CHAPTER-TWO
Supramundane
consciousness (lokuttaracitta): The word lokuttara,
supramundane, is derived from loka=word, and uttara= beyond, transcendent to.
The concept of “ word” is threefold: the world of living beings (sattaloka),
the physical universe (okasaloka), and the world of formations (sankharaloka), that
is, the totality of conditioned phenomena, physical and mental. The notion of
world relevant here is the world of formations, that is, all mundane phenomena
included within the five aggregates of clinging. That which transcends the
world of conditioned things is the unconditioned element, Nibbana, and types of
consciousness that is directly accomplish the realization of Nibbana are
called lokuttaracitta, supramundane
consciousness. The other three types are called, in distinction, lokiyacitta,
mundane consciousness.
Supramundane
Consciousness (lokuttataracittani)—8
Supramundane
wholesome Consciousness (lokuttara-kusalacittani)-4
1.Sotapatti-maggacittam.
2. Sakadagami- maggacittam.
3.Anagami-maggacittam.
4.Arahatta-maggacittana
ca ti. Imani cattari pi lokutta-kusalacittani nama.
1. Path
consciousness of stream-entry.
2. Path
consciousness of once- returning.
3. Path consciousness of non-returning.
4. Path
consciousness of Arahantship.
These are the
four types of supramundane wholesome consciousness.
Supramundane Resultant Consciousness (lokuttara-vipakacittani)—4
5. Sotapatti-phalacittam.
6. Sakadagami- phalacittam.
7. Anagami-phalacittam.
8. Arahatta-phalacittana ca ti. Imani cattari pi
lokutta-vipakacittani nama.
Icc’evam
sabhatha pi attha lokuttara-kusala-vipaka-cittani samattani.
5. Fruition
consciousness of stream-entry.
6. Fruition
consciousness of once- returning.
7. Fruition consciousness of non-returning.
8. Fruition consciousness of Arahantship.
These are the
four types of supramundane Resultant consciousness.
Thus end, in
all, the eight types of supramundane wholesome and resultant consciousness.
Catumaggappabhedena
catudha kusalam tatha
Pakam
tassa phalatta ti atthadh’anuttaram.
The wholesome
consciousness is fourfold, divided by way of the four paths. So too are the
resultants, being their fruits. Thus the supramundane should be understood as
eightfold.
Supramundane
consciousness (lokuttaracittani):
Supramundane consciousness is consciousness that pertains to the process of
trancending (uttara) the world (loka) consisting of the five aggregates of
clinging. This type of consciousness leads to liberation from Samsara, the
cycle of birth and death, and to the
attainment of Nibbana, the cessation of suffering. There are eight supramundane
cittas. These pertain to the four stages of enlightenment—stream-entry,
onec-returning , non-returning, and Arahantship. Each state involves two types
of citta, path consciousness (maggacitta) and fruition consciouness
(phalacitta),. All supramundane cittas take as object the unconditioned
reraity, Nibbana, but they differ as paths and fruits according to their
functions. The path consciousness has the function of eradicating ( or of
permanently attenuating)[1]
defilments; the fruition consciousness
has the function experiencing the degrre of liberation made possible by the corresponding path. The path
consciousness is a kusalacitta, a wholesome state; the fruition consciousness
is a vipakacitta, a resultant.
Each path
consciousness arises only once, and endures only for one mindmoment; it is
never repeated in the mental continuum of the person who attains it. The
corresponding fruition consciousness initially arises immediately after the
path moment, and endures for two or three mind-moments. Subsequently it can be
repeated, and with practice can be made to endure for many mind-moments, in the
supramundane absorption called fruition attainment.
The path and
fruits are attained by the menthod of meditation called the development of
insight (vipassanabhavana). This type of meditation involves the strengthening
of the faculty of wisdom(pane). By sustained attention to the changing
phenomena of mind and matter, the meditator learns to discern their true
characteristics of impermanence, suffering, and non- self. When these insights
gain full maturity, they issue in the supra mundane path and fruits.
Path consciousness of
stream-entry (sotapatti-maggacitta):
The entry upon
the irreversible path to liberation is called stream-entry, and the citta that
experiences this attainment is the path consciousness of stream-entry. The
stream (soata) is the Noble Eightfold Path, with its eight factors of right
view, right intention, right speech , right action ,right live hood, right
effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. As the current of the
Ganges flows uninterrupted from the Himalayas to the ocean, so the supramundane
Noble Eightfold Path flows uninterrupted from the arising of right view to the
attainment Nibbana.
Though the
factors of the eightfold path may arise in the mundane wholesome cittas of
virtuous world lings, these factors are not fixed in their destination, since a
world ling may change character and turn away from the Dhamma. But in a noble
disciple who has reached the experience of stream- entry, the path factors
become fixed in destiny, and flow like a stream leading to Nibbana.
The path
consciousness of stream-entry has the function of cutting off the first three
fetters—“personality view” or wrong views of self, doubt about the the Triple
Gem, and clinging to rites and
ceremonies in the belief that they can lead to liberation. It further cuts off
all greed, hatred and delusion strong enough to lead to a sub- human rebirth.
This citta also permanently eliminates five other cittas, namely, the four
cittas rooted in greed associated with wrong view, and the citta rooted in
delusion associated with doubt. One who has undergone the experience of
stream-entry is assured of reaching final deliverance in a maximum of seven
lives, and of never being reborn in any of the woeful planes of existence.
Path
consciousness of once-returning (sakadagami-maggacitta):
This citta is
the consciousness associated with the Noble Eightfold Path that gives access to
the plane of a once-returner. While it does not eradicate any fetters, this
citta attenuates the grosser forms of sensual desire and ill will. The person
who has reached this state will be
reborn in this world at most one more time before attaining liberation.
Path consciousness of non-returning
(anagami-maggacitta): One who attains the third path will
never again be reborn in the sensuous plane. If such a person does not reach
Arahantship in the same lifetime, he will be reborn in the fine-material world
and there attain the goal. The path consciousness of non-returning cuts off the
fetters of sensual desire and ill will; it also permanently eliminates the two
cittas rooted in hate.
Path
consciousness of Arahantaship (arahatta-maggcitta): An
Arahant is a fully liberated person, one who destroyed (hata) the enemy (ari)
consisting of the defilements. The path consciousness of Arahantship is the
citta that issues directly in the full liberation of Arahantship. This citta
destroys the five subtle fetters—desire for fine- material and immaterial
existence, conceit, restlessness, and ignorance. It also eliminates the
remaining types of unwholesome cittas—
The four rooted
in greed dissociated from views and the one rooted in delusion associated with
restlessness.
Fruition
consciousness (phalacitta): Each path consciousness issues
automatically in its respective fruition in the same cognitive series, in
immediate succession to the path. Thereafter the fruition cittas can arise many
times when the Noble disciple enters the meditative attainment of fruition. The
fruition consciousness, as mentioned earlier, is classified by the way of kind
as a resultant (vipaka). It should be noted that there are no supramundane
functional (kiriya) cittas. That is because when an Arahant enter fruition
attainment, the cittas that occur in that attainment belong to the class of
resultants, being fruits of the supramundane path.
All mediators
reach the supramundane paths and fruits throught the development of wisdom
(panna)—insight into the three characteristics of impermanence, suffering, and
non-self. However, they differ among themselves in the degree of their
development of concentration (Samadhi). Those who develop insight without a
basis of Jhana is called practioners of
bare insight (sukkhavipasska). When they reach the path and fruit, their
path and fruition cittas occur at a level corresponding to the first Jhana.
Those who
develop insight on the basis of attain a
path and fruit which corresponds to the level of Jhana they had attained before
reaching the path. The ancient teachers advance different views on the question
of what factor determines the Jhana level of the path anf fruit. One school of
thought holds that it is the basis Jhana (padakajjhana), the Jhana used as a
basis for concentrating the mind before developing the insight that culminates
in attainment of the supramundane path. A second theory holds that the Jhana
level of the path is determind by the jhana used as an object for investigation
by insight, called the comprehended or investigated Jhana (sammasitajjhana). Still a third school of thought
holds that when a meditator has mastered a range of Jhanas, he can control the
Jhana level of the path by his the personal wish or inclination (ajjhasaya). [2]
Nevertheless, no
matter what explanation is adopted, for bare insight meditator and Jhanna
meditator alike, all path and fruition cittaas are considered types of jhanna consciousness. They are so
considered because they occur in the mode of
closely contemplating their object with full absorption., like the
mundane jhannas, and because they possess
the jhanna factors with an intensity corresponding to their counterparts
in the mundane Jhanas. The supramundane
jhanas of the paths and fruits take as their differ from the mundane jhanas in
several important respects. First, whereas the mundane Jhanas take as their
object Nibbana, the unconditioned reality. Second , Whereas the mundane Jhanas
merely suppress the defilments while leaving their underlying seeds intact, the
supramundane Jhanas of the path eradicate defilements so that they can never
again arise. Third, while the mundane
Jhanas lead to rebirth in the
fine-material world and thus sustain
existence in the round of rebirths, the Jhanas of the path cut off the
fetters binding one to the cycle and thus issue in liberation from the round of
birth and death . Finally, whereas the role of wisdom in the mundane jhanas is
subordinate to that of concentration, in the supramundane jhanas wisdom and concentration
are well balanced, with concentration fixing the mind on the unconditioned
element and wisdom fathoming the deep significance of the Four Noble Truths.
According to the
constellation of their jhanas factors,
the path and fruition cittas are graded along the scale of the five jhanas,
Thus instead of enumerating the supramunane consciousness as eightfold by the
way of bare paths and fruits, each path and fruition consciousness can be
enumerated as fivefold according to the level of jhana at which it may occur.
When this is done, the eight-supramundane cittas, each taken at all of the five
jhanic levels forty in number.
[2] For details,see Henepola Gunaratana, The Jhanas in Theravada Buddhism Meditation (PBS Wheel
No.351/353,1988),pp.60-62.
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