika)The second kind of ultimate phenomena is mental

states called cetasika. The mental states ( cetasika )classify consciousnesses into several kinds just as wateris classi ed into several kinds depending on whetherit is pigmented with red, green or purple dye. Actually,consciousness and its concomitant mental statestake place together and disappear at the same timeexperiencing the same sense-objects and dependingon the same sense-bases. So, to understand theclassi cation of consciousness, we need to understandthe several kinds of mental states. They are 52 innumber: 14 Unwholesome, 25 Wholesome, and 13Common.

13 Common: There are 13 mental states that arecommon to any kind of wholesome or unwholesomeconsciousness. Among them, the rst seven arecommon to every consciousness and the last six areonly to particular ones on particular occasion.

a. Seven Common to All: mental contact ( phassa ), feeling(vedan ), perception ( sa ), intention ( cetan ),concentration ( ekaggat ), life faculty ( jvitindriya ),attention ( manasi-kra ). These seven factorsaccompany every mind-moments whether they arewholesome, unwholesome or indeterminate.

b. Six Common to Particular: Initial attention ( vitakka ),sustained attention ( vicra ), decision ( adhimokkha ),

energy ( vriya ), zest ( pti ), desire ( chanda ). Thesesix accompany some mind-moments selectivelyand occasionally.


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Some of the 13 Common play a very signi cant roleby the force of their own characteristics:

Mental contact (phassa) is the mental state thathelps the mind contact with sense-objects in sucha vivid manner that it seems to touch the senseobject.

Feeling (vedan) is the mental state that helpsthe mind to experience the taste of sense-objects,whether it is pleasant, unpleasant and neutral.

Perception (sa) is the mental state that helpsthe mind to remember sense-objects. This mentalfactor is characterized by what we call memory orintellectual knowledge.

Intention (cetan) is the mental state that isresponsible for all our good or bad actions called

kamma. Concentration (ekaggat ) is the mental state

that helps the mind to focus on sense-objects.Concentration is supportive to our knowledge andalso serves as the key factor of the meditativeabsorption (jhna).

Life Faculty (jvitindriya) is the mental state thatkeeps our mental states alive. Attention (manasi-kra) is the mental state that

serves as an attention paid to the sense objects. Initial Attention (vitakka) and Sustained Attention

(vicra) are the two mental states that direct themind toward sense-objects and keep it on the senseobjects. These two along with zest (pti), rapture(sukha), and concentration (ekaggat) serve as thefactors of the meditative absorption (jhna).


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Energy (vriya) and Desire (chanda) are two mentalstates that energize the mind. They belong to agroup of four mental faculties known as success-makers (iddhi-pda). They are desire (chanda), will(citta), energy ( vriya ) and reasoning ( vmasa ).

14 Unwholesome: There are 14 kinds ofunwholesome mental states. Among them, the rst fourfactors are common to every unwholesome mind, andthe last ten are associated with particular unwholesomeminds on a particular occasion.

a. Four Common Unwholesome: ignorance anddelusion ( moha ), lack of moral shame ( ahrika ),lack of moral fear ( anottappa ), restless mentality oragitation ( uddhacca ).

b. Ten Particular Unwholesome: greed ( lobha ), wrongview ( dihi ), conceit ( mna ), hatred ( dosa ), envy(iss ), jealousy ( macchariya ), regret ( kukkucca ),sloth and torpor ( thina and middha ), doubt(vicikicch ).The four Common Unwholesome to every

unwholesome state are always involved in any kind ofevil deed. They manifest in terms of mindless behaviors,worthless speeches, delusion, illusion, confusion,wandering thoughts, and so on. Along with these fourUnwholesome Common, lobha (that is characterizedby greed, craving, sel shness, sensual desire, sexualdesire, wrong view, or conceit) plays the main role in

stealing, cheating, robbery, rape, adultery and so on.Contributed by these four Unwholesome Common,dosa (that manifest itself as anger, hatred, ill will, envy,

jealousy, prejudice, or regret) operates in killing, hurting,


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backbiting, slandering, speaking ill of other, and so on.

25 Wholesome: There are 25 wholesome mental

states. Among them the rst 19 factors are common toevery wholesome mind, and the last six are associatedonly with particular kinds of wholesome mind on aparticular occasion.

a. Nineteen Common Wholesome: rightful faith(saddh ), mindfulness ( sati ), moral shame ( hir ),moral fear ( ottappa ), non-greed ( alobha ), non-hatred ( adosa ), stability of mind ( tatra-majjhattat ),tranquility of mental body ( kya-passaddhi ),tranquility of consciousness ( citta-passaddhi ),lightness of mental body ( kya-lahut ), and lightnessof consciousness ( citta-lahut ), malleabilityof mental body ( kya-mudut ), malleability ofconsciousness ( citta-mudut ), adaptability ofmental body ( kya-kammaat ) and adaptabilityof consciousness ( citta-kammaat ), pro ciencyof mental body ( kya-pguat ), and pro ciencyof consciousness ( citta-pguat ), moral integrityof mental body ( kyujukat ), moral integrity ofconsciousness ( cittujukat ).

b. Six Particular Wholesome: Three Abstinencessuch as right speech ( samm-vc ), right action(samm-kammanta ), right livelihood ( samm- jva ); two Illimitable such as compassion ( karun )and appreciative joy ( mudit ); and Wisdom Faculty(pa )The 19 mental states that are common to every

wholesome mind are always involved in all kinds ofwholesome deeds such as acts of generosity ( dna ),acts of moral conducts (sla), and spiritual development


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or meditation ( bhvan ) and so on. For example, dnarequires all 19 mental factors such as faith in the bene tsof generosity ( saddh ), recollection of the value of dna(sati ), moral conscience ( hir, ottappa ), unsel shness(alobha ), loving kindness ( adosa ), mental stability(tatra-majjhattat ) and so on. The same is true with theremaining good deed such as morality ( sla ), spiritualdevelopment ( bhvan ), and so on.

In addition to these 19, there are six other mental

states that are associated with some particularwholesome minds: three abstinences ( virat ) playthe main role in acts of moral conducts, compassion(karun) plays its role in helping others in need or introuble, and appreciative joy ( mudit ) in appreciatingthe wholesome deeds done by others, and wisdom(pa ) manifests itself in reasoning, understanding,experiencing insight knowledge and enlightenment.

Physical Phenomena (Rpa)The third kind of ultimate phenomena is the physical

phenomena. Many of us think that physical things are

tangible solid forms. As a matter of fact, accordingto Abhidhamma, a physical object can be dividedrepeatedly until nothing but energy remains. So, thereis nothing solid in the world. Here, we may pose aquestion: If nothing is solid, why cant we pass througha wall or a mountain the way we can through the air? Itis because that is the way our senses experience the

earth element, not because they are inherently solid.That is why certain kinds of rays can pass through thewall or mountain.


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Moreover, these physical elements are disappearingso rapidly that they have no time to age, or to changelocation. Things appear to last long because they arecontinuously replaced with new phenomena like thewater in a river or the material burning in a candle.Things appear to move because their continuous newreplacements arise at progressively further locations.And things appear to age because their replacementsdeteriorate both in quantity and quality as time passesby. It is because of such continuous and massivereplacements that we mistake them for something solidor everlasting, something that gets old or moves. Actually,old or young, beautiful or ugly, moving or standing stillare all an illusion. They are exactly like a candles light,ever changing and continuously getting replaced withnew ones. That is why it is said:

What is unarisen arises. What is arisen disappears.All conditioned things are always brand-new like thesound from a harp. (Abhidhammattha Sangaha Bhs- tka)

Eight Inseparables: There are eight basic physicalphenomena that constitute our body and all things inthis universe. These eight always go together so theyare called the inseparables ( avinibbhoga ). Kamma,mind, climate, and nutrition produce these eight soincessantly and so in nitely that our body seems to besolid and everlasting. They are as follows:

1. Earth element ( pathav )2. Fire element ( tejo )

3. Water element ( po )4. Wind ( vyo )


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5. Color ( vaa )6. Smell ( gandha )

7. Taste ( rasa )8. Nutrition ( oja )

Inanimate Things: Inanimate things ( anindriya- baddha-rpa ) are born from the climate called utu in Pi, which is the re element or the temperaturein the ultimate sense. So, it might be reasonable to

speculate that the inanimate is born of the sun andmutated into many kinds of things we see in daily life,or into recently discovered physical elements suchas neutrons, protons and electrons. According toAbhidhamma, inanimate things are constituted by theEight Inseparables which are generated by climateor re element. If we touch an apple, for example, wecan experience a sense of hardness or softness (theearth element), or cold or warmth (the re element),solidness or cohesiveness (the water element), tensionor pressure (the air element). We can also experienceits color, smell, taste, and nutrition through our senses.These Eight Inseparables that constitute the appleare arising and passing away every moment. But the

apple seems to be lasting because of continuous andmassive replacement with new Eight Inseparables likethe candle light or the current of a river.

It is impossible to see the complete picture of sucha massive process of physical phenomena through ourexternal senses. Vipassana insight, however, can helpus penetrate into it to some extent.

Animate Body: As for the animate body, it is muchmore complicated than the inanimate world because itis born not only from re element or the sun but also


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from kamma, citta (mind) and hra (nutrition). In ourmothers womb, as we all know, our body is started froma combination of our mothers ovum and our fatherssperm. That combination is called in Pli kalala andsaid to be constituted by 30 physical elements inaddition to consciousness and its mental states. It isfrom that very moment that we begin our long journeyin this current life. Later, our embryo is mutated intoabbuda (bubble) in the rst week, and then pesi (particle) in the second week, and ghana (solidparticle) in the third week, and then paskha (limbsand head) including hair and nails in the fourth week.After 11 weeks, our senses, such as eye, ear, etc., startto form. So, as an embryo in that rst moment in life,our body is constituted solely by kamma-born physicalphenomena. To be exact, kalala and all our senses are

solely kamma-born.The Meaning of Kamma: Kamma literally means

action. But the Buddha said kamma means intentionor volition, which is responsible for all the actions wedo. When a car hits someone, for example, the driveris responsible, but not the car although it is the car thatreally hits. In the same way, we take volition or intentionas kamma instead of action itself. Depending on ourintention, our action is classi ed as wholesome orunwholesome. The intentions actually arise and passaway along with our actions. However, they leave alatent form of mental energy ( kamma-satti ) behind inour mental process like the disposition for re in thematch. It will bring us corresponding results when theright conditions are met. This is what we call kamma.

Kamma-born Body: Our body is in uenced not onlyby our heredity and environment, but also something


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else. That is why we can see many differences evenbetween identical twins that are born and brought upwith the same heredity and environment. Althoughthey have similar appearance and features, one maybe brainier, healthier or more fortunate than the other.Moreover, there are points to ponder: why we were bornto this particular kind of heredity and environment, whynot to the other kinds; why we were born as men orwomen, why not otherwise; why some of us were bornwith a particular talent and aptitude, why are others notborn with these; why some of us get opportunities tobe successful in life, why do others not have the same.These are points to ponder beyond our heredity andenvironment.

According to the Buddhas teaching, it is kammathat makes us different from one another in all aspects.

If we did wholesome kamma like giving to charity,keeping moral conducts in a past life, we would be bornto a family of high social status in the present life, andalso receive a healthy and beautiful body, healthy andbeautiful eyes, healthy and beautiful nose, and so on.We would be otherwise if we did unwholesome deedslike killing, stealing, etc. According to Abhidhamma,our kamma directly produces many of our physicalphenomena (mentioned below) ceaselessly for thewhole life starting from the very moment of becomingan embryo.

1. Eight Inseparables ( avinibbhoga )2. Space ( ksa )3. Eye-sensitivity ( cakkhus-pasda )4. Ear-sensitivity ( sota-pasda )5. Nose-sensitivity ( ghna-pasda )


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6. Tongue-sensitivity ( jivh-pasda )7. Body-sensitivity ( kya-pasda )

8. Femininity ( itthi-bhva )9. Masculinity ( pu-bhva )10. Heart-base ( hadaya-vatthu )

11. Life faculty ( jvitindriya )Mind-born Body: Obviously, our mind in uences

our physical body in one way or another. There is mindbehind all our actions like typing, walking, smiling and soon. The mind always plays the leading role in chemicalchanges in our body. When we get angry, for example,there arise physical changes in our body making ourface turn red, our heart beats faster and so on. Whenwe are excited or nervous, our feet turn cold. When

we think of sad events, tears come out; when we thinkof delicious food, saliva comes out; when we think ofsex, other physiological changes result. Wholesomemental states always give rise to healthy chemicalsthat make our life long and healthy, while unwholesomeones do otherwise. Thus, our mind is producing thefollowing physical phenomena or chemicals in our body

incessantly for the whole life starting from the secondmind-moment in our mothers womb:

1. Eight Inseparables ( avinibbhaga )2. Space ( ksa )3. Bodily posture ( iriypatha )4. Bodily gesture ( kya-viatti )5. Verbal gesture ( vac-viatti )6. Manner of Laugh and smile ( hasana )


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7. Sound or voice ( sadda )

8. Bodily lightness ( lahutat )

9. Bodily exibility (mudut )10. Bodily Adaptability ( kammaat )Climate-born Body : As mentioned before, climate

(utu ) is the re or temperature element in ultimatesense. If we can manage to have suitable climate, wecan live longer and healthier. Of course, we know how

much the sun in uences our lives. If not for the sun,we and everything else on earth would not have beenable to come into existence in this universe. That factis indisputable. So, the climate or re element producesthe following physical phenomena incessantly in ourbody for the whole life starting from the moment of therelinking consciousness (rebirth consciousness):

1. Eight Undividable ( avinibbhoga )2. Space ( ksa )3. Sound or voice ( sadda )

4. Bodily lightness ( lahutat )5. Bodily exibility (mudut )

6. Bodily Adaptability ( kammaat )Nutrition-born Body : The essence of food is called

oja in Pli, which most likely refers to vitamins andminerals involved in the food we eat. My father was just

ve feet four inches. However, he said he was much tallerthan most Japanese soldiers he met during WWII. Hetold me he used to call them shorty. Nowadays, manyJapanese people are as tall as Europeans on average.No doubt, it is nutrition that makes a big difference to thebody. Nutrition ( oja ) produces the following phenomena


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incessantly throughout our life starting from the timewe began as a fetus to obtain nutrition from our mother.Following are the nutrition-born physical phenomena:

1. Eight Undividable ( avinibbhoga )2. Space ( ksa )3. Bodily lightness ( lahutat )4. Bodily exibility (mudut )5. Bodily Adaptability ( kammaat )Below are questions raised by the members of the

audience when I gave a talk on Abhidhamma in AntiochUniversity, Ohio, in 2007.

Q: Buddhist scholars always put emphasis on fourfundamental elements as ultimate of the world.Actually, we have discovered a hundred plus

elements. Can you explain that?A: As mentioned above, our universe is made up of the

re element (utu-ja ). If not for the sun, this planetcould not even have come into existence. In viewof this fact, it might be reasonable to assume thatthe re element has mutated into a hundred pluselements we have discovered today, or millions ofthings we can see today.Moreover, the Buddha taught according to the

intellectual or spiritual background of the audience(say-nusaya ). In other words, he taught in such a waythat his teaching was appreciated by people of thosedays. The following incident indicates this point:

One day, Venerable Moggalna said to the Buddha:I found so many spirits or ghosts ( peta ) all over theMt. Gijjakuta. Then the Buddha said that he had also


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found them, but not revealed his nding because itwas not the right time yet for people to accept it. Giventhis incident, it is obvious that the Buddha limited histeaching to the capability of the people of those days.

Q: Even some of Einsteins theories become shakyunder the latest scienti c experiments. How aboutBuddhas Abhidhamma?

A: I am not in the position to make a judgement of theBuddhas Abhidhamma. Anyway, you have the rightto agree or disagree with the Buddha on his teachingif you wish.

NibbnaThe De nition of Nibbna: The last kind of ultimate

phenomena is Nibbna which is literally de ned as theeradication of craving or attachment ( vnato nikkhantanibbna ). That is why in his rst sermon the Buddhahimself described nibbna (nirodha-cacca ) thus:

Tassyeva tahya asesa-nirodho, cgo,patinissaggo, mutti, anlayo (Suttanta MahvaggaPage 247)

The cessation of suffering (nibbna) is the completecessation of attachment, giving it up, eradication ofit, freedom from it, or detachment.

To elaborate this point, let me relate an event. Ina car accident in Burma, a woman cried in anguishover her husbands dead body, as it lay face down onthe road. When the police came and turned over thebody, however, she broke into laughter because shefound that the dead one was not her husband, but his


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coworker. Actually, what made her feel pain was not thatsomeone was killed, but how much she was attached tohim. If the co-worker were someone she was attachedto, then she would have felt extreme suffering. On theother hand, if she was not attached to her husband,she would not have suffered very much. So, attachmentor craving is responsible for our suffering or sadness.The deeper the attachment is, the more severe thesuffering becomes; the less the attachment, the lessthe suffering; no attachment, no suffering. This is theliteral meaning of nibbna .

Moreover, attachment or craving is what createsour lives. Whether it is blissful or woeful depends onhow good or bad our kamma is. Craving for leaves intall trees, for example, could be a kind of energy thatcreates genetically long necks in the species of giraffe.Craving for protection may be a force that creates thehard shell for the turtle species. During WWII, a Britishplane was shot down somewhere in lower Burma. Twopilots were killed and reborn as twin girls in a villagenearby. They could relate their past lives so vividly thatnobody could deny them. Asked why they were rebornas girls at the interview with an American researcher,they answered that it was probably because they alwaysthought of their wives when they were away from home.Their answer indicates that attachment creates our lifein the way we crave for it to be. That is why it is said inPaticca-samuppda: Dependent on attachment, therearises rebirth. But it is our kamma that determines the

quality of life.Apparently, nobody on earth wants to die. That

means everybody on earth is attached to life. No


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wonder we are reborn over and over again. If there is noattachment to life or to anything else in life, there will beno more rebirth, no more old age, no more sickness andno more death. So, cessation of attachment leads tothe cessation of suffering. That is exactly what nibbna means according to the rst sermon of the Buddha.Here, a question may be posed: If the cessationof attachment is the cessation of suffering, then whydid the Buddha, for example, suffer backaches afterhaving fully eradicated the attachment? The answeris: He suffered backaches because he still had aphysical body that was the legacy of attachments fromhis previous lives. This is why this kind of nibbna iscalled sa-updisesa nibbna (the nibbna with leftoverphenomena). While there was still physical pain, theBuddha did not experience mental suffering due to that

pain.There are some more common questions regarding

nibbna : Where is nibbna ? How does one get there?To these questions, the following story may give ananswer:

The Origin and The End of The World: Once upona time, a hermit exercising his supernormal power triedto reach the end of the universe. He could y through anentire universe at the speed an arrow passes through theshadow of a palm tree. He traveled at such supernormalspeed for his entire life. However, he never reached theend of the universe. After his demise, he was reborn asa powerful deva called Rohitassa. One day, that devavisited the Buddha with the question: Where is the endof the world and how does one get there 4? The Buddhagave him an answer in a very enlightening way thus:


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I say, in this very fathom-long body that is cognitiveand conscious, there is the world, the origin of theworld, and the end of the world. (Anguttara-1, 356)

As mentioned above, it is attachment that makes ustake birth, get old, and die over and over again. Thiscontinuous cycle of lives ( samsra ) is known as theworld ( loka ). We can reach its end (or nibbna ) whenwe are fully enlightened leaving no room for attachmentand rebirth. It is, however, not annihilation of anyindividual. Nor is it a unique kind of heavenly rebirth ina heavenly realm, where there exists eternal bliss assuggested by some. In reality, it is just like awakeningfrom a dream. Everything good or bad, pleasant orunpleasant in a dream turns out to be nothing once weawaken. Nibbna is awakening out of such a delusorysense of life.

Concepts or Make-believes (Paatti )As mentioned so far, there are only four kinds

of phenomena in the ultimate sense according toAbhidhamma: consciousness ( citta ), mental factors(cetasika ), physical phenomena ( rpa ) and nibbna .

Other than these four, everything else are non-substantial illusions or make-believes called paatti .Paatti is normally translated as concept; however, itis literally de ned as something that makes us perceiveor believe (papeti papyate v paatti ). So, itshould be literally translated as make-believe ratherthan concept. For example, there is a big difference

between a one-dollar bill and a hundred dollar billalthough both are made up of the same kind of materialin the ultimate sense. We are made to believe thesekinds of paper are money which we will even sacri ce


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our life for. Thats what is meant by paatti.

There are countless kinds of make-believe

(paatti ) mentioned in the Abhidhamma, such asshape ( sahna-paatti ), time ( kla-paatti ), person(puggala paatti ), location ( desa-paatti ), formation(kra-paatti ), and so on.

The Concept of Shape (sahna paatti)The same material can have different functions or

cause different effects depending on their shape ordesign. Steel, for instance, can turn into several kindsof things from a toy to aircraft ( sahna-paatti )according to how it is shaped or designed. This showshow important the role the paatti plays is in our life.

For example, about four decades ago, MarilynMonroe was extremely popular with men. Her body

shape shook the world of men. And it is said that theway she talked or walked was very sexy. Even the thenAmerican president (John F. Kennedy), it is said, had anaffair with her. Her shape or manner was that powerfulalthough she was made up of the same kinds of bonesand esh as every other woman in the world. Shape ormanner is not what really exists, but it makes us believe

one is more beautiful than the other. We are living ina make-believe world. This illusion always makes uscrazy. So, the Buddha said:

Under the illusory sense (of permanence, pleasure,person, and prettiness) the common people becomecrazy. Realizing it well, one can escape from thebondage to death. (Vipallsa Sutta Anguttara 1, 361)

The Concept of Person (puggala paatti)Another kind of concept is that of person. Regarding


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this concept, King Milinda asked Ngasena whohe really was. Reverence Ngasena answered thatNgasena was just name or notion of person. Actuallythere is no person in the ultimate sense. Then the kingasked: Who then offers you garments, food, shelterand medicine, and who receives and enjoys them.Venerable Ngasena answered that depending on thecombination of 32 parts of body, or (more exactly) the

ve aggregates (of psycho-physical phenomena), therearises a name or a notion of Ngasena. He concludedhis long answer with a reference to the following Piverse:

Just as there arises the notion of a horse-drawn cartdepending on the combination of its pieces, so alsothere arises the concept of person depending on thecontinuous process of aggregates. (Milinda-pah 24-26)

The Concept of Time (kla paatti )Like shape, form and person, time is also a concept,

which does not really exist in the ultimate sense. In otherwords, time is just a kind of dimension of mind andmatter, nothing else. Without mind and matter, it cannot

be found or said to appear or disappear in any form.The same explanation is applicable to countless kindsof remaining concepts, such as location, dimension,name, race, caste, loveliness and ugliness, and so on.

Two Kinds of Truth (sacc )As mentioned repeatedly, concepts or make-believes

(paatti ) are not what really exist in the ultimate sense.However, it does not mean that they are not important.


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Actually, the make-believes ( paatti ) and the ultimatephenomena ( paramattha ) are inseparable from eachother like something and its dimension. So, if we laytoo much emphasis on the ultimate phenomena, thenit would be even dif cult for us to distinguish betweenmerit and demerit. As Pakudha Kaccyana10 said, forexample, no offence is constituted by cutting someonesthroat with a sword, as it is just putting the sword intothe elements (that constitute a person). On the otherhand, if we only care about the make-believes, however,we will be like a thirsty deer that mistakes mirage forwater and goes after it in vain.

In order to avoid these extreme points ( ati-dhvana ),therefore, we must accept two kinds of truth appropriately:conventional truth ( sammuti-sacc ) and absolute truth(paramattha-sacc ). We need to have the sense ofthe conventional truth so that we can appreciate thedifferences, for example, between our mothers andgirlfriends, and between merit and demerit, and so on.On the other hand, we need to make a great effort tosee the absolute truth beyond the delusory sense ofpermanence, pleasure and person so that we can beawakened from delusion.

10 Pakudha Kaccyana is the founder of a particular creed during the Buddhastime. He taught his disciples seven elements as unchangeable ultimates of theworld: earth, re, water, wind, pleasure, displeasure, and soul. He said that cuttingsomeones throat with a sword was just tantamount to putting the sword into theelements. (Slakkhandha-vagga, page 53)


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ROOT CONDITION(Hetu-paccayo)

The Pli Reference: (Pahna-1, Page 1)

Het hetusampayuttakna dhammna,tasamamuhnnaca rpna hetu-paccayenapaccayo

English Translation:

Roots serve as a condition for the root-associatedconsciousness and mental states and root-

generated matter by the force of Root Condition.

Six Mental Roots Root here refers to the mental factors that serve as

roots for their concomitant consciousness and mentalstates in the same way as real roots do for a tree. Theyare six in number:1. Lobha : the mental factor that includes such mental

states as greed, sel shness, desire, craving,attachment, romantic love and so on.

2. Dosa : the mental factor that includes suchmental states as aversion, anger, hatred (in active

form), worry, anxiety, remorse, regret, frustration,lamentation (in passive form).

3. Moha : the mental factor that includes such mental


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states as ignorance, delusion, illusion, confusion.

4. Alobha : the mental factor that includes such mental

states as non-greed under which there comeunsel shness, generosity, detachment.5. Adosa : the mental factor that includes such mental

states as non-hatred that refers to kindness,unconditional love.

6. Amoha : the mental factor that includes such mentalstates as non-ignorance under which there comeknowledge, wisdom, reasoning power, commonsense, general knowledge, insight knowledge, andenlightenment.

Among these six roots, the rst three are regardedas unwholesome ( akusala ) because they are impure(svajja ) and produce bad results ( dukkha-vipka ).The last three are wholesome ( kusala ), as they arepure ( anavajja ) and bring about desirable results(sukha-vipka ). However, the wholesome roots thatbelong to an arahat are called functional ( kriy ), notwholesome ( kusala ), as they cannot bring about anyresult. In addition, roots that result from wholesomeor unwholesome kamma are called resultant roots

(vipka).Three Factors in General

a. Conditioning Factor ( paccaya ) includes six kinds ofmental factors mentioned above.

b. Conditioned Factor ( paccayuppanna ): Root-associated consciousnesses, their concomitantmental states, and physical phenomena generatedby them.

c. Conditioning Mode ( paccaya-satti ): Root Condition,


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which is the force by which the factors under aserve as a condition for the factors under b.

Roots In Daily LifeThree wholesome mental factors such as alobha,

adosa and amoha serve as roots for meritorious deedssuch as acts of generosity ( dna ), observance of moralconduct ( sla ), and spiritual development, i.e., meditation

(bhvan ). Three unwholesome roots lobha, dosa, and moha are the roots of misdeeds such as killing, stealing,and so on.

Roots of Generous Actions (Dna)We succeed in doing acts of generosity when we

are unsel sh (alobha ), kind ( adosa ), and wise ( amoha ).

If we are too attached to our property and belongings,and become sel sh and stingy, we cannot succeed inperforming dna . If we hate someone, we will not givehim or her any thing. If we are not wise, we might givesomething useless or harmful. The act of generosityrequires at least two wholesome roots, unsel shnessand loving kindness. Therefore, it is not considered dna if we offer a million dollars to charity just for our fame andgain. On the other hand, it can be considered dna ifwe pay income tax to the government with the intentionof assisting the wellbeing of our fellow citizens.

There are acts of dna that are performed with onlytwo roots, unsel shness and kindness, but withoutwisdom. These are called poor quality dna (dvi-hetukaomaka ). There are times when we give something tosomeone to be kind without realizing the consequences.For example, even with the good intention to help relieve


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someones pain, we might inadvertently give him or herthe wrong medicine. This kind of dna has only tworoots, and is called wholesomeness without wisdom(na-vippayutta-kusala ).

Three factors: At the moment of doing dna , ourmental states are constituted by three factors under theroot condition as follows:

a. Conditioning Factors: three or two wholesome roots

b. Conditioned Factors: their concomitantconsciousness (one of the eight Great Wholesomeor Great Functional Consciousnesses if the doer isa fully enlightened saint called arahat 11) and mentalstates, and mind-generated physical phenomena

c. Conditioning Mode: The factors under a serve asa condition for those under b by the force of Root

condition.

Roots of Moral Conduct (Sla) Morality in the ultimate sense is composed of three

kinds of abstinence ( virat ): right speech ( samm- vc ) which is abstaining from four kinds of wrongspeech 12; right actions ( samm-kammanta ) which isabstaining from three kinds of wrong actions 13 ; andright livelihood ( samm-jva ) which is earning oneslivelihood without committing four wrong speeches andthree wrong actions. So, these three mental factors andtheir concomitant consciousness and mental states are11 Arahat are fully enlightened ones. Their wholesome deeds like dna, sla, etc.,give no result, as they have no more rebirth. That is why their wholesome mentalstates are called Functional (kriy) but not Wholesome (kusala).12 Four wrong speeches: telling a lie, backbiting, insulting, and gossiping or frivo - lous speech 13 Three wrong actions: killing, stealing and sexual misconduct


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collectively called sla (moral conduct).In order to keep our moral conduct pure, we need

the moral courage to resist the temptation of sensualpleasure, to be able to sacri ce personal gain and fame,and to be able to face dif culties and hardships. Suchmoral courage comes out of three wholesome roots:unsel shness, loving kindness and wisdom. If we aregreedy, it is dif cult for us to refrain from being involvedin unlawful acts such as stealing, traf cking in drugs or

even human beings. If we are unkind, we are likely tocommit killing, hurting and backbiting others. If we areunwise, we will not know how to become successfulin life nor will we understand the bene ts of morality.As a result, we will make many mistakes in addition tohaving improper moral behavior. So, it is not possible toact morally without wholesome roots.

To be successful in life, we need to meet tworequirements: to make intelligent attempts ( payoga )and to activate our inborn gift ( kusala kamma ) byperforming wholesome deeds. Some of us may havebeen taught that a great opportunity comes only oncein a life time, and so try to seize it by all means available.Actually there are countless opportunities that comealong within our reach. By acting wisely ( payoga ) anddoing wholesome deeds (kusala kamma) to activateour past good kamma we will be able to seize thesegreat opportunities at any time.

That is why the Buddha said in Pubbanha Sutta asfollows:

For one who does good, there always occur luckystars, lucky blessings, lucky day, lucky timing, luckymoments and lucky honors. (Anguttara-1, 298)


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So, it is moral courage that enables us to resist thepowerful temptation of sensual pleasure and to refrainfrom killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, telling lies andabusing intoxicating drink or drugs. Such moral couragearises out of three wholesome roots: unsel shness(alobha ), loving kindness ( adosa ), and wisdom ( amoha ).However, as in the case of dna , there are times whenwe observe sla without wisdom. This type of sla hasonly two roots, alobha and adosa .

At the moment of observing sla , our mental statesare constituted by three factors under the root conditionas follows:

a. Conditioning Factors: two or three wholesome roots

b. Conditioned Factors: their concomitantconsciousness (one of eight Great Wholesome or

Great Functional as only found in an arahat), mentalstates, and mind-generated physical phenomena

c. Conditioning Mode: The factors under a serve asa condition for those under b by the force of RootCondition.

Roots of Spiritual Development (Bhvan) There are two kinds of meditation for spiritual

development. They are tranquility meditation ( samatha )and insight meditation ( vipassan ).

Roots of Tranquility Meditation (Samatha) Tranquility meditation is used to develop

concentration by focusing our mind on a single objectsuch as in-and-out breath, or on one of the four kindsof color, or on the meditative devices like a disk of


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clay ( pathav-kasina ), and so on. When our mind isfully concentrated on the meditative object, tranquilityspontaneously takes place as a result of quieting themental de lements such as sensual desire, anger,sadness, worry, anxiety, and so on. By practicingsamatha , we can attain certain levels of concentrationcalled jhna . More important is that the concentrationdirectly contributes to our knowledge and wisdom. Ifour mind is restless and unstable, we cannot effectivelylearn anything. If our mind is stable and tranquil, webecome smarter and wiser.

That is why the Buddha said:

Monks, a monk with concentration knows thingscorrectly (Sayutta-3, 302)Practice of samatha is just regular wholesomeness

(that belongs to one of the Eight Great WholesomeConsciousnesses), but the jhna attained throughthat practice is a special wholesomeness that issuperior to the regular wholesome deeds like the actof generosity and moral conduct. Jhna in its actualsense is high-level concentration. By no means cansuch concentration occur if our mind is de led with

greed, lust, anger, hatred, jealousy and so on. So, it isvery obvious that concentration can arise only whenour mind is pure of such mental hindrances. In otherwords, jhna can only take place when it is associatedwith the three wholesome roots. Basically there are

ve levels of jhna , and all of them require the threewholesome roots. However, before jhna is attained,the practice of meditation can be done without wisdom,and therefore it can be of only two roots withouthaving wisdom ( amoha ). In any case, jhna has threewholesome roots, which serve as a condition for the


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jhna-associated consciousness and mental states,and mind-born physical phenomena by the force ofRoot Condition.

Roots of Insight Meditation (Vipassan)

Vipassan literally means extraordinary seeing.According to the Buddhas teaching, there exists onlythe uxing of mental and physical phenomena in thisuniverse, nothing else. For example, when we wereborn, we weighed only a few pounds. Now, we may beover one hundred pounds. Such changes take placeneither immediately nor suddenly, but gradually, momentby moment. The same is true with our minds, whichare changing every moment. Moreover, in the ultimatesense, there is nothing solid. A material item can bedivided repeatedly until there remain nothing solid but

physical elements in the form of just pure energy, whichare changing so rapidly that they dont even have timeto move from one spot to another. In such ux, to seesomeone or something moving or standing still, beautifulor ugly, pleasant or unpleasant is just considered anillusion, or ordinary seeing. Whereas, seeing the ux ofminds and bodies beyond the illusion is extraordinary

seeing called Vipassan Insight.To gain such insight, our mind must be puri ed

of mental de lements through concentration. So, itis obvious that vipassan insight requires threewholesome roots. But before obtaining insightknowledge, the practice of vipassan can be done with

only the two roots other than wisdom. Of course, insightsand enlightenment ( magga-phala ) must contain thethree wholesome roots. So, in the case of vipassan insight or magga-phala enlightenment, the three


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wholesome roots are a condition for their concomitantconsciousness, mental states, and mind-born physicalphenomena by the force of Root Condition.

Roots In StoriesOne day, the Buddha was sitting under a tree in

a small forest on the way from Vras to Uruvea when thirty young men came over to the Buddha with aproblem. They were there to enjoy time with their wives.

One of them, however, had no wife and brought a fancygirl. She ran away taking their valuables with her. So,while undertaking a desperate search in the forest forher, they came across the Buddha sitting under the tree.They approached him with the hope of getting a clue toher whereabouts. They asked the Buddha whether hehad seen any woman pass by. Instead of answering

their question, the Buddha posed an enlighteningquestion to them:

Young men, which do you think is more worthwhile tosearch for: the woman or yourself. ( Vinaya Mahvagga 30)

This question served as a point to ponder for them.

What the Buddha meant is we are ignorant of what wereally are or what is really happening to us. As mentionedabove, we have been incessantly and in nitely changingfrom a very minute fetus until we become what we arenow. But we are ignorant of how we become what weare now. We always think that we are the same personfrom the day we were born until today. We can be

compared to a deer that mistakes a mirage for waterand pursues it in vain. So, we need to nd the truthof what we really are. That is why the Buddha advisedthem to nd themselves rather than the woman. After


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having listened further to the Buddhas teaching, theybecame enlightened.

Mental Phenomena Involved: Here, the cause ofthe young mens problem was sensual or sexual desire(lobha ), which was rooted in illusion. Indisputably, wecan experience pleasure ( somanassa-vedana ) in life.But we can enjoy such pleasure only under our illusionin the same way as we can enjoy a movie only whenwe are not thinking of how it was created in Hollywood.

What we call pleasure can be compared to scratchingan itch. Real bliss takes place when there remainsno more itch. Thus, our sensual or sexual pleasureis always rooted in illusion. In the story of the youngmen, their illusion ( moha ) served as the root of theirsensual or sexual desire ( lobha ) and its concomitantconsciousness and mental states that include lack of

moral shame ( ahrika ), lack of moral fear ( anottappa ),instability of mind ( uddhacca ), ego-belief ( dihi ), conceit(mna ) in addition to the 13 Common Mental Factors(for which, see the Basic Abhidhamma).

Physical Phenomena Involved: Moreover, thesensual desire and illusion serve as roots for physicalphenomena (sex-related chemical changes) in thebodies of the young men including sex-related bodilyposture ( iriypatha ), bodily gesture ( kya-viatti ),verbal gestures ( vac-viatti ), laughing and smiling(hasana ), the sound of their voice ( sadda ), bodilylightness ( lahut ), bodily exibility (mudut ), bodilyadaptability ( kammaat ) in addition to the Eight

Inseparables ( avinibbhoga ).At the moment of enjoying the sensual pleasure, the30 princes were made up of three factors under the rootcondition as follows:


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a. The Conditioning Factor ( paccaya ): sexual desire(lobha ) and delusion ( moha ).

b. The Conditioned Factor ( paccayuppanna ): theirconcomitant consciousness (one of the eightGreed-rooted consciousnesses), mental states andphysical phenomena produced thereby.

c. The Conditioning Mode ( paccaya-satti ): The factorsunder a serve as a condition for those under b bythe force of Root Condition.

Anger-root: When the young men found out thewoman had taken their valuable things away, theybecame angry with her. In this case, the anger ( dosa )and delusion ( moha ) were roots of their concomitantconsciousnesses, mental states and physicalphenomena.

At the moment of anger, the 30 princes wereconstituted by three factors under the root condition asfollows:

a. The Conditioning Factor: anger ( dosa ) and delusion(moha ).

b. The Conditioned Factor:

Nma: one of the two hate-rooted consciousnessesand its concomitant mental states such as envy(issa ), jealousy ( macchariya ), regret ( kukucca ),sloth and torpor ( thina-middha ) in addition to fourCommon to all unwholesome and 12 General(exclusive of zest, piti ).

Rpa: generated by these mental states, therearise physical phenomena (or chemical changes)including anger-related bodily posture ( iriypatha ),bodily gesture ( kya-viatti ), verbal gesture ( vac-


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viatti ), sound or voice ( sadda ), bodily lightness(lahut ), bodily exibility (mudut ), bodily adaptability(kammaat ) on top of the Eight Inseparables(avinibbhoga ).

c. The Conditioning Mode: the factors under a serveas a condition for the factors under b by the forceof Root Condition.Difference: All kinds of mind-generated physical

phenomena are generally the same in quantity, butdifferent in quality and the effect they have on us. Forexample, our physical gestures, facial expression, toneof voice, etc., would be unpleasant to another if they aregenerated by dosa ; tempting and alluring if generatedby lobha ; pleasant and peaceful if generated by awholesome mind led by loving kindness, compassionand wisdom. And furthermore, negative mental stateslike anger, hatred, worry, jealousy, etc., have negativeeffects on our body, such as interfering with our digestionsystem, blood circulation, metabolism and so on.Wholesome mental states will generate healthy physicalphenomena, and well-organized body functions. Inthe same way, there is a difference between physicalphenomena generated by good or bad kamma, good orbad climate, and good or bad food.

Root In The Buddhas Talk: It is throughunsel shness (alobha ), loving kindness ( adosa )and wisdom ( amoha ) that the Buddha advised theyoung men to search for themselves instead of forthe woman. Suppose, for example, we know how

to make a million dollars in the stock market. That isconsidered knowledge. We might teach it to someonewe love, but not to someone we hate, or if we are toosel sh we might not even teach it to anybody. So,


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unsel shness (alobha ), loving kindness ( adosa ) andwisdom ( amoha ) are involved in giving good adviceto somebody. The Buddha was fully endowed withcomplete unsel shness (alobha ), unconditional love(adosa ), and perfect wisdom ( amoha ). These threewere roots of their concomitant consciousness, mentalstates, and physical phenomena that took place in theBuddha when he gave this wonderful guidance to theyoung men.

At the moment of giving his advice to the princes,the Buddha was constituted by three factors under theroot condition: a. The Conditioning Factors: alobha (unsel shness or

non-greed), adosa (non-anger or loving kindness),and amoha (non-ignorance or wisdom).

b. The Conditioned Factors:

Nma: the rst Great Functional consciousness(mah-kriy ), its concomitant mental states such askindness, compassion and wisdom in addition to 19Wholesome Common and 13 General Common.

Rpa: generated by the above-mentioned mentalstates, there arise physical phenomena (or chemical

changes) including bodily posture ( iriypatha ),bodily gesture ( kya-viatti ), verbal gesture ( vac- viatti ), sound or voice ( sadda ), smile ( hasana ),bodily lightness ( lahut ), bodily exibility (mudut ),bodily adaptability ( kammaat ) on top of the EightUndividables ( avinibbhoga ).

c. The Conditioning Mode: The factors under a are

a condition for the factors under b by the force ofRoot Condition.

Note: Hereafter, in the later conditions,


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consciousnesses, mental states, and physical phenomenawill be mentioned in general, rather than in the detail asthey are here, simply because it is not necessary forgeneral readers to learn that level of detail.


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FASCINATION (SENSE-OBJECT)CONDITION

(rammana-paccayo)

The Pli Reference: (Pahna-1, Page 1-2)

1. Rpyatana cakkhu-vina-dhtuytasampayuttaknaca dhammna rammaa- paccayena paccayo. (saddyatana sota- via-dhtuy; gandhyatana ghna-vina- dhtuy; rasyatana jivh-via-dhtuy;phohabbyatanakya-vina-dhtuy)

2. Rpyatana saddyatana gandhyatanarasyatana phoahabbyatana mano- dhtuy tasampayuttaknaca dhammnarammaapaccayena paccayo.

3. Sabbe dhamm mano-via-dhtuytasampayuttaknaca dhammna rammaa- paccayena paccayo.

English Translation: 1. The visible-object-base serves as a condition for

eye-consciousness-element and its concomitantmental states by the force of Fascination Condition.(Sound-base, odor-base, taste-base and tangible-object-base serve as conditions for ear, nose,tongue and body consciousnesses, respectively.)

2. Five sense-object-bases serve as conditions for themind-element and its concomitant mental states by


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the force of Fascination Condition.

3. All the phenomena serve as a condition for mind-

consciousness-element and its concomitant mentalstates by the force of Fascination Condition.

Seven Mental Elements vs Six Sense-objects

In this condition, our mind is classi ed into sevenmental elements:

1. Eye-consciousness element

2. Ear-consciousness element

3. Nose-consciousness element

4. Tongue-consciousness element

5. Body-consciousness element6. Mind element

7. Mind-consciousness element

Among them, the rst ve each are of two kinds:wholesome resultant and unwholesome resultant.The sixth, the mind-element ( mano-dhtu ) refers totwo kinds of mind-moments: sense-object-examiner(paca-dvrvajjana ) and sense-object-receiver(sapaicchana ), which arise respectively right beforeand after sense-consciousness in a ve-sense-doormental process. The seventh, the mind-consciousness-element ( mano-via-dhtu ), refers to all theremaining kinds of minds 14 .14 The mind-consciousness-element refers to one of 76 kinds of consciousnessout of 89 (exclusive of ve pairs of sense-consciousness, one pair of sense-object- receiver and the sense-object-examiner).


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Out of the seven mental elements, the 1 st elementperceives visible objects, the 2 nd element the sound, the3 rd element the smell, the 4 th element the taste, the 5 th element the tangible object, the 6 th element all the ve-sense-door objects, and the 7 th element exclusively themind-door objects ( dhammrammaa ) in addition tomental images of the actual ve-sense-door objects15 .The mind-door objects are the objects that can comeonly through our sub-consciousness, not through our

ve senses. They include all kinds of mental, physicaland conceptual phenomena exclusive of present ve-sense-door objects, which are appropriately taken bythe rst six elements. That is why we can think, perceiveor experience many more phenomena through the 7 th element than through the other six.

The Literal Meaning of rammaaThe word rammaa ( + ramu + a ) literally

means something enjoyable or fascinating. That iswhy the Buddha once said to Mgaiyo, a wanderingascetic thus:

Cakkhu kho Mgaiya, rpa-rma, rpa- rata, rpa-sammudita.(Majjhima-pannsa 171)

Eyes, Mgaiya, enjoy a visible object, takedelight in it, and are happy with it.As the Buddha said, our eyes always enjoy a visible

object whether good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant.Even though the sight is horrible or disgusting, wecannot resist looking at it, even more so if it is pleasantand attractive. That is why thriller novels or movies inwhich people are killed are never out of demand inthe world. The same is true with the remaining sense-15 Mental images of the actual ve-sense-door objects are often taken by severalsubsequent mind-door mental processes (tadanuvattaka-mano-dvrika-vithi).


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objects, such as sweet or harsh sounds, fragrant orfoul smell, sweet or sour taste, smooth or rough touch,pleasant or unpleasant mental objects.

Here, eye actually refers to eye-relatedconsciousness and its mental states, ear to ear-related consciousness and mental states, and so on.Thus, our senses (or sense-related consciousnessesand mental states) are always fascinated by the objectssuch as sights, sound, etc., which are, therefore, called

rammaa. Referring to this passage, the wordrammaa paccayois translated here as FascinationCondition although it is normally translated as ObjectCondition.

SightIf we were blind, it would be alright to see nothing.

If, however, we have eyes, it is very dif cult for us, whenwe are awake, to keep our eyes closed or refrain fromlooking around at things. If we were to stay in a roomwith no windows to see through, we will most likely getdepressed sooner or later no matter how nicely we aretreated in that room. A better and more pleasant viewalways makes us happier and healthier, whereas a

horrible view often makes us feel sad and depressed.So, to satisfy our eyes, we spend a lot of money onvisiting beautiful places and seeing beautiful celebrities,decorating our house, garden, and lawn, in addition tobeautifying ourselves by all means available. Especially,someone of the opposite sex is the most fascinatingobject for our eye. Just like being attracted by a magnet,

our eyes are always attracted to the sight of the oppositesex. That is why the Buddha said:

I can nd no visible object that is more in uential on


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a mans mind than the sight of a woman. I can ndno visible object that is more in uential on a womansmind than the sight of a man. (Anguttara-1, 1)

It is dif cult for us to refrain from seeing things andpeople around us even if they are not pleasant. Thisis how a sight (a visible object) serves as a conditionfor our eyes (eye-related consciousness and mentalstates) by the power of Fascination Condition. Here,the former is conditioning factors ( paccaya ); the latter

is conditioned factors ( paccayuppanna ); and the waythey are related is conditioning mode ( paccaya-satti ).SoundAs the Buddha said, our ears (ear-related

consciousness and mental states) are always fascinatedby sound. Apparently different kinds of music and

sounds will cause different feelings and emotions in us.Some may make us happy, and others sad. But, bothfascinate our ears. Even if we do not understand thecontent of the sound, its tune can cause emotion in us,like excitement, happiness, sadness and so on. It isstill dif cult for us to refrain from listening to things andpeople around us even if they are not pleasant. Our

ears even enjoy painful screaming, spiteful shoutingand melancholy sounds. So, they are always thirsty forsound or voice, whether pleasant or unpleasant. Nowonder the music industry is forever booming continuallytrying to satisfy our ears. Among the sounds, the mostfascinating is, of course, that of the opposite sex. Thisis why the Buddha said:

I can nd no voice that is more in uential on amans mind than the sound of a woman. I can ndno voice that is more in uential on a womans mind


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than the voice of a mans.This is how a sound serves as a condition for ears

(ear-related consciousness and mental states) by thepower of Fascination Condition.SmellAny kind of smell, fragrant or foul, in uences our

nose (nose-related consciousness and mental states).Nowadays, several kinds of perfume are produced invery sophisticated and complicated ways. It is said thatthere are some kinds of perfume that are formulated toarouse our sexual desire. When the Buddha sufferedsevere constipation, his personal physician, Dr. Jvakagave three sticks of medicated water lilies to theBuddha to smell. It is said that the smell of each stickresulted in the Buddha having to go to th

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