Citta or the Stream of Awareness (Consciousness)

Citta or the Stream of Awareness (Consciousness)

This short piece is for one who intends to practice Bhavana (Meditation).

I think the objective of the subject (in meditation) is to develop mind to a higher state or more sober state (Somanassa not Domanassa).

This basic knowledge is essential to overcome difficulties and sometime to bring back sanity (one can go mad) who has lost it due to wrong practice.

Some general points.

1. Mind is generally extremely fast and equally stagnant in a state of procrastination (indecisiveness).

I know mind is very fast and it does not rest even in my sleep.

in another guy/girl it may have different vibration (I do not like to use the word frequency, of course, by the way, if something vibrates it has a frequency).

This vibration cannot be quantified by alpha, beta or gamma waves. 

What I mean is we cannot extract these frequencies and playback as a record. 

Mind has many other properties which we cannot measure in an objective manner.

2. Thought process has no two thought processes which looks alike.

3. There are no two types of mind (conscious, subconscious).

4. Mind is not dormant or dead in sleep state.

5. Dreams are essentials part of the working brain but we do not remember most of our dreams.

6. What we call memory is transient and I think forgetting is the best defense it has in its capacity.

7. No two persons have (even identical twins) identical minds.

If that is not not confusing enough, if I use Abhidhamma (I would give a summary in 10 points later) terminology you would end up cursing me for causing the confusion.

Intention is not entanglement but attempt at clear comprehension.

Nothing is guaranteed by simple language.

Let us use the terminology, that the mind is not a process but a stream.

What are its qualities and behaviour?

1. It is a fast stream.

2. It never stops (even at death).

3. It likes entangling (conflicts) and clinging (dogmas) onto material and mental objects.

4. It rises, peaks to a steady state and then falls.

5. In other words it is in a state of flux.

6. It is never ending phenomenon which we cannot hold onto.

7. The stream breaks.

8. It vibrates.

9. It starts again.

10. It gets hold of another mind object or sense object (ear, eye, nose, taste, touch).

11. It focuses

12. It determines the content.

13. It gets attached.

14 It gets detached

15. It starts another thought process.

16. In fact, it is a mystery.

Abhidhamma description.

It is said each thought process has 17 thought moments and Javana has 5-7 thought moments.

The word Javana has no similar word in English and that is the term I really love.

The Javana I would like to call the Mind Monkey.

It is really a mischievous monkey.

1. Bhavanga sota (Attita Bhanga)

2. Bhavanga uppacchda

3. Bhavabga calana

4.Avarjjana

5. Viinnana (citta)

6. Sampaticharana (perception)

7. Santirana (momentary attention and investigation

8. Votthappana (determining-cognition)

9. Javana (running at full speed-Impulsion)

10 Tadalammana (Registering)