The Sobhana Cittas in Our Life - Sobhana cittas as maha-vipaka cittas

As we have seen before (Ch, 11), human beings can be born with a patisandhi-citta which is ahetuka kusala vipāka (and in this case they are handicapped from the first moment of life), or with a patisandhi-citta which is sahetuka kusala vipāka, accompanied by sobhana hetus. In the case of human beings, and of beings born in other sensuous planes of existence, the patisandhi-citta which is sahetuka vipākacitta is mahā-vipāka citta, the result of kāmāvacara kusala kamma (kamma performed by kusala cittas of the sensuous plane of consciousness). Apart from mahā-vipāka citta there are other types of sahetuka vipāka citta which are not the result of kāmāvacara kusala kamma but of jhānacitta. These types will be dealt with later on. 

 

As regards mahā-vipāka cittas, there are eight types. They can be

accompanied by somanassa or by upekkha, they can be with paññā or

without paññā, they can be asankhārika (unprompted) or sasankhārika

(prompted). They are classified in the same way as the eight types of mahā-

kusala cittas mentioned before.

 

The bhavanga-citta (life-continuum) and the cuti-citta (dying-

consciousness) are the same type of citta as the first citta in one's life, the

patisandhi-citta. If the patisandhi-citta is mahā-vipākacitta, the bhavanga-citta

and the cuti-citta of that life are the same type of mahā-vipākacitta. Thus the

functions of patisandhi, bhavanga and cuti can be performed by mahā-

vipākacitta. Moreover, the function of tadārammana (registering) can also be

performed by mahā-vipāka citta.

 

When we see a beautiful sight or experience pleasant objects through the

other sense-doors, the citta is vipākacitta, the result of kusala kamma ;

however, that kind of vipākacitta is ahetuka vipāka (arising without hetu),

not mahā-vipāka. The functions of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and

receiving impressions through the body-sense, of sampaticchana and of

santīrana cannot be performed by mahā-vipāka cittas ; these functions are

performed by ahetuka vipāka cittas. Tadārammana-citta (registering-

consciousness), however, which is a vipāka citta arising after the javana-

cittas, can either be ahetuka vipāka citta or mahā-vipāka citta.