Chapter 5 - Manodvara Vithi

The mind vithi is of three kinds according to the javana involved, viz., kammajavana, jhanajavana and maggaphalajavana. Here, what matters is vithi with kammajavana. While the bhavanga stream is flowing, there appear mental images of the sense objects that one has experienced or, sometimes, those which one has not experienced. Then bhavanga is disturbed and next time it is cut off. This is followed by reflection which is somewhat like vuttho (decision) in the five sense organs. Like vuttho, reflection (avajjana) leads to javana, giving rise to agreeable or disagreeable emotions such as fear, anger, confusion, devotion, awe, pity and so forth. The impulses arising at the five sense organs are weak and they neither lead to good or bad rebirth nor produce much other effects. But the impulses in the mind are potent enough to determine the quality of rebirth and all other kammic results. So it is necessary to guard and control these impulses. After seven impulse moments followed by two tadarammana moments the mind sinks into bhavanga state.

Thus, the vithi process at manodvara involves one avajjana moment, seven javana moments and two tadarammana moments. In the case of dim and indistinct objects, the mind skips tadarammana, passes through javana and reverts to bhavanga. If the object is very weak, the mind does not attain even javana but has two or three avajjana moments. This is natural if we bear in mind the way we have to focus on mind objects in vipassana practice. The only resultant citta in this mano vithi is tadarammana, the other two being kiriya citta, the citta that does not stem from sankhara.