Part 1 was lesson 56 dated 15 July 2003 on website www.bddronline.net.au
Glossary
cetana = volition
rupa = matter
sadda = sound
gandha = smell
rasa = taste
potthabba = physical contact
dhamma = ideas or mental objects
"In Abhidhamma Buddha has analysed the mind to its ultimate components called citta and cetasika. These components are the ultimate relalities known as paramattas" (Mon 1995: p. 110).
"Abhidhamma knowledge is to be learned, digested and practised for the sake of enlightenment and liberation from all miseries" (Mon 1995: p. 112).
Some of our Abhidhamma students commented that the charts in Dr. Tin Mons's book are a very effective learning aid. One can learn the charts that include the Pali language names. The charts present a detailed form of the Abhidhamma mandala. Once the charts are learned and digested, the understanding expands. The charts are suitable for rote learning.
Last week we studied the association of each cetasika with different citta in the detailed survey of Chart No. 2 in Dr. Mon's book, the sampayoga method.
Today we will study Appendix C, Chart No. 3, the sangaha method, as classified in Dr. Mehm Tin Mon's book "The Essence of Buddha Abhidhamma".
"The name of each citta in pali should be consulted before enumerating the concomitants associated with the particular citta" (Mon 1995: p.98). Chart No. 3 shows the different combinations of cetasika with different citta. We refer to page 98 to 110 in Dr. Tin Mon's book for detailed descriptions of these combinations.
Cetana plays an important role in all actions – it determines whether an action is moral or immoral. It is the most significant cetasika in mundane (lokiya) consciousness whereas panna (wisdom) is the most important cetasika in the supramundane (lokuttara) consciousness (Mon 1995: p. 69).
The following texts are from the Journal "Buddhism In Myanmar – The Light of the Dhamma", Cetana (Volition), Editorial, Vol. VIII, No. 2, 1961, (at website URL http://web.ukonline.co.uk/buddhism/cetana.htm, accessed 22 July 2003):
"Cetana is one of the seven Sabba-citta-sadharana-cetasika (concomitants which are common to every act of consciousness). It has the characteristic of urging or causing to exert. Its function is to gather its associate concomitants and cause them to perform their respective functions simultaneously with it. It accomplishes its own and others' functions as a senior pupil or a general does. It is manifested as an instructive factor, e.g. do this; do that. Its proximate causes are its associate concomitants.
A student prepares and studies his lessons and at the same time causes all other students to prepare their lessons and study them.
A general also fights the battle himself and causes his soldiers to fight simultaneously. So cetana is compared to a general.
In his Dipani (Manual of Nutriment) the Venerable Maha Thera Ledi Sayadaw elaborately expounded the immense power of cetana as follows: "The dhamma which incessantly urges or causes the mind and its associate concomitants to become restless and chase various kinds of objects is called cetana. Try to discern that mind is restless and ever fleeting. When one encounters an object of lobha (greed), it is cetana which drags that lobha out and invariably directs it towards the object of greed. It also urges or causes one to enjoy sensuous pleasures. Similar processes take place in the cases of dosa (hatred) and moha (delusion).
Vedana and Sanna perform their functions in their respective fields, but they are not able to cause other concomitants to perform their respective functions simultaneously. Hence cetana is the predominating factor in every action."
When any action of thought, word, or body, takes place, cetana marshals its accompanying factors to perform their respective functions. Thus all actions of beings are determined by cetana. Therefore it is even called kamma.
In the Nibbedhika Sutta the Buddha declares: (Anguttara Nikaya, Chakka Nipata, Mahavagga, Nibbedhika Sutta, p. 359, 6th Syn. Edition)
"By action, Bhikkhus, I mean volition. It is through volition or self- instigation or incitement that a man does something in the form of deed, speech or thought."
Cetana arises in connection with rupa (matter), sadda (sound), gandha (smell), rasa (taste), potthabba (physical contact) and dhamma (ideas or mental objects) and incites (and conducts) actions with reference to them.
Actions incited (and conducted) by cetana may be physical, verbal or mental; they may be good or bad; and they will produce good or bad results.
So in the Putta-mamsa Sutta, the Buddha declares: (Samyutta Nikaya, Mahavagga, Putta-mamsa Sutta, p. 324, 6th Syn. Edition)
"Manosan cetana bhikkhave ahare parinnate tisso tanha parinna honti: tisu tanhasu parinnatasu ariyasavakassa natthi kinci uttari karaniyanti vadami."
O Monks, I declare that manosanncetana ahara (mental volition as a relating factor) should be fully comprehended (1). When that mental volition (as a paccayadhamma) is fully comprehended, the three cravings are fully comprehended. When these are well comprehended, I declare that there is nothing further that the Holy One has to do (2).
(1) There are three kinds of parinna (comprehension), namely:
1. nata-parinna (comprehension of the nature of things
2. tirana-parinna (comprehension of their characteristics, such as anicca (impermanence), dukkha (suffering), anatta (selfless-ness)
3. pahana-parinna (comprehension culminating in their complete and final cessation)
(2) Because he becomes an Arahat through complete and final cessation of the three kinds of cravings.
References
Mon, Dr. Mehm Tin (1995), “The Essence of Buddha Abhidhamma”, Publisher Mehm Tay Zar Mon, Yangon.
"Buddhism In Myanmar – The Light of the Dhamma", Cetana (Volition), Editorial, Vol. VIII, No. 2, 1961, http://web.ukonline.co.uk/buddhism/cetana.htm, accessed 22 July 2003.
A note to fonts:
The printed paper of this Abhidhamma class is written in the VriRomanPali font. This font displays diacritical marks and can be downloaded from "The Pali Primer" website, written by Lily de Silva at URL http://www.vri.dhamma.org/publications/pali/primer.
Another suitable font to display the Pali language with diacritical marks is the Titus font at website http://titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de/framee.htm?/unicode/unitest2.htm.
This particular font is recommended by the Pali Text Society and works with the Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary at website http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali.
Please note that in order to display the diacritical marks on your computer, you need to have the Titus font, the VriRomanPali font or other font options installed on your machine.