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Homage to that Blessed One, Arahant, Perfectly Self-Enlightened. Introduction to Abhidhamma Preface to the Work 1. To the Tathāgata, of infinite compassion and wisdom, the unsurpassed; Having bowed my head to the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the noble Saṅgha. 2. Upon the rock named Paṇḍukambala, of incomparable might; Seated on the pure, cool surface of the king of devas. 3. That which the God of gods, worshipped by gods and god-kings; Taught in the world of devas, honored by devas. 4. Therein, for the proficiency of bhikkhus in the supreme Piṭaka; I shall present the Abhidhammāvatāra, sweet and mind-enhancing. 5. A key to the door of delusion, an unsurpassed opener; For bhikkhus entering the great city of Abhidhamma. 6. For those crossing the Abhidhamma great ocean, so hard to cross; Like a raft for those crossing the ocean of monsters, so hard to cross. 7. An unsurpassed handbook for Abhidhammic bhikkhus; I shall explain it concisely, listen attentively. Chapter One Description of Citta 8. Consciousness, mental factors, form, and Nibbāna, the unsurpassed; In four ways he taught the Dhamma, the revealer of the Four Noble Truths. Among these, what is citta? Citta is that which knows an object. What then is its verbal meaning? It is said: Citta is that which thinks, in the sense of encompassing all things, or citta is that which accumulates in one's own continuum. 9. From making things varied, it is citta, or from its own varied nature; In designation, and in consciousness, in varied mental actions; The term citta should be seen, by the wise here, in consciousness. That (citta) is of one kind due to having an object, of two kinds due to being with or without result. Among these, that which is with result is wholesome and unwholesome; that which is without result is indeterminate. It is of three kinds according to the division of wholesome, unwholesome, and indeterminate classes. Among these, what then is the verbal meaning of wholesome? 10. From cutting off the contemptible, or from cutting the kusa grass; Or from being attained by kusa, it is called wholesome. 11. This word 'kusala' (wholesome) is seen in the sense of skillful, in health, in blamelessness; And here, in desirable results, and in blamelessness, etc. Therefore, wholesome is characterized by blamelessness and desirable results. Its characteristic is destroying unwholesome states, its manifestation is purification. Or wholesome is that which is faultless in nature, being the opposite of fault, its characteristic is the state of purification, its manifestation is a desirable result, its proximate cause is wise attention. Unwholesome is characterized by fault and undesirable results. Indeterminate is characterized by the opposite of both, or that which is not capable of producing results. Among these, wholesome consciousness is of twenty-one kinds. This, from the perspective of planes, is of four kinds: sense-sphere, form-sphere, formless-sphere, and supramundane. Among these, sense-sphere wholesome consciousness, from the perspective of plane, is of one kind; from the distinction of with or without object, it is of two kinds; from the distinction of inferior, medium, or superior, it is of three kinds; from the distinction of joy, equanimity, knowledge, and application, it is of eight kinds. Namely: one accompanied by joy, associated with knowledge, unprompted; one prompted; one accompanied by joy, dissociated from knowledge, unprompted; one prompted; one accompanied by equanimity, associated with knowledge, unprompted; one prompted; one accompanied by equanimity, dissociated from knowledge, unprompted; and one prompted. This is called the eightfold sense-sphere wholesome consciousness. 12. In summary, craving is of two kinds, due to defilement and due to object. Defilement is indeed sensual desire, the object is the cycle of the three planes. 13. Defilement-craving craves, the object is that which is craved; both kinds of craving are established, in these two agents. 14. In which realm, these two kinds of craving, due to their attainments, are said to operate. 15. That realm is of the four woeful states, and of the six deva realms, and of human beings, thus it is elevenfold. 16. Here, where craving operates, it is called 'sense-sphere'; for it is characterized by that, just like one's own sphere of activity. 17. This form-existence is form, thus it is designated as 'kāma'; by dropping the latter word/part, it is expressed. 18. In that craving, this consciousness, always operates, it is said; thus it is called 'sense-sphere', spoken by the destroyer of craving. 19. Rebirth in the sense-sphere existence, operates... or it goes; Or it is included in the sense-sphere. 20. This eight-fold mind, called sense-sphere, operates by means of the ten bases of meritorious deeds. 21. Giving, virtue, development, transferring merit, Service, teaching, and rejoicing, Right view, listening, and reverence— Thus should be known the divisions of merit-bases. 22. In giving, are included transferring merit and rejoicing; Likewise in the merit of virtue, service and reverence. 23. Teaching, listening, right view, and development— Again, these three are combined, the ten meritorious actions. 24. All recollections of merit, praise, and the Triple Gem, Are included in right view, there is no doubt. 25. The former release, and the latter three volitions, Become the merit of giving; thus should it be explained in the others. Now, the process of arising of this eight-fold sense-sphere wholesome consciousness should be understood. When someone, due to the perfection of the recipient of the gift or other causes of joy, becomes delighted and joyful, and having put right view first, which arises in the manner of "there is what is given," etc., performs meritorious deeds such as giving without being prompted by others, then their first great wholesome consciousness, accompanied by joy, associated with knowledge, and unprompted, arises. When, however, in the manner described, being delighted and joyful, and having put right view first, they perform these deeds being prompted by others, then that same consciousness becomes prompted. In this context, "prompted" refers to the prior effort made by oneself or by others. When children, having become familiar by seeing the practice of their relatives, see monks and, filled with joy, suddenly give whatever is in their hands or pay homage, then their third consciousness arises. When, however, they are prompted by relatives, saying "give, pay homage, sirs," and thus give what is in their hands or pay homage, then their fourth consciousness arises. When, however, the gift due to the non-attainment of recipients etc., or the absence of other causes of joy, in all four modes they are devoid of joy; then the remaining four arise accompanied by equanimity. Thus, due to the distinction of application of joy, equanimity, and knowledge, the eightfold sensuous wholesome consciousness should be understood. 26. And by way of the ten bases of meritorious action, many of these consciousnesses, it is declared, arise. 27. Seventeen thousand, two hundred and eighty, are the sensuous wholesome deeds, it is declared, that arise. And that, accordingly, produces the attainment of existence and enjoyment in the sensuous happy realms. Among the others, the fine-material wholesome consciousness is onefold by way of having a basis, twofold by way of arising in two existences, threefold by way of inferior, middling, and superior distinctions, fourfold by way of path-distinctions etc., and fivefold by way of the combination of jhana factors. Namely – free from sensual desire, ill-will, sloth-and-torpor, restlessness-and-remorse, and doubt, accompanied by initial application, sustained application, rapture, happiness, and one-pointedness of mind, is the first; free from initial application, accompanied by sustained application, rapture, happiness, and one-pointedness of mind, is the second; free from initial application and sustained application, accompanied by rapture, happiness, and one-pointedness of mind, is the third; free from initial application, sustained application, and rapture, accompanied by happiness and one-pointedness of mind, is the fourth; free from initial application, sustained application, rapture, and happiness, accompanied by equanimity and one-pointedness of mind, is the fifth – this is called the fivefold fine-material wholesome consciousness. And that, as it occurs, becomes manifold by way of occurring with earth-kasiṇa etc. as objects. All of this, arising by the power of fine-material meditative development merit, accordingly produces rebirth in the fine-material realms. Thus, the fine-material wholesome should be understood. Among the remaining two, the immaterial wholesome consciousness is onefold by way of being conjoined with the feeling of equanimity, twofold by way of having a basis and not having a basis, threefold by way of inferior, middling, and superior distinctions, and fourfold by way of object distinctions. The space from the removal of the kasiṇa, t The present consciousness, its cessation, the base of nothingness – these are its four kinds of objects. According to their sequence, due to the division of these objects, it becomes fourfold. Namely – accompanied by the perception of the base of infinite space, due to the complete transcending of perceptions of form, the disappearance of perceptions of sensory impingement, and not attending to perceptions of diversity; accompanied by the perception of the base of infinite consciousness; accompanied by the perception of the base of nothingness; accompanied by the perception of the base of neither perception nor non-perception – this is called the fourfold wholesome immaterial sphere consciousness. All of this, arisen through the power of wholesome immaterial sphere development, produces rebirth in the immaterial realms accordingly.