Function of Bhavanga - When bhavanga-cittas arise?

One may wonder whether bhavanga-cittas often arise. There must be countless bhavanga-cittas arising at those moments when there are no sense- impressions, no thinking, no akusala cittas or kusala cittas. When we are asleep and dreaming there are akusala cittas or kusala cittas, but even when we are in a dreamless sleep, there still has to be citta. There are bhavanga- cittas at these moments. Also when we are awake  there are countless bhavanga-cittas arising; they arise in between the different processes of citta. It seems that hearing, for example, can arise very shortly after seeing, but in reality there are different processes of citta and in between these processes there are bhavanga-cittas.

 

The bhavanga-citta is the same type of citta as the first citta in life, the

patisandhi-citta (rebirth-consciousness). When the patisandhi-citta falls away

it conditions the next citta to arise which is the second citta in that life. This

citta is the first bhavanga-citta in life.

 

The bhavanga-citta is vipākacitta; it is the result of the same kamma

which produced the patisandhi-citta. There is only one patisandhi-citta in a

life, but there are countless bhavanga-cittas. Not only the first bhavanga-citta,

but all bhavanga-cittas arising during a lifespan are the result of the kamma

which produced the patisandhi-citta.