English
nine rūpa and arūpa resultant consciousnesses arise by way of rebirth-linking. However, when they are reborn in the woeful states due to the power of unwholesome kamma, then, at the time of their death, taking as object one of the kamma, kamma-sign, or destiny-sign that appeared, one unwholesome resultant rootless mind-consciousness element arises by way of rebirth-linking. Thus, in this way, the arising of nineteen resultant consciousnesses by way of rebirth-linking should be understood. When the rebirth-linking consciousness has ceased, following that rebirth-linking consciousness, a bhavanga consciousness, which is the result of that very kamma, and has the same object, arises, and again, another similar one, and so on, when there is no other mind-moment to interrupt the continuum, like a river's current, or like one not dreaming, at times such as waking from sleep, it arises an immeasurable number of times. Thus, the arising of these very consciousnesses by way of bhavanga should also be understood. When this bhavanga continuum is thus flowing, when the sense faculties of beings are capable of apprehending objects, then, when a visible object comes within range of the eye, there is an impingement of the visible object on the eye-sensitivity. Then, due to the power of that impingement, there is a vibration of the bhavanga. Then, when the bhavanga has ceased, taking that very visible object as its object, as if interrupting the bhavanga, and accomplishing the function of adverting, the functional mind-element arises. The same method applies to the ear-door and so on. However, at the mind-door, when any of the six kinds of objects come within range, after the vibration of the bhavanga, as if interrupting the bhavanga, and accomplishing the function of adverting, the rootless functional mind-consciousness element accompanied by equanimity arises. Thus, the arising of these two functional consciousnesses by way of adverting should be understood. Having adverted, And immediately after, in the eye-door, accomplishing the function of seeing, eye-consciousness based on eye-sensitivity, in the ear-door and so on, accomplishing the function of hearing and so on, ear-, nose-, tongue-, body-consciousnesses arise. These, in agreeable and neutral objects, are results of wholesome kamma, in disagreeable and neutral objects, are results of unwholesome kamma. Thus, of the ten resultant consciousnesses, their arising by way of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching should be understood. And from the saying: "Immediately after eye-consciousness element has arisen and ceased, mind, mentality, thought, the mind-element related to it arises" (Vibh. 184) and so on, immediately after eye-consciousness and so on, receiving those very objects, after wholesome results, wholesome results, after unwholesome results, unwholesome results, the mind-element arises. Thus, of the two resultant consciousnesses, their arising by way of receiving should be understood. And from the saying: "Immediately after mind-element has arisen and ceased, mind, mentality, thought, the mind-consciousness element related to it arises" (Vibh. 184), investigating the very object received by the mind-element, immediately after the unwholesome resultant mind-element, an unwholesome resultant (investigating consciousness), immediately after the wholesome resultant (mind-element), accompanied by joy in agreeable objects, accompanied by equanimity in neutral objects, the resultant rootless mind-consciousness element arises. Thus, of the three resultant consciousnesses, their arising by way of investigating should be understood. And immediately after investigating, determining that very object, the functional rootless mind-consciousness element accompanied by equanimity arises. Thus, of this one functional consciousness, its arising by way of determining should be understood. And immediately after determining, if the object, such as a visible form, is strong, then, in the object thus determined, of the eight sense-sphere wholesome (consciousnesses), or the twelve unwholesome (consciousnesses), or the nine remaining sense-sphere functional (consciousnesses), six or seven impulsion (consciousnesses) impel by way of one of them. This, then, is the method in the five doors. In the mind-door, after mind-door adverting, they are the same. Above the change-of-line, from the fine-material sphere, five wholesome, five functional; from the immaterial sphere, four wholesome, four functional; from the supramundane, four path-consciousness, four fruition-consciousness— whichever of these receives the condition, that one runs. Thus, the occurrence of fifty-five wholesome, unwholesome, functional, and resultant consciousnesses by way of impulsion should be understood. At the end of impulsion, if in the five doors the object is very great, and in the mind-door the object is clear, then for beings in the sense-sphere, at the end of sense-sphere impulsion, according to the conditions received, such as desirable objects and previous kamma-impulsion-consciousnesses, one of the eight root-conditioned sense-sphere results, or the three resultant rootless mind-consciousness elements, arises as a resultant consciousness, following the impulsion that has run on an object other than the life-continuum's object, like water for a boat going against the current, for a short interval, twice or once. This, though fit to occur on the life-continuum's object at the end of impulsion, is called 'registering' (tadārammaṇa) because it occurs making the impulsion's object its own object. Thus, the occurrence of eleven resultant consciousnesses by way of registering should be understood. At the end of registering, the life-continuum occurs again. When the life-continuum is interrupted, adverting and so on occur again. Thus, the stream of consciousness, receiving conditions, after the life-continuum, adverting; after adverting, seeing and so on— by way of the fixed order of consciousness, occurs repeatedly until the exhaustion of the life-continuum in one existence. Indeed, in one existence, the very last life-continuum consciousness is called 'death' (cuti) because it departs from there. Therefore, that too is of nineteen kinds. Thus, the occurrence of nineteen resultant consciousnesses by way of death should be understood. From death, again rebirth-linking; from rebirth-linking, again the life-continuum. Thus, the existence, course, and duration... of beings wandering in existences, the unbroken mind-continuum continues to exist. Whoever here attains Arahantship, when their death-consciousness ceases, it has ceased indeed. This is the introductory elaborate discourse on the consciousness aggregate. Discourse on the Feeling Aggregate 456. Now, what was said: "Whatever has the characteristic of feeling, all that, gathered together, is to be understood as the feeling aggregate," here too, what has the characteristic of feeling is indeed feeling. As it is said: "It feels, it feels, O friends, therefore it is called feeling." That feeling, though one in nature by the characteristic of feeling, is threefold by way of origin: wholesome, unwholesome, and indeterminate. Here, that which is conjoined with wholesome consciousness, as stated in the manner "eightfold by way of joy, equanimity, knowledge, and volitional formations in the sense-sphere," is wholesome. That conjoined with unwholesome is unwholesome. That conjoined with indeterminate is indeterminate. It is fivefold by way of nature: pleasure, pain, joy, sorrow, and equanimity. Here, pleasure is conjoined with wholesome resultant body-consciousness. Pain with unwholesome resultant. Joy is conjoined with sixty-two consciousnesses, thus: from the sense-sphere, with four wholesome, four root-conditioned resultant, one rootless resultant, four root-conditioned functional, one rootless functional, four unwholesome; from the fine-material sphere, excluding the fifth jhana consciousness, with four wholesome, four resultant, four functional; but as there is no non-jhanic supramundane, therefore the eight supramundane become forty by way of the five jhanas. Among these, excluding the eight fifth-jhanic, with the remaining thirty-two wholesome resultant. Sorrow with two unwholesome. Equanimity is conjoined with the remaining fifty-five consciousnesses. Here, pleasure has the characteristic of experiencing desirable contact, the function of enhancing its co-arisen states, its manifestation is bodily delight, its proximate cause is the body faculty. The basis. Suffering is characterized by experiencing unpleasant contacts, its function is to wither associated states, its manifestation is bodily affliction, its proximate cause is the body faculty. Joy is characterized by experiencing pleasant objects, its function is to enjoy pleasant aspects in any way, its manifestation is mental delight, its proximate cause is tranquility. Grief is characterized by experiencing unpleasant objects, its function is to enjoy unpleasant aspects in any way, its manifestation is mental affliction, its proximate cause is exclusively the heart-basis. Equanimity is characterized by neutral feeling, its function is neither to excessively enhance nor to wither associated states, its manifestation is a state of calm, its proximate cause is a mind without rapture. This is the introductory detailed explanation of the aggregate of feeling. Discourse on the Aggregate of Perception 457. Now, regarding what was said: "Whatever is characterized by perceiving, all that, gathered together, should be understood as the aggregate of perception." Here, "characterized by perceiving" is indeed perception itself. As it is said: "It perceives, it perceives, friend, therefore it is called perception.