English
It is likened to a spider that remains stationary in the middle of a web consisting of many threads. When an insect alights on any thread, the spider instantaneously runs in that direction to get hold of the insect, and at other times remains stationary. That the life-continuum is similar to this should be understood. The consciousness of life-continuum too perceives objects, which are free from doors. 165 The objects that are free from doors are Kamma, sign of Kamma, and sign of destiny resembling that which occasioned rebirth by way of plane, class, associated states, volitional activities and objects. Life-continuum in the absence of any process of cognition goes on in an unbroken flux like the stream of a river or a flame of a lamp. There are 19 classes of consciousness that perform the function of life-continuum. APPREHENDING The functions of apprehending are two, namely, five-door apprehending and mind-door apprehending. The function of apprehending is turning to or directing its attention to prcsenta- tive as well as representative objects. It is likened to a spider that turns to or directs its attention to ascertain in what direction that which caused the vibration of its body came from, on an insect alighting on its web. SEEING The function of seeing is performed by the two classes of visual consciousness that perceive pleasant and unpleasant objects. HEARING The function of hearing is performed by the two classes of auditory consciousness that hear pleasant and unpleasant sounds. SMELLING The function of smelling is performed by the two classes of olfactory consciousness that smell pleasant and unpleasant odours. TASTING The function of tasting is performed by the two classes of gustatory consciousness that taste sapids. TOUCHING The function of touching is performed by the two classes of tactile consciousness that feel bodily pleasure and bodily pain. i66 RECEIVING The function of receiving is performed by the two classes of consciousness that receive sense impressions which have come within the avenue of the five-doors. IN\^ESTIGATING The function of investigating is performed by three classes- of consciousness that investigate the sense impressions already received. DETERMINING The function of determining is performed by one class of consciousness that determmcs the sense impressions already investigated. This is a particular variety of apprehending. APPERCEIVING The function of apperceiving is performed by Hfty-five classes of consciousness which after determining an object cause moral or immoral acts in running succession, ordinarily seven states of consciousness in a process of thought through any ol the live doors, and three times seven through the mind door before the act is completed. RETENTION The function of retention is performed by eleven classes of consciousness which retain the object that has been apperceived. RE-DECEASE The function of re-decease is performed by nineteen classes of consciousness which cause the passing off of the flux or contin- uity of mind and its concomitants in one existence. The functions of rebirth, life-continuum and re-decease are performed by one class of consciousness. When rebirth has been occasioned by a particular class of consciousness, the same class is present in the life-continuum when no sense impressions are perceived by the doors, and at the end of existence becomes re-decease consciousness. 167 STAGES OR PLACES In order that the functions, such as rebirth and so on, may be better understood their stages or places will now be described. When two boundaries are shown the middle could be under- stood easily. The stages or places are as follows : — (i) Stage of rebirth (6) Stage of investigating (2) do life-continuum (7) do determining (3) do apprehending (8) do apperceiving (4) do five cognitions (9) do retention (5) do receiving (10) do re-decease Stages are places where the classes of consciousness arise. Ry calling them stages, it should not be misunderstood that different classes of consciousness perform the functions other than those of stages. 1. Stage of rebirth is the place where the classes of con- sciousness, which give rise to rebirth, arise. It is between re- decease and the life-continuum. Re-decease immediately precedes rebirth, and life-continuum immediately follows it. It is natural for a sequence of life-continuum to take place imme- diately following rebirth. 2. Stage of life-continuum is the place where the series of life-continuum arise. They are between rebirth and the two apprehending, between apperception and the two apprehending, between retention and the two apprehending, between deter- mining and the two apprehending, at times between apperceptions and re-decease, and between retention and re-decease. Immediately following rebirth is the life-continuum, and imme- diately following the life-continuum one of the two apprehending. Therefore, the lifc-continuum is between the rebirth and the two apprehending. 3. Stage of apprehending is the place where the two classes of apprehending arise. The apprehending are five-door appre- hending and mind-door apprehending. Five-door apprehending is between the life-continuum and the five-fold cognition. Mind-door is between the life-continuum and apperceptions. i68 4. Five-fold cognition is the place where the two classes of visual cognition, the two classes of auditory cognition, the two classes of olfactory, the two of gustatory, and the two of tactile cognitions arise. They arise in each process of thought through the five-doors between the five-door apprehending and the two receiving classes of consciousness. 5. Stage of receiving is the place where the two classes of receiving consciousness arise. They are between the five-fold cognition and the investigating classes of consciousness. Imme- diately following the five-fold cognition is the receiving and following the receiving, the investigating arise. Therefore, receiving is between the five-fold cognition and investigating. 6. Stage of investigating is the place where investigating •classes of consciousness arise. They are between the receiving and the determining. Investigating immediately follows receiving and immediately following the investigating is the determining in five door process of thought. 7. Stage of determining is the place where consciousness ■of determining arises. Mind-door itself performs the function of determining in a five-door process of thought. This arises between the investigating and the apperceiving, and between the investigating and the life-continuum. 8. Stage of apperceiving is the place where the fifty-five •classes of consciousness performing the function of apperceiving arise. They arise between determining and retention, between determining and life-continua, between determining and re- decease, between mind-door apprehending and retention, between mind-door apprehending and the life-continua and between the jnind-door apprehending and re-decease. 9. Stage of retention is the place where the eleven classes of consciousness performing the function of retention arise. They arise between the apperceiving and the life-continua, between the apperceiving and re-deceasc. Immediately following the apperceiving retention arises, and immediately following reten- tion life-continuum arises. Therefore, retention is between the apperceiving and life-continuum. Similarly, sometimes retention immediately follows the apperceiving and re-decease 169 immediately follows retention. Then retention takes place between the apperceiving and re-decease. 10. Stage of re-decease is the place where the 19 classes of consciousness that perform the function of re-decease arise. They arise between the apperceiving and rebirth, between reten- tion and rebirth and between the life-continuum and rebirth. Sometimes re-decease immediately follows the apperceiving, sometimes immediately after retention re-decease occurs, and sometimes becoming life-continuum redecease sets in. TWENTY-FIVE STAGES From the above description it should be noted that there are 25 stages in all viz : i stage of rebirth, 6 stages of life-contin- uum, 2 of apprehending, i of five-fold cognition, i of receiving, I of investigation, 2 of determining, 6 of apperceiving, 2 of retention and 3 of re-decease. The stage of rebirth could be understood from the process of thought at the time of death.