Chapter
8
AHETUKA CITTAS
-ooOoo-
If we want to
know ourselves we should not merely know the moments we have akusala cittas or kusala
cittas but other moments as well. When we see something ugly, we dislike what we see. At
the moment of dislike there is akusala citta rooted in dosa (aversion). Before there is
dislike, however, there must be moments of merely seeing the object. At these moments
there are not yet akusala cittas, but cittas which are without 'root' (in Pali: hetu).
There are six cetasikas which are hetu or 'root'. Three of
these hetus are akusala; they are : lobha (attachment), dosa (aversion) and moha
(ignorance). Three hetus are sobhana (beautiful); they are: alobha (greedlessness or
generosity), adosa (non-hate or lovingkindness) and amoha (panna or wisdom). The citta or
cetasika which is accompanied by a hetu is sahetuka. For example, dosa-mula-citta is
sahetuka; moha and dosa are the hetus which arise with dosa-mula-citta.
Cittas without hetu are ahetuka cittas. There are many
ahetuka cittas arising in a day. Whenever we see, hear, smell, taste or receive
impressions through the body-sense, there are ahetuka cittas before cittas with hetu
(wholesome cittas or unwholesome cittas) arise. We are inclined to pay attention only to
the moments of like and dislike, but we should know other moments as well; we should know
ahetuka cittas.
There are altogether eighteen types of ahetuka citta.
Fifteen types of ahetuka citta are vipakacittas and three types are kiriyacittas (cittas
which are 'inoperative', neither cause nor result). Seven of the ahetuka vipakacittas are
akusala vipakacittas (result of unwholesome deeds) and eight of them are kusala
vipakacittas (result of wholesome deeds). When an unpleasant object impinges on the
eye-sense, seeing-consciousness only experiences what appears through the eyes; there is
no dislike yet of the unpleasant object. Seeing-consciousness is an ahetuka vipakacitta.
Cittas which dislike the object arise later on; these are seen. The citta which pays
attention to the shape and form of something and knows what it is, does not experience an
object through the eye-door but through the mind-door; it has a different characteristic.
When one uses the word 'seeing' one usually means: paying attention to the shape and form
of something and knowing what it is, but there must also be a kind of citta which merely
sees visible object, and this citta does not know anything else. What we see we can call
'visible object' or 'colour' ; what is meant is: what appears through the eyes. When there
is hearing, we can experience that hearing has a characteristic which is different from
seeing; the citta which hears experiences sound through the ears. Only in experiencing the
different characteristics of realities over and over again, will we come to know them as
they are. People may think that there is a self which can see and hear at the same time,
but through which door can the self be experienced? Taking realities for self is wrong
view.
Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and receiving
impressions through the body-sense do not arise without there being conditions for their
arising; they are the result of kamma. Eye-sense, ear-sense, smelling-sense, tasting-
sense and body-sense are rupas which are produced by kamma as well; they are the corporal
result of kamma. Only the mental result of kamma is called vipaka, and thus only citta and
cetasika (mental factors arising with the citta) can be vipaka. Rupa is not vipaka.
The Buddha taught that everything which arises must have
conditions for its arising. When we see something unpleasant there must be a condition for
it: it is the result of akusala kamma. Akusala vipaka cannot be the result of kusala
kamma. Seeing something pleasant is kusala vipaka; this can only be the result of kusala
kamma. The vipakacitta which arises when there is an unpleasant or pleasant impression
through one of the five senses is ahetuka. At that moment there are no akusala hetus
(unwholesome roots) or sobhana hetus (beautiful roots) arising with the citta.
The ahetuka vipakacitta which sees an unpleasant or a
pleasant object through the eyes is seeing- consciousness, in Pali: cakkhu-vinnana (cakkhu
means eye).
The ahetuka vipakacitta which hears an unpleasant or a
pleasant object through the ears is hearing- consciousness, in Pali: sota-vinnana (sota
means ear).
The ahetuka vipakacitta which smells an unpleasant or a
pleasant object through the nose is smelling-consciousness, in Pali: ghana-vinnana (ghana
means nose).
The ahetuka vipakacitta which experiences an unpleasant or
a pleasant taste through the tongue is tasting- consciousness, in Pali: jivha-vinnana
(jivha means tongue).
The ahetuka vipakacitta which experiences an unpleasant or
a pleasant object through the body-sense is body-consciousness, in Pali: kaya-vinnana
(kaya means body) .
There are two kinds of ahetuka vipaka experiencing an
object through each of the five doors: one is akusala vipaka and one is kusala vipaka.
Thus there are five pairs of ahetuka vipakacittas which arise depending on the five
sense-doors. There are also other kinds of ahetuka vipakacitta which will be dealt with
later on. The ten ahetuka vipakacittas which are the 'five pairs' are called in Pali:
dvi-panca-vinnana (two times five vinnana). They are:
- Cakkhu-vinnana (seeing-consciousness):
- akusala vipaka, accompanied by upekkha (indifferent feeling)
-kusala vipaka, accompanied by upekkha
- Sota-vinnana (hearing-consciousness):
- akusala vipaka, accompanied by upekkha
- kusala vipaka, accompanied by upekkha
- Ghana-vinnana (smelling-consciousness):
- akusala vipaka, accompanied by upekkha
- kusala vipaka, accompanied by upekkha
- Jivha-vinnana (tasting-consciousness):
- akusala vipaka, accompanied by upekkha
- kusala vipaka, accompanied by upekkha
- Kaya-vinnana (body-consciousness):
- akusala vipaka, accompanied by dukkha vedana (bodily painful feeling)
- kusala vipaka, accompanied by sukha vedana (bodily pleasant feeling)
The ahetuka vipakacittas which see, hear, smell and taste
are invariably accompanied by upekkha (indifferent feeling), no matter whether they are
akusala vipaka or kusala vipaka. The citta which dislikes the object may arise afterwards.
This citta is sahetuka (with hetus or roots) and it is accompanied by unpleasant feeling.
Or the citta which likes the object may arise; this citta which is also sahetuka may be
accompanied by pleasant feeling or by indifferent feeling. We are inclined to think that
the dvi-panca-vinnanas can occur at the same time as like or dislike of the object, but
this is not so. Different cittas arise at different moments and the feelings which
accompany the cittas are different too; none of these realities should be taken for self.
The feeling arising with the body-consciousness which
experiences an impression through the body-sense cannot be indifferent; it arises either
with bodily painful feeling or with bodily pleasant feeling. When an unpleasant bodily
impression is experienced the feeling which accompanies the body-consciousness is
dukkha-vedana (bodily painful feeling). When a pleasant bodily impression is experienced
the feeling which accompanies the body-consciousness is sukha-vedana (bodily pleasant
feeling). Bodily unpleasant feeling and bodily pleasant feeling are nama which can arise
only with the body-consciousness which experiences an object through the body-sense. Both
bodily feeling and mental feeling are nama, but they arise because of different conditions
and at different moments. For example, we may have bodily pleasant feeling when we are in
comfortable surroundings, but in spite of that, we may still be worried and also have
moments of mental unpleasant feeling; these feelings arise at different moments. Bodily
pleasant feeling is the result of kusala kamma. The mental unpleasant feeling which arises
when we are unhappy is conditioned by our accumulation of dosa (aversion) ; it is akusala.
The whole day there are impressions received through the
body-sense, which is a kind of rupa. Bodily impressions can be received all over the body
and thus the door of the body-sense can be at any place of the body. Whenever we touch
hard or soft objects, when cold or heat contacts the body, and when we move, bend or
stretch, there are unpleasant or pleasant impressions received through the body-sense. One
may wonder whether at each moment there is a bodily impression, bodily pleasant or bodily
unpleasant feeling arises. One may notice the coarse bodily feelings, but not the subtle
bodily feelings. For example, when something is a little too hard, too cold or too hot,
there is dukkha-vedana (bodily painful feeling) arising with the body consciousness which
experiences the object through the body-sense. One may not notice the subtle bodily
feelings if one has not learned to be aware of realities.
The arahat, when he experiences an unpleasant impression
or a pleasant impression through the body-sense, only has bodily unpleasant feeling or
bodily pleasant feeling arising with the body-consciousness. He has no akusala cittas or
kusala cittas after the vipakacitta; he has kiriyacittas ('inoperative' cittas: The deeds
which the arahat performs are neither kusala nor akusala. So he will not be born again.).
We read in the 'Kindred Sayings' (IV, Salayatana-vagga, Kindred Sayings about Feeling,
Book I, par.6) that the Buddha said to the monks:
'The untaught manyfolk, monks, feels feeling that is
pleasant, feeling that is painful and feeling that is neutral. The well-taught Ariyan
disciple, monks, feels the same three feelings. '
Now herein, monks, what is the distinction, what is the
specific feature, what is the difference between the well-taught Ariyan disciple and the
untaught manyfolk?'
'For us, lord, things are rooted in the Exalted One....'
'The untaught manyfolk, monks, being touched by feeling
that is painful, weeps and wails, cries
aloud, knocks the breast, falls into utter bewilderment. For he feels a twofold feeling,
bodily and mental ... Touched by that painful feeling he feels repugnance for it. Feeling
that repugnance for the painful feeling, the lurking tendency to repugnance fastens on
him. Touched by the painful feeling, he delights in pleasant feeling. Why so? The untaught
manyfolk, monks, knows of no refuge from painful feeling save sensual pleasure. Delighting
in that sensual pleasure, the lurking tendency to sensual pleasure fastens on him....'
Is this not real life? Touched by painful feeling, we
delight in pleasant feeling; we believe that pleasant feeling is real happiness. we do not
see life as it really is: dukkha. We wish to close our eyes to sickness, old age and
death, to 'lamentation and despair', to the impermanence of all conditioned realities. We
expect happiness in life and when we have to suffer we think that pleasant feeling might
cure us of suffering and we cling to it. In the Buddha's teaching of the 'Dependent
Origination' it is said that feeling conditions craving. Not only pleasant feeling and
indifferent feeling condition craving, also painful feeling conditions craving, since one
wishes to be liberated from painful feeling. Furthermore we read in the sutta:
'....If he feels feeling that is pleasant, he feels it as
one in bondage. If he feels feeling that is painful, he feels it as one in bondage. If he
feels feeling that i s neutral, he feels it as one in bondage. This untaught manyfolk,
monks, is called 'in bondage to birth, death,
sorrow and grief, woe, lamentation and despair. He is in bondage to dukkha. So I declare.
But, monks, the well-taught Ariyan disciple, when touched
by painful feeling, weeps not, wails not, cries not aloud, knocks not the breast, falls
not into utter bewilderment. He feels but one feeling, the bodily, not the mental... If he
feels a feeling that is pleasant, he feels it as one freed from bondage. If he feels a
feeling that is painful, he feels it as one that is freed from bondage. If he feels a
neutral feeling, he feels it as one that is freed from bondage. This well-taught Ariyan
disciple, monks, is called 'freed from the bondage of birth, old age, from sorrow and
grief, from woe, lamentation and despair, freed from the bondage of dukkha.' So I
declare....'
Feelings arise because of conditions and fall away again.
They are impermanent
and they should not be taken for self. We read in the 'Kindred Savings' (lV
Salayatana-vagga, Kindred Sayings on Sense, Third Fifty, par. 130, Haliddaka):
Once the venerable Kaccana the Great was staying among the
folk of Avanti, at Osprey's Haunt, on a sheer mountain crag. Then the housefather
Haliddakani came to the venerable Kaccana the Great. Seated at one side he said this:
'lt has been said by the Exalted One, sir, "Owing to
diversity in elements arises diversity of contact. Owing to diversity of contact arises
diversity of feeling." Pray, sir, how far is this so?'
'Herein, housefather, seeing a pleasant object with the
eye, a monk, at the thought "This is such
and such," comes to know of eye-consciousness that is pleasant to experience. Owing
to contact that is pleasant to experience arises pleasant feeling.
When with the eye he sees an object that is displeasing, a
monk, at the thought "This is such and
such," comes to know of eye-consciousness that is unpleasant to experience. Owing to
contact that is unpleasant to experience arises unpleasant feeling.
When with the eye he sees an object that is of indifferent
effect, a monk, at the thought "This is such and such," comes to know of
consciousness that is neutral. Owing to contact that is neutral to experience arises
feeling that is neutral.
So also, housefather, hearing a sound with the ear,
smelling a scent with the nose, tasting a savour with the tongue, contacting a tangible
with the body, cognizing a pleasing mind-state with the mind... a mind-state that is
displeasing... a mind-state that is indifferent in effect....
Thus, housefather, owing to diversity in elements arises
diversity of contact. Owing to diversity of contact arises diversity of feeling.'
If we are mindful of realities which appear through the
different doorways we will know from experience many different namas and rupas; we will
know different types of citta and different kinds of feeling. We will know that all these
realities are only conditioned elements and not self. We will know from experience that
there are not only cittas accompanied by lobha, dosa and moha, and cittas accompanied by
wholesome roots, but also cittas which are ahetuka, cittas without roots. One may not find
it interesting to know more about seeing, hearing and the other realities appearing
through the different doorways. However, in order to see things as they are, it is
essential to know that the citta which, for example, experiences sound, has a
characteristic which is different from the citta which likes or dislikes the sound and
that these cittas arise because of different conditions. What the Buddha taught can be
proved by being mindful of realities.
-ooOoo-
Questions
1. Which are the six hetus (roots)?
2. When there is seeing it may be kusala vipaka or akusala vipaka. Are there hetus
accompanying seeing-consciousness?
-ooOoo-
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