Prepared by
John D. Hughes, DipAppChem, TTTC, GDAIE
Anita Hughes, RN Div1
Leanne Eames BA MA
Evelin Halls, DipFLC
Pennie White, BA, DipEd
Abhidhamma Class No. 38, 11 March 2003
Kaya-passaddhi and Citta-passaddhi
Glossary
passaddhi-sambojjhanga: ‘tranquility, as factor of enlightenment’, consists in tranquility of mental factors (kaya-passaddhi) and tranquility of consciousness (citta-passaddhi).
In reference to kaya-passaddhi Dr. Mehm Tin Mon writes in his book ‘The Essence of Buddha Abhidhamma’: “Here ‘kaya’ does not mean ‘body’; it refers to the ‘group’ of mental concomitants.
Passaddhi is tranquility, calmness, quietude or serenity.
So kaya-passaddhi is tranquility of mental concomitants whereas citta-passaddhi is tranquility of citta or consciousness.
From passaddhi to ujjukata there are 6 pairs of cetasikas which go by kaya and citta. The reason they were described in pair by Buddha is that they occur together and together they oppose their opponent.
In the case of saddha, sati, hiri, etc., they are described as singles because individually they can oppose their opponents.
By citta-passaddhi, only citta is tranquil. By kaya-passaddhi, not only are the mental concomitants tranquil, but also the body is tranquil due to the diffusion of wholesome cittaja-rupa, which is mind-produced corporeality.
Passaddhi has the chief characteristic of suppressing or allaying of feverishness of passions. It serves as the cool shade of a tree to a person affected by the sun’s heat.
Passaddhi is opposed to kukkucca (worry).
When highly developed it becomes a factor of Enlightenment (Bojjhanga)” (Mon 1995, p 90).
The Atthasalini (Book I, Part N, Chapter 1, 130) explains about tranquility of body and tranquility of mind: ... These two states taken together have the characteristic of pacifying the suffering of both mental factors and of consciousness; the function of crushing the suffering of both; the manifestation of an unwavering and cool state of both; and have mental factors and consciousness as proximate cause. They are the opponents of the corruptions, such as distraction (uddhacca), which cause the disturbance of mental factors and of consciousness.
Similarly, the Visuddhi Magga (XIV, 144) states: The tranquilising of the [mental] body [(cetasika)], is tranquility of the body. The tranquilising of consciousness is tranquility of consciousness [(citta)].
Both tranquility of that [mental] body and of consciousness have, together, the characteristic of quieting disturbance of that [mental] body and of consciousness.
The function is to crush disturbance of the [mental] body and of consciousness.
They are manifested as inactivity and coolness.
The proximate cause is the [mental] body and consciousness. They should be regarded as opposed to the defilements of agitation etc., which cause unpeacefulness in the [mental] body and in consciousness.
How does he exert the mind on an occasion when it should be exerted? When his mind is slack with over-laxness of energy, etc., then, instead of developing the three enlightenment factors beginning with tranquility, he should develop those beginning with investigation-of-states.
For this is said by the Blessed One: ‘Bhikkhus, suppose a man wanted to make a small fire burn up, and he put wet grass on it, put wet cowdung on it, put wet sticks on it, sprinkled it with water, and scattered dust on it, would that man be able to make the small fire burn up?
No, Venerable sir.
So too, Bhikkhus, when the mind is slack, that is not the time to develop the tranquility enlightenment factor, the concentration enlightenment factor or the equanimity enlightenment factor.
Why is that?
Because a slack mind cannot well be roused by those states. When the mind is slack, that is the time to develop the investigation-of-states enlightenment factor, the energy enlightenment factor and the happiness enlightenment factor.
Why is that?
Because a slack mind can well be roused by those states.
‘Bhikkhus, suppose a man wanted to make a small fire burn up, and he put dry grass on it, put dry cowdung on it, put dry sticks on it, blew it with his mouth, and did not scatter dust on it, would that man be able to make that small fire burn up?
Yes, Venerable sir’. (Bhadantacariya Buddhaghosa IV, 51).
It is not easy to recognise the characteristic of calm. For example, when we are alone, in a quiet place, what we think is calm may actually be attachment to silence. What we call calm or tranquility in convential language is not the same as the realities of tranquilities of cetasikas and citta. (Van Gorkom, Part IV, Chapter 31).
Master Andre Sollier wrote (2003):
To have a cool mind
stabilised when facing
extraordinary challenges (frightful or charming).
References
Brown, Lesley (editor) (1993), The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Buddhaghosa, Bhadantacariya, (no date), “The Visuddhi Magga”, translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Nanamoli, Singapore Buddhist Meditation Centre, Singapore.
Mon, Dr. Mehm Tin (1995), “The Essence of Buddha Abhidhamma”, publisher Mehm Tay Zar Mon, Yangon.
Sollier, Andre (2003) The Seven Factors of Enlightenment (painted) by Andre Sollier, Chan Academy Australia available at URL :
www.buyresolved.com.au/sumie2003/sumie2003.html
Venerable Nyanatiloka (1980), “Buddhist Dictionary - Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines”, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy.
Zolag cited in Van Gorkom, Nina (1999) “Cetasikas”, Part IV, Chapter 31, available at URL http://www.vipassana.info/cetasikas33.html, accessed 11 March 2003.
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