Introduction to Dhammasangani

by U Ko Lay | 1993 | 7,776 words

By The Editorial Committee - Translation Section Department for the Promotion and Propagation of the Sasana Ministry of Religious Affairs, Yangoon, Myanmar, 1995 supplied by http://www.nibbana.com This introduction in a way may be regarded as a brief introduction to the Abhidhamma Pitaka as a whole. It is in two parts. The first part is about Abhi...

Further Comments

On The Enumeration Of Mental Factors

It has been said above that fifty-six dhamma factor constitute the First Category of Meritorious Thought. There are two points to be made here. The first is that in the seventeen groups of dhamma factors mentioned above, the first group of dhamma factors, namely, the group of five dhamma factors headed by contact, is the most proximate cause for the arising of the meritorious thought; the second group which consists of the five factors of the first jhana is the most proximate cause for arising of the first group headed by contact. and so it goes on step by step till the seventeenth group. However, this is only an analytical view. The actual fact is that there are thirty dhamma factors occurring as fifty-six items in the complete list and these arise simultaneously.

The second point to be made is that besides those fifty-six dhamma factors, there are also nine dhamma factors which may occur, wherever appropriate on the occasion of the arising of those fifty-six dhamma factors, thereby making up a total of sixty-five dhamma factors. These nine are denoted, by 'yevapana...dhamma in Pali.

They are:

  1. Chanda - Desire
  2. Adhimokkha - Decision, Choice
  3. Manasikara - Attention
  4. Tatramajjhattata - Balance of mind, Equanimity
  5. Karuna - Compassion
  6. Mudita - Sympathetic joy
  7. Sammavaca - Abstinence from evil speech
  8. Sammakammanta - Abstinence from evil action
  9. Samma-ajiva - Abstinence from evil livelihood

We have mentioned in the section on the definition of dhamma factors that, actually, there are only thirty dhamma factors. If we exclude the dhamma factor of mind from this list we get twenty-nine dhamma factors which are called cetasikas (mental concomitants), These twenty-nine mental concomitants together with the nine yevapanaka mental concomitants mentioned above constitute the thirty-eight meritorious mental concomitants that arise in the Sensuous Sphere.

In addition to these, there are fourteen demeritorious mental concomitants, and when these fourteen are added to the thirty-eight above, we have altogether fifty-two mental concomitants, as mentioned in the Abhidhammattha Sangaha, a compendium of the Abhidhamma.

Like what you read? Consider supporting this website: