The first citta in a life span is the rebirth-consciousness or
pa.tisandhi-citta. It is a vipaakacitta produced by kamma and it
links the past life to the present life. As we have seen, there are
nineteen types of vipaakacitta that can perform the function of
rebirth. The pa.tisandhi-citta is succeeded by the bhavanga-citta
(life-continuum). The bhavanga-citta is the same type of citta as the
pa.tisandhi-citta and it experiences the same object. As we have
seen, this object is the same as the object experienced by the last
javana-cittas of the previous life and it is conditioned by the kamma
that produces the rebirth-consciousness of the following life. The
bhavanga-citta keeps the continuity in a lifespan. So long as one is
still alive, bhavanga-cittas arise and fall away during the time
there is no sense-door process or mind-door process of cittas.
Bhavanga-cittas arise in between the different processes of cittas
which experience an object through one of the six doors. It performs
its function of keeping the continuity in life until the dying-
consciousness, the cuti-citta, arises and one passes away from this
life. The dying-consciousness of a life that is ending experiences
the same object as all the previous bhavangacittas and it is of the
same type. Thus, the rebirth-consciousness, the bhavangacitta and the
dying-consciousness do not experience objects that impinge on the six
doors like the cittas that arise in the different processes.
The whole day cittas arising in processes experience objects through
eyes, ears, nose, tongue, bodysense and mind-door and in between the
processes there are bhavanga-cittas. Each citta is succeeed by a
following citta in the long series of cittas in our life, there isn�t
any moment without citta. In the course of life kammas produce
different vipaakacittas which experience objects through the eyes,
the ears, the nose, the tongue and the bodysense.
Vipaakacittas neither like nor dislike the object, they do not react
to the object in an unwholesome or a wholesome way. However, shortly
after they have fallen away there are cittas which react to the
objects experienced through the senses either in an unwholesome way
or in a wholesome way. Akusala cittas or kusala cittas arising in a
sense-door process or mind-door process, are called javana-cittas
(literally: readiness, impulse, going). They arise usually in a
sequence of seven cittas of the same type. They fall away immediately
but the inclination to akusala and kusala is accumulated so that
there are conditions for the arising again of akusala citta and
kusala citta. Since each citta is succeeded by the next citta without
any interval, the process of accumulation can go on from moment to
moment, from one life to a next life. Each moment of kusala citta or
akusala citta arising today is a condition for the arising of kusala
citta or akusala citta in the future. There are different types of
kusala citta and of akusala citta. It is important to learn more
about them in order to understand ourselves, about the way we behave
towards others in action and speech, and the way we react towards
pleasant and unpleasant events. It is citta which motivates good
deeds and evil deeds and these will produce their results accordingly.
The Buddha exhorted people to abstain from akusala, to perform
kusala, to purify the mind (Dhp 183), and his impressive words were a
real support for people to follow his advice.
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Nina.
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