The 14 Modes of Occurrence of Consciousness

111. How so? (a) When, through the influence of the eight kinds of sense-sphere profitable [consciousness] (1)–(8), beings come to be reborn among deities and human beings, then the eight kinds of sense-sphere resultant with root-cause (42)–(49) occur, and also the resultant mind-consciousness-element without root-cause associated with equanimity (41), which is the weak profitable result with two rootcauses in those who are entering upon the state of eunuchs, etc., among human beings—thus nine kinds of resultant consciousness in all occur as rebirth-linking; and they do so making their object whichever among the kamma, sign of kamma, or sign of destiny has appeared at the time of dying (see also XVII.120).^[1]

112. When, through the influence of the profitable of the fine-material sphere (9)–(13) and the immaterial sphere (14)–(17), beings are reborn [respectively] in the fine-material and immaterial kinds of becoming, then the nine kinds of finematerial (57)–(61) and immaterial (62)–(65) resultant occur as rebirth-linking; and they do so making their object only the sign of kamma that has appeared at the time of dying.^[2]

113. When, through the influence of the unprofitable (22)–(33), they are reborn in a state of loss, then the one kind of unprofitable resultant mind-consciousnesselement without root-cause (56) occurs as rebirth-linking;and it does so making its object whichever among the kamma, sign of kamma, and sign of destiny has appeared at the time of dying. [458]

This firstly is how the occurrence of nineteen kinds of resultant consciousness should be understood as rebirth-linking.

114. (b) When the rebirth-linking consciousness has ceased, then, following on whatever kind of rebirth-linking it may be, the same kinds, being the result of that same kamma whatever it may be, occur as life-continuum consciousness with that same object; and again those same kinds.^[3] And as long as there is no other kind of arising of consciousness to interrupt the continuity, they also go on occurring endlessly in periods of dreamless sleep, etc., like the current of a river.^[4]

This is how the occurrence of those same [nineteen kinds of] consciousness should be understood as life-continuum.

115. (c) With the life-continuum continuity occurring thus, when living beings’ faculties have become capable of apprehending an object, then, when a visible datum has come into the eye’s focus, there is impinging upon the eye-sensitivity due to the visible datum. Thereupon, owing to the impact’s influence, there comes to be a disturbance in [the continuity of] the life-continuum.^[5] Then, when the life-continuum has ceased, the functional mind-element (70) arises making that same visible datum its object, as it were, cutting off the life-continuum and accomplishing the function of adverting. So too in the case of the ear door and so on.

116. When an object of anyone of the six kinds has come into focus in the mind door, then next to the disturbance of the life-continuum the functional mindconsciousness-element without root-cause (71) arises accompanied by equanimity, as it were, cutting off the life-continuum and accomplishing the function of adverting.

This is how the occurrence of two kinds of functional consciousness should be understood as adverting.

117. (d)–(h) Next to adverting,^[6] taking the eye door first, eye-consciousness (d) arises accomplishing the function of seeing in the eye door and having the eyesensitivity as its physical basis. And [likewise] (e) ear-, (f) nose-, (g) tongue-, and (h) body-consciousness arise, accomplishing respectively the functions of hearing, etc., in the ear door and so on.

These comprise the profitable resultant [consciousnesses] (34)–(38) with respect to desirable and desirable-neutral objective fields, and the unprofitable resultant (50)–(54) with respect to undesirable and undesirable-neutral objective fields.

This is how the occurrence of ten kinds of resultant consciousness should be understood as seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching.

118. (i) Because of the words, “Eye-consciousness having arisen and ceased, next to that there arises consciousness, mind, mentation … which is appropriate mind-element” (Vibh 88), etc., next to eye-consciousness, etc., and receiving the same objective fields as they [deal with], mind-element arises as (39) profitable resultant next to profitable resultant [eye-consciousness, etc.,] and as (55) unprofitable resultant next to [459] unprofitable resultant [eye-consciousness, and so on].

This is how the occurrence of two kinds of resultant consciousness should be understood as receiving.

119. (j) Because of the words, “Mind-element having arisen and ceased, also, next to that there arises consciousness, mind, mentation … which is appropriate mind-element” (Vibh 89),^[7] then resultant mind-consciousness-element without root-cause arises investigating the same objective field as that received by the mind-element. When next to (55) unprofitable-resultant mind-element it is (56) unprofitable-resultant, and when next to (39) profitable-resultant [mind-element] it is either (40) accompanied by joy in the case of a desirable object, or (41) accompanied by equanimity in the case of a desirable-neutral object.

This is how the occurrence of three kinds of resultant consciousness should be understood as investigating.

120. (k) Next to investigation, (71) functional mind-consciousness-element without root-cause arises accompanied by equanimity determining that same objective field.

This is how the occurrence of one kind of resultant consciousness should be understood as determining.

121. (l) Next to determining, if the visible datum, etc., as object is vivid,^[8] then six or seven impulsions impel with respect to the objective fields as determined. These are one among (1)–(8) the eight kinds of sense-sphere profitable, or (22)–(33) the twelve kinds of unprofitable, or (72)–(80) the nine remaining sensesphere functional. This, firstly, is the way in the case of the five doors.

But in the case of the mind door those same [impulsions arise] next to (71) mind-door adverting.

Beyond [the stage of] change-of-lineage^[9] any [of the following 26 kinds of impulsion] that obtains a condition^[10] impels; that is, any kind among (9)–(13) the five profitable, and (81)–(85) the five functional, of the fine-material sphere, and (14)–(17) the four profitable, and (86)–(89) the four functional of the immaterial sphere, and also (18)–(21) the four path consciousnesses and (66)–(69) four fruition consciousnesses of the supramundane.

This is how the occurrence of fifty-five kinds of profitable, unprofitable, functional, and resultant consciousness should be understood as impulsion.

122. (m) At the end of the impulsions, if the object is a very vivid one^[11] in the five doors, or is clear in the mind door, then in sense-sphere beings at the end of sense-sphere impulsions resultant consciousness occurs through any condition it may have obtained such as previous kamma, impulsion consciousness, etc., with desirable, etc., object.^[12] [It occurs thus] as one among the eight sense-sphere resultant kinds with root cause (42)–(49) or the three resultant mindconsciousness elements without root-cause (40), (41), (56), and it [does so] twice or [460] once, following after the impulsions that have impelled, and with respect to an object other than the life-continuum’s object, like some of the water that follows a little after a boat going upstream. Though ready to occur with the lifecontinuum’s object after the impulsions have ended, it nevertheless occurs making the impulsions’ object its object. Because of that it is called registration (tadārammaṇa—lit. “having-that-as-its-object”).

This is how the occurrence of eleven kinds of resultant consciousness should be understood as registration.

123. (n) At the end of registration the life-continuum resumes its occurrence. When the [resumed occurrence of the] life-continuum is again interrupted, adverting, etc., occur again, and when the conditions obtain, the conscious continuity repeats its occurrence as adverting, and next to adverting seeing, etc., according to the law of consciousness, again and again, until the life-continuum of one becoming is exhausted. For the last life-continuum consciousness of all in one becoming is called death (cuti) because of falling (cavanatta) from that [becoming]. So that is of nineteen kinds too [like rebirth-linking and lifecontinuum].

This is how the occurrence of nineteen kinds of resultant consciousness should be understood as death.

124. And after death there is rebirth-linking again; and after rebirth-linking, life-continuum. Thus the conscious continuity of beings who hasten through the kinds of becoming, destiny, station [of consciousness], and abode [of beings] occurs without break. But when a man attains Arahantship here, it ceases with the cessation of his death consciousness.

This is the section of the detailed explanation dealing with the consciousness aggregate.

[The Feeling Aggregate]

125. Now, it was said above, “Whatever has the characteristic of being felt should be understood, all taken together, as the feeling aggregate” (§81). And here too, what is said to have the characteristic of being felt is feeling itself, according as it is said, “It is felt, friend, that is why it is called feeling” (M I 293).

126. But though it is singlefold according to its individual essence as the characteristic of being felt, it is nevertheless threefold as to kind, that is to say, profitable, unprofitable, and indeterminate. Herein, it should be understood that when associated with the profitable consciousness described in the way beginning “(1)–(8) That of the sense sphere is eight-fold, being classified according to joy, equanimity, knowledge, and prompting” (§83), it is profitable;^[13] that associated with unprofitable consciousness is unprofitable; that associated with indeterminate consciousness is indeterminate. [461]

127. It is fivefold according to the analysis of its individual essence into [bodily] pleasure, [bodily] pain, [mental] joy, [mental] grief, and equanimity.

Herein, pleasure is associated with profitable resultant body-consciousness (38) and pain with unprofitable resultant body-consciousness (54). Joy is associated with 62 kinds of consciousness, namely, as to sense sphere, with 4 kinds of profitable (1)–(4), with 4 resultant with root-cause (42)–(45), with 1 resultant without root-cause (40), with 4 functional with root-cause (73)–(76), with 1 functional without root-cause (72), and with 4 unprofitable (22)–(25); and as to the fine-material-sphere, with 4 kinds of profitable (9)–(12), 4 resultant (57)–(60), and 4 functional (81)–(84), leaving out that of the fifth jhāna in each case; but there is no supramundane without jhāna and consequently the [eight] kinds of supramundane (18)–(21) and (66)–(69) multiplied by the five jhāna make forty; but leaving out the eight associated with the fifth jhāna, it is associated with the remaining 32 kinds of profitable resultant. Grief is associated with two kinds of unprofitable (30)–(31). Equanimity is associated with the remaining fifty-five kinds of consciousness.

128. Herein, pleasure has the characteristic of experiencing a desirable tangible datum. Its function is to intensify associated states. It is manifested as bodily enjoyment. Its proximate cause is the body faculty.

Pain has the characteristic of experiencing an undesirable tangible datum. Its function is to wither associated states. It is manifested as bodily affliction. Its proximate cause is the body faculty.

Joy has the characteristic of experiencing a desirable object. Its function is to exploit^[14] in one way or another the desirable aspect. It is manifested as mental enjoyment. Its proximate cause is tranquillity.

Grief has the characteristic of experiencing an undesirable object. Its function is to exploit in one way or another the undesirable aspect. It is manifested as mental affliction. Its proximate cause is invariably the heart-basis.

Equanimity has the characteristic of being felt as neutral. Its function is not to intensify or wither associated states much. It is manifested as peacefulness. Its proximate cause is consciousness without happiness.^[15]

This is the section of the detailed explanation dealing with the feeling aggregate.

[The Perception Aggregate]

129. Now, it was said above, “Whatever has the characteristic of perceiving should be understood, all taken together, as the perception aggregate” (§81). And here too, what is said to have the characteristic of perceiving is perception itself, according as it is said, “It perceives, friend, that is why it is called perception” (M I 293).

But though it is singlefold according to its individual essence as the characteristic of perceiving, it is nevertheless threefold as to kind, that is to say, profitable, unprofitable, and indeterminate. Herein, [462] that associated with profitable consciousness is profitable, that associated with unprofitable consciousness is unprofitable, that associated with indeterminate consciousness is indeterminate. Since there is no consciousness dissociated from perception, perception therefore has the same number of divisions as consciousness [that is to say, eighty-nine].

130. But though classed in the same way as consciousness, nevertheless, as to characteristic, etc., it all has just the characteristic of perceiving. Its function is to make a sign as a condition for perceiving again that “this is the same,” as carpenters, etc., do in the case of timber, and so on. It is manifested as the action of interpreting by means of the sign as apprehended, like the blind who “see” an elephant (Ud 68–69). Its proximate cause is an objective field in whatever way that appears, like the perception that arises in fawns that see scarecrows as men.

This is the section of the detailed explanation dealing with the perception aggregate.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See also M-a IV 124f. “Here ‘kamma’ is stored-up profitable kamma of the sense sphere that has got an opportunity to ripen; hence he said ‘that has appeared.’ ‘Sign of kamma’ is the gift to be given that was a condition for the volition at the moment of accumulating the kamma. ‘Sign of destiny’ is the visible-data base located in the destiny in which he is about to be reborn” (Vism-mhṭ 477). See XVII. 136ff.

[2]:

“‘The sign of kamma” here is only the kamma’s own object consisting of an earth kasiṇa, etc” (Vism-mhṭ 478).

[3]:

“‘With that same object’: if kamma is the life-continuum’s object, then it is that kamma; if the sign of the kamma, or the sign of the destiny, then it is one of those” (Vism-mhṭ 478).

[4]:

“‘Occurring endlessly’: this is, in fact, thus called ‘bhavaṅga’ (life-continuum, lit. ‘limb’ (or ‘practice’—see II. 11) of becoming) because of its occurring as the state of an aṅga (‘limb’ or ‘practice’) of the rebirth-process becoming (uppatti-bhava)” (Vism-mhṭ 478).

For the commentarial description of dream consciousness and kamma effected during dreams, see Vibh-a (commentary to Ñāṇa-Vibhaṅga, Ekaka) and A-a, (commentary to AN 5:196) which largely but not entirely overlap. Vism-mhṭ says here: “The seeing of dreams is done with consciousness consisting only of the functional” (Vism-mhṭ 478).

[5]:

“‘A disturbance in the life-continuum’ is a wavering of the life-continuum consciousness; the meaning is that there is the arrival at a state that is a reason for dissimilarity in its occurrence twice in that way. For it is called disturbance (calana) because it is like a disturbance (movement) since there seems to be a cause for an occasion (avatthā) in the mind’s continuity different from the previous occasion. Granted, firstly, that there is impact on the sensitivity owing to confrontation with an object, since the necessity for that is established by the existence of the objective field and the possessor of the objective field, but how does there come to be disturbance (movement) of the life-continuum that has a different support? Because it is connected with it. And here the example is this: when grains of sugar are put on the surface of a drum and one of the grains of sugar is tapped, a fly sitting on another grain of sugar moves” (Vism-mhṭ 478).

[6]:

“‘Next to adverting’ means next to five-door adverting. For those who do not admit the cognitive series beginning with receiving, just as they do not admit the heart basis, the Pali has been handed down in various places in the way beginning, ‘For the eye-consciousness element as receiving (sampaṭicchanāya cakkhuviññāṇadhātuyā)’ (see Ch. IV, n. 13); for the Pali cannot be contradicted” (Vism-mhṭ 479). The quotation as it stands is not traced to the Piṭakas.

[7]:

See Ch. IV, note 13.

[8]:

“‘If … vivid (lit. large)’: this is said because it is the occurrence of consciousness at the end of the impulsions that is being discussed. For an object is here intended as ‘vivid’ when its life is fourteen conscious moments;and that should be understood as coming into focus when it has arisen and is two or three moments past” (Vism-mhṭ 479).

[9]:

“This includes also the preliminary-work and the cleansing (see Ch. XXII, note 7), not change-of-lineage only” (Vism-mhṭ 479). See also IV.74 and XXI. 129.

[10]:

“‘That obtains a condition’: any impulsion that has obtained a condition for arising next to change-of-lineage, as that of the fine-material sphere, and so on” (Vism-mhṭ 479).

[11]:

“‘A very vivid one’ is one with a life of sixteen conscious moments. For registration consciousness arises with respect to that, not with respect to any other. ‘Clear’ means very evident, and that is only in the sense sphere;for registration arises with respect to that” (Vism-mhṭ 479).

[12]:

“‘Previous kamma’: this is said in order to show the differences in kinds of registration; for kamma that generates rebirth-linking is not the only kind to generate registration; other kinds of kamma do so too. But the latter generates registration unlike that generatable by the kamma that generates rebirth-linking. ‘Impulsion consciousness’: this is said in order to show what defines the registration; for it is said, ‘Registration is definable by impulsion’ (?). The word ‘etc.’ includes rebirth-linking, however; for that is not a condition for registration that is more outstanding than itself. ‘Any condition’: any condition from among the desirable objects, etc., that has combined (samaveta) to produce the arising of registration” (Vism-mhṭ 479).

[13]:

“This should be regarded as a secondary characteristic (upalakkhaṇa) of profitable feeling, that is to say, the fact that whatever profitable feeling there is, is all associated with profitable consciousness. That, however, is not for the purpose of establishing its profitableness. For the profitableness of profitable feeling is not due to its association with profitable consciousness, but rather to wise attention and so on. That is why he said ‘as to kind.’ So too in the case of the unprofitable and so on” (Vism-mhṭ 481).

[14]:

Sambhoga—“exploiting”: not in this sense in PED (see also XVII.51).

[15]:

“Pleasure and pain respectively gratify and afflict by acting in one way on the body and in another way on the mind, but not so equanimity, which is why the latter is described as of one class.

“Just as, when a man places a piece of cotton wool on an anvil and strikes it with an iron hammer, and his hammer goes right through the cotton and hits the anvil, the violence of the blow is great, so too because the violence of the impact’s blow is great, body-consciousness is accompanied by pleasure when the object is a desirable or desirable-neutral one, and by pain when the object is an undesirable or undesirableneutral one. [It is the impact of primary matter (tangible object) on the primaries of the body.]

“Herein, though profitable-resultant and unprofitable-resultant consciousness discriminated according to the desirable and undesirable might logically be associated with pleasure and pain, nevertheless the eight kinds of consciousness that have the eye, etc., as their support ((34)–(37) and (50)–(53)) are invariably associated only with equanimity, because of the gentleness of the impact’s blow in the case of two instances of derived matter, like that of two pieces of cotton wool” (Vism-mhṭ 482). For a simile see Dhs-a 263.