Re: bhava'nga - etymology -questions

Thanks Bryan, I will look at this.

with metta,
Brett

________________________________
From: Bryan Levman <bryan.levman@...>
To: Pali@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, October 11, 2010 2:31:51 PM
Subject: Re: [Pali] bhava'nga - etymology -questions

Dear Nina,

Thanks very much for your excellent description of the bhava"nga citta.

Dear Brett,

Steven Collins has a whole chapter in his book "Selfless Persons" (p. 225-261)
on the bhavan"ga citta which you will find very helpful,

Metta,

Bryan

________________________________
From: Nina van Gorkom <vangorko@...>
To: Pali@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, October 11, 2010 10:19:30 AM
Subject: Re: [Pali] bhava'nga - etymology -questions

Dear Brett,
Op 10-okt-2010, om 19:21 heeft Brett Morris het volgende geschreven:

> I would be interested to hear what anyone has to say about a few
> questions on
> bhava'nga.
> 1. The etymology seems to be bhava + a'nga = a constituent part of
> becoming/existence. Can anyone shed some more light on this?

--------
N: I collected some material. I wrote this in my recent Abhidhamma
Series,no 10:

Life-continuum, bhavanga-citta.

There are moments when there are no sense-impressions, when one does
not think, when there are no akusala cittas or kusala cittas. Even
when there are no sense-impressions and no thinking there must be
citta; otherwise there would be no life. The type of citta which
arises and falls away at those moments is called bhavanga-citta.
Bhavanga literally means ``factor of life''; bhavanga is usually
translated into English as ``life-continuum''. The bhavanga-citta
keeps the continuity in a lifespan, so that what we call a ``being''
goes on to live from moment to moment. That is the function of the
bhavanga-citta.
There are countless bhavanga-cittas arising at those moments when
there are no sense-impressions, no thinking, no akusala cittas or
kusala cittas. When we are asleep and dreaming akusala cittas and
kusala cittas arise, but even when we are in a dreamless sleep there
still has to be citta. There are bhavanga-cittas at such moments.
Also when we are awake countless bhavanga-cittas arise; they arise in
between the different processes of citta. It seems that hearing, for
example, can arise very shortly after seeing, but in reality there
are different processes of citta and in between these processes
bhavanga-cittas arise.
When an object contacts one of the five senses the stream of bhavanga-
cittas is interrupted and there is a sense-cognition. However, there
cannot be a sense-cognition immediately. When sound, for example,
impinges on the earsense, there is not immediately hearing. There are
still some bhavanga-cittas arising and falling away before the pañca-
dvåråvajjana-citta (five-door-adverting consciousness) adverts to the
sound through the ear-door and hearing arises. The bhavanga-cittas do
not perform the function of adverting to the sound which contacts the
earsense, they do not experience the sound. They have their own
function which is keeping the continuity in a lifespan.
In the ‘Atthasaalinii’, the commentary to the first book of the
Abhidhamma, the Dhammasangani, the parable of the Mango is given,
explaining a process of cittas after the stream of bhavanga has been
arrested. We read (Expositor II, 271, part X, no 2, Discourse on the
moral result of the sensuous realm) that a man went to sleep under a
mango-tree. A ripe mango fell down, grazing his ear. Awakened by the
sound he looked, stretched out his hand, took the fruit, squeezed it,
smelt it and ate it. We read: “What does this simile signify? The
function of the object striking the sentient organism. When this
happens there is the function of adverting by the five doors just
agitating the life-continuum, the function of just seeing by visual
cognition, of just receiving the object by the resultant mind-element
{N: receiving-consciousness], of just the examining of the object by
the resultant element of mind-cognition [N: investigating-
consciousness), the determining of the object by the inoperative
element of mind-cognition (the kiriyacitta which is determining-
consciousness). But verily only the apperception [N: the series of
javanacittas] enjoys the taste of the object.
---------

> B: 2. As far as I understand there are only a couple of places
> bhava'nga is
> mentioned in the Abhidhamma, and it is discussed much greater in the
> commentaries where the 'bhava'nga theory' is developed as we have
> it today. Is
> this accurate? Does anyone have references to the places it is used
> in the
> Abhidhamma?

-------

Also In the sutta: Anguttara Nikaaya, 1. 6. 2.

> pabhassaramida.m bhikkhave citta.m ta~nca kho aagantukehi

upakkilesehi

> vippamutta.m.

N: This consciousness, monks, is luminous, and it is indeed released
from
oncoming defilements.

>ta.m sutavaa ariyasaavako yathaabhuuta.m pajaanaati.

N: The learned noble disciple understand it as it really is.

>tasma sutavato ariyasaavakassa cittabhaavanaa atthiiti vadaamiiti.

N: Therefore I say that the learned, noble disciple has developed the
mind.

-------
The Atthasalini speaks about the bhavangacitta as being pure, using
the word
pa.n.dara (I, Book I, Part IV, Ch II, 140) : "Mind also is said to be
clear
in the sense of exceedingly pure with reference to the Bhavanga-
citta." Now
I like to mention Acharn Sujin's "Survey of Paramattha Dhammas" where
she
explains about the bhavanga-citta which is different from the cittas
experiencing objects impinging on the six doors. She explains that
when one
is fast asleep one does not know who one is or where one is, one does
not
experience the world. When one wakes up the world appears, one
experiences
all the objects impinging on the six doors and then these objects
give rise
to defilements. The bhavanga-citta, life-continuum, that has the
function of
keeping continuity in the life of an individual, arises when fast
asleep and
also in between the processes of cittas. Thus our life, consisting of an
uninterrupted series of cittas, goes on. The bhavanga-citta
experiences the
same object as the rebirth-consciousness, and this object is like an
echo of
the object experienced shortly before the dying-consciousness of the
previous life. This citta is pure, but it does not mean that there
are no
latent tendencies of defilements, anusayas, which lie dormant in the
citta.
It is called pure or luminous, because at that moment no defilements
arise.
-------
N: In the Abhidhamma, in the Pa.t.thaana book, under Faultless
triplet, Proximity-condition (anantara-paccaya, the condition that
each preceding citta must condiiton the following citta): "Life-
continuum (bhavanga) to advertance (avajjana)."
N: Before there is advertance to an object that impinges on one of
the senses or the mind-door, the series of bhavangacittas is
interrupted and a process of cittas begins. The last bhavangacitta
conditions the first citta of a process, the citta that adverts to
the new object.
----------

> B: 3. Is anyone aware of the approximate time the bhava'nga theory
> really started
> developing in the way the Theravaada tradition understands it now?

----
N: Here we come to the issue of the ancient commentaries which have
also been rehearsed at the Great Councils. This is an issue apart.
Before, in this list, this has been debated, and I prefer rather to
speak about the contents of the texts and their relation to daily
life now, instead of going into historical issues.
I am disinclined to use the expression bhavanga theory, since it is
not theoretical. The Abhidhamma deals with realities of daily life.
There is bhavangacitta now, while there are no sense impressions and
no thinking. Still, our life goes on, there cannot be moments without
citta. The citta that keeps the continuity in the long series of
cittas we call life is named bhavangacitta.
---------
Nina.

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