Venerable Bhikkhu Dhammadarsa,
Excuse me please for addressing you wrongly in my previous post, I
saw this too late.
Op 11-jun-2010, om 14:08 heeft Dhammadarsa het volgende geschreven:

> Could someone explain in clear and brief terms how the Abhidhamma
> theory of
> rebirth linking consciousness fits with the Sutta explanation that
> there are
> only six types of consciousness and they all arise and depend on a
> sense
> object and a sense organ? Or possibly in other words: which of the
> six types
> of consciousness is rebirth linking consciousness?
>
> I have for a long time wondered about this.

---------
N: It is right that in the suttas we find the sixfolld
classification. For example, in the Sangiitisutta (Diigha Nikaya),
the Sixes: <Cha vi~n~naa.nakaayaa - cakkhuvi~n~naa.na.m,
sotavi~n~naa.na.m, ghaanavi~n~naa.na.m, jivhaavi~n~naa.na.m,
kaayavi~n~naa.na.m, manovi~n~naa.na.m.
Walshe
Six groups of consciousness (vi~n~naa.na-kaayaa): eye-consciousness,
ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-consciousness, mind-consciousness.>
As to the five sense-cognitions, these can be kusala vipaakacitta or
akusala vipaakacitta.
Mind-consciousness, manovi~n~naa.na, includes all types of cittas
other than the five sense-cognitions.
In the following paragraph of this sutta phassa contact, has been
classified in a similar way.

<Cha phassakaayaa - cakkhusamphasso, sotasamphasso,
ghaanasamphasso, jivhaasamphasso, kaayasamphasso, manosamphasso.

Olds
Six bodies of contact: Eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-
contact, body-contact, mind-contact.>
---------
N: As to eye-contact, the co. states: contact dependent on the eye.
Phassa is the cetasika phassa that accompanies every citta. It asists
the citta to cognize an object.
The co. explains ear-contact in the same way. It states that except
for the ten contacts (N: phassa accompanmying the ten vipaakacittas,
five kusala vipaaka and five akusala vipaaka) all other contacts are
called mano-samphassa, mind-contact.
Thus, this arises with mano-vi~n~naa.na, that is, all cittas apart
from the five sense-cognitions.
---------
There are many ways of classifying citta: as threefold: kusala,
akusala or avyaakata (indeterminate, including kiriya and vipaaka).
By way of the four jaatis of kusala. akusala, vipaaka and kiriya.
They can be classified according to plane of citta, as sensuous
plane, ruupa-jhaana citta, aruupajhaanacitta and lokuttara citta.
They can be classified in accordance with the plane of existence
where they arise. They can be classified according to the functions
they perform in the processes, and outside the processes.
As to outside the process, this refers to the rebirth-consciousness,
bhavangacitta and dying-conciousness in one lifespan. These cittas do
not experience objects that impinge on the six doors, but they
experience the same object as that experienced by the last javana-
cittas of the previous life.
Thus, the function of rebirth-consciousness is not performed by the
five sense-cognitions which experience sense objects impinging on the
different doorways . It is performed by vipaakacittas included in
mano-vi~n~naa.na. Thus, mano-vi~n~naa.na does not only include the
cittas experiencing a sense object and depending on a sense organ,
but also those who are 'doorfreed' and 'process freed'.

The Abhidhamma and the commentary give more details than the suttas
as to classifying cittas.
It may be helpful to consider the aayatanas and especially
manaayatana which also includes all cittas.

There are twelve aayatanas in all:
six internal bases: the physical bases of the eye, the ear, the nose,
the tongue, the bodysense and the mind-base or consciousness
(manåyatana),
six external bases: which are six classes of objects: visible object,
sound, odour, taste, tactile object and dhammåyatana, comprising:
cetasikas, subtle rúpas and nibbåna.

Respectfully,
Nina.






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