Cetasika Dhamma

CETASIKAS - Mental Factors

 

Composed by Dai Sung Han

 

Some rights are reserved, 2012.

 

 

Cetasikas are the second type of ultimate reality. They are mental factors or mental concomitants that arise and perish together with citta, depend on citta, and assist citta by performing more specific tasks in the total act of cognition. When we say that the mind it is not the citta alone, but the citta and cetasikas together that makes the mind. The two ultimate realities are functionally interdependent, citta is regarded as primary because the mental factors assist in the cognition of the object depending upon citta, which is the principal cognitive element. The relationship between citta and the cetasika is compared to that between a king and his retinue. As a king always comes accompanied by his attendants, a citta arises always accompanied by its retinue of cetasikas.

 

 

A cetasika has the following four characteristic properties:

i It arises together with citta (consciousness).

ii It perishes together with citta.

iii It takes the same object (alambana) which citta takes.

iv It shares a common physical base (vatthu) with citta.

There are 52 cetasikas in all. They are first divided into three classes as follows.

I. Aññasamāna cetasikas (General Mental Concomitants) – 13

II. Akusala cetasikas (immoral mental concomitants) – 14

III. Sobhava cetasikas (beautiful mental concomitants) – 25

 

I. Aññasamāna Cetasikas (General Mental Concomitants)

The 13 aññasamāna cetasikas can associate both with sobhava and asobhava cittas. They are nonmoral and they enhance the properties of the cetasikas with which they associate.

 

They are again divided into two sub-groups.

I-i. Sabbacitta-sādhārana (essentials which associate with all cittas) – 7

I-ii. Pakinnaka (Particulars which selectively associate with some sobhava as well as with some asobhava cittas – 6

 

I-i. Sabbacitta-sādhārana (essentials which associate with all cittas) – 7

Sabba – all; sādhārana – associate with; The seven factors are the cetasika common (sādhārana) to all consciousness (sabbacitta). These factors perform the most rudimentary and essential cognitive functions, without which consciousness of an object would be utterly impossible.

 

I-i-1. Phassa – Contact or mental impression

I-i-2. Vedanā – Feeling or sensation

I-i-3. Saññā – perception or recognition

I-i-4. Cetanā – volition or intention

I-i-5. Ekaggatā – one-pointedness, concentration (samādhi)

I-i-6. Jīvitindriya – vitality or psychic life

I-i-7. Manasikāra – attention or advertence

 

I-ii. Pakinnaka Cetasikas (Particulars – 6)

The six cetasikas in this group are similar to Sabbacitta-sādhārana (essentials which associate with all cittas) in being ethically variable factors. They differ from the universals in that they are found only in particular types of consciousness, not in all.

 

I-ii-1. Vitakka – initial application or thought conception

I-ii-2. Vicāra – sustained application or discursive thinking

I-ii-3. Adhimokkha – decision or determination

I-ii-4. Vīriya – effort or energy or exertion

I-ii-5. Pīti – rapture or interest

I-ii-6. Chanda – wish, desire or will

 

 

II. Akusala cetasikas (immoral mental concomitants) – 14

There are 14 cetasikas which are ethically immoral. They may be divided into four sub-groups as follows.

II- i. Moha-catukka (A group of four cetasikas headed by moha) – akusala- sādhārana – 4

II- i-1. Moha – avijjā – delusion, ignorance, dullness

II- i-2. Ahirika –shamelessness, unscrupulousness

 

II- i-3. Anottappa – lack of moral dread

II- i-4. Uddhacca –restlessness, distraction.

 

II-ii. Lobha-tri (A group of three cetasikas headed by lobha) – papañca-dhamma – 3

II-ii-5. Lobha– greed

II-ii-6. Ditthi – wrong view

II-ii-7. Māna – conceit, pride

 

II-iii. Dosa-catukka (A group of four cetasikas headed by dosa) – 4

II-iii-8. Dosa       – hatred, anger, aversion

II-iii-9. Issa        – envy, jealousy

II-iii-10. Macchariya – avarice, stinginess, selfishness

II-iii-11. Kukkucca   – worry, scruples, remorse

 

II-iv. End-tri (A group of four cetasikas headed by dull and wavering) – 3

II-iv-12. Thina       – sloth

II-iv-13. Middha     – torpor

II-iv-14. Vicikiccchā  – sceptical doubt, perplexity.

 

III. Sobhava cetasikas (beautiful mental concomitants) – 25

There are 25 sobhava cetasikas which may be divided into 4 sub-groups for convenience.

III-i. Sobhava sādhārana – 19 those which associate with all sobhava cittas.

III-ii. Virati         – 3 those connected with abstinence from immoral actions, speeches and livelihood.

III-iii. Appamaññà    –2 those connected with ‘Boundless states’.

III-iv. Paññindriya    – 1 that connected with wisdom or insight.

 

III-i. Sobhava sādhārana Cetasikas (Beautiful Ones – 19)

These 19 mental concomitants associate with all beautiful consciousness collectively.

III-i-1. Saddhà           – faith, confidence

III-i-2. Sati              – mindfulness, attentiveness

III-i-3. Hirī              – moral shame

III-i-4. Ottappa           – moral dread

III-i-5. Alobha            – non-attachment, greedlessness, generosity

III-i-6. Adosa             – hatelessness, goodwill

III-i-7. Tatramajjhattatà     – equanimity, mental balance

III-i-8. Kàya-passaddhi     – tranquillity of mental concomitants

III-i-9. Citta-passaddhi     – tranquillity of consciousness

III-i-10. Kàya-lahutà       – agility or lightness of mental concomitants

III-i-11. Citta-lahutà        – agility or lightness of consciousness

III-i-12. Kàya-mudutà      – elasticity of mental concomitants

III-i-13. Citta-mudutà      – elasticity of consciousness

III-i-14. Kàya-kammaññatà  – adaptability of mental concomitants

III-i-15. Citta-kammaññatà  – adaptability of consciousness

III-i-16. Kàya-paguññatà    – proficiency of mental concomitants

III-i-17. Citta-pagaññatà    – proficiency of consciousness

III-i-18. Kàyujjukatà       – uprightness of mental concomitants

III-i-19. Cittujjukatà       – uprightness of consciousness.

 

III-ii. Virati Cetasikas (Abstinences -3)

The three are known as the sīla-maggavgas (morality components of the Path). These are also the three factors of the Noble Eightfold Path.

III-ii-1. Sammā-vācā        - right speech

III-ii-2. Sammā-kammanta   - right action

III-ii-3. Sammā-ajīva        -right livehood

 

III-iii. Appamaññà Cetasikas (Illimitable–2)

These are two factors of Brahmaviharā. The rest of two factors are mettā (loving-kindness) and upekkhā (equanimity).

III-iii-1. Karunā            - compassion

III-iii-2. Muditā            - sympathetic joy

 

III-iv. Paññindriya Cetasikas (Wisdom faculty – 1)

Pañña is wisdom or insight, and indriya is the controlling faculty. Thus it has the control over the understanding of per se, things as they really are.

 

Same as citta, this classification does not show much coherence. The earlier text, Dhammasavgani, has no differentiation between citta and cetasika yet. And its first chapter, Cittupada Kanda, Division on uprising of thoughts, contains 57 factors in which one factor occurs twice – that is sammaditthi, right view. Apparently these factors are merely collected from suttas and put them together. Hence it also does not show much systematization. In later time, as in Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha scholasticism divided them and tried to systemize it. However it reveals lack of their philosophical ability for the classification is quite arbitrary and it contain many blunders, like one factor occur both rupa and cetasika, that is jivitindriya, life faculty. Hence this classification also can be characterized as arbitrary.

 

Reference: Buddha Abhidhamma –ultimate science by Dr. Mehm Tin Mon, Buddha Dharmm Education Association Inc.