Concepts III - Concept & wrong view


When citta has a concept as object is there wrong view (miccha-ditthi)? It depends on the kind of citta that has a concept as object. All ariyans have concepts as object but they do not have wrong view; they have completely eradicated the cetasika that is wrong view (miccha-ditthi). If we do not carefully consider realities we will not know the difference between lobha-mula-citta with wrong view and lobha-mula-citta without wrong view.
Lobha-mula-citta without wrong view is attached to all objects. It is attached to what appears through the eyes and to the concept conceived on account of it. It is attached to sound that appears through the ears, and to a concept on account of the sound. It is the same in the case of the objects appearing through the other doorways. This is our ordinary daily life. Thus, lobha-mula-citta can be attached to all objects without wrong view about them.
The sotapanna and the sakadagami have lobha-mulacitta (consciousness with attachment) without wrong view, and this citta can be attached to all six classes of objects. The  anagami has lobha-mula-citta without wrong view that is attached to the class of objects that are dhammarammana (objects that can only be experienced through the mind-door). He has eradicated attachment to the sense objects that are visible object, sound, odour, flavour and tangible object. The arahat has neither kusala dhammas nor akusala dhammas on account of the six classes of objects. He has completely eradicated all defilements and akusala dhammas.
The person who is not an arahat may understand the characteristics of the objects as they are, he may know when the object is a paramattha dhamma and when a concept. However, so long as one has not eradicated all defilements, there are conditions for their arising. There can be happiness or sadness, like or dislike on account of the object, be they paramattha dhammas or concepts. To what extent defilements arise for the non- arahat depends on the degree of understanding that has been developed; it depends on whether a person is a non-ariyan or an ariyan who is a sotapanna, a sakadagami or an anagami.
We should carefully consider when there is sakkayaditthi (personality belief). Although concepts are not realities (paramattha dhammas), we may take them for things that really exist, and then there is wrong view. When someone clings to the concept of self, being, person, or different things and really believes that they exist, there is the wrong view of sakkaya-ditthi (personality belief). So long as sakkaya-ditthi has not been eradicated there are conditions for the arising of many other kinds of wrong view as well. There may be the wrong view that there is no kamma, no result of kamma. There may be the belief in an almighty god, the creator of the world and of all beings and all people. When we do not know the conditions for the arising of all sankhara dhammas (conditioned dhammas), there can be different kinds of wrong view. However, clinging to wrong view does not occur each time citta has a concept as object.

Topic 290