Concepts I - Only mind-door has a concept as object


The cittas of the eye-door process, namely the eye-door adverting- consciousness, seeing-consciousness, receiving-consciousness, investigating- consciousness, determining-consciousness, the javana-cittas and the tadalambana-cittas (retention), experience visible object that has not yet fallen away. They do not have a concept as object.
The cittas of the ear-door process experience sound that has not yet fallen away, they do not have a concept as object. It is the same with the cittas of the nose- door process, the tongue-door process and the body-door process.
When the víthi-cittas of a sense-door process have fallen away, there are many bhavanga-cittas in between, and then there are cittas of the mind-door process. The first series of cittas of the mind-door process that arise after a sense-door process experience a sense object which has only just fallen away; they do not have a concept as object.
In each series of mind-door process cittas there are two or three kinds of víthi- cittas, namely: one moment of mind-door adverting-consciousness, seven moments of javana-cittas and two moments of tadalambana-cittas. When the first series of mind-door process cittas has fallen away, there are many bhavanga- cittas in between. Then there will be another series of mind-door process cittas that can have as its object a concept (such as shape and form, or the image of something as a “whole”) on account of a sense object.
When this series of mind-door process cittas has fallen away there are bhavanga- cittas in between, and then there will be more rounds of mind-door process cittas that follow. They know the meaning of something; they know words and names. In between the different series there are bhavanga-cittas. When we know that we see people or different things, the citta experiences a concept, not a paramattha dhamma that is rupa. The object that is paramattha dhamma appearing through the eyes are only different colours. When the víthi-cittas of the mind-door process know that there are beings, people and different things, then the cittas have pannattis, concepts, as object. They know what a particular thing is.

Topic 288