The Mind or the Citta
Durangamam, ekacaram, asariram, ghuahasayam
Ye sittam sannamesanti mokkhanti marabandhana
Fairing far, wandering alone, bodiless, lying in a cave, is the mind.
Those who subdue it are freed of Mara
Wandering alone No two thought moments are alike but changeable and move fast
Bodiless Mind is not understood as of material form
Lying
in a cave No particular association with a site or an organ (brain for
example). Conditional association with the body and dependent on
material things
Yam rupam nissaya Dependent on material form (in the form of life-existence)Mara Described as of five kinds in Buddhism
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Death
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Passions
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Activities both moral and amoral
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Association with sense organs (eye, ear, nose, tongue and skin–touch)
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Extremes of passions
Translated by Reverend Narada Thera of Vijirarama, Sri-Lanka
Pali Verse-37
My comments (Asoka):
The first sentence of this verse addresses the nature of the mind in descriptive terms.
The second sentence addresses the needs of its control.
There
are no terms like conscious, subconscious, personality, id, ego and
superego. The concepts when analyzed with the three basic tenets of
Anatta, Dukka and Anatma (devoid of permanence, satisfactoriness and
person) ingrained in Dhamma are quite the opposite of western
psychological analysis. The representation of the behavior of the mind
is lucid and simple. The mind resides in the cave (material body) but
has no formal material form but quite free to wander on its own. The
seat of its residence is neither indicated as to the brain nor the
heart. This is also quite significant since in medical parlance the mind
and its various perceptual functions are mapped to various anatomical
regions in the brain.
Yam rupam nissaya–
further reinforces this impression that the mind depends (arising from)
on material thing (form) but not specifically localized in terms of
reference to any focal point of origin.
Buddhist
psychology has a distinctive form and with opposing themes of no-self,
no soul or having any permanent substantial entity but subjected to
eternal vagaries of change. To borrow a scientific notion, similar to
the behaviour of energy (which cannot be made from nothing nor destroyed
altogether), the mind in its subtle form that arises within biological
forms (having an organized neural system) is dynamic in nature.
As
going by modern psychology of not having a personal, emotional and
cognitive elements to represent the behaviour of my memory, thoughts,
beliefs and prejudices, I am really stuck and at cross roads.
I
have only one option left though, but to delve into Abhidhamma. The
fear aroused in me was much more than when I started experimenting with
Linux. In experimenting with Linux I had windows to fall back to, if I
failed. In this scenario I have nothing to fall back to except to my own
insecurity. In any case the plunge was considered worthwhile.
I organized myself into certain compartments.
-
Contemporary physiological psychology of Mind
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Behavioural psychology of Mind in Abhidhamma Context
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Application if any?
The
content of the Abhidhamma is colossal and the following discussion is
very selective. Patisandhi, Bhavanga, Avajjana, Pancavinnana, Javana and
Cuti were the essential words mentioned in Abhidhamma out of 14
characteristics. One unexpected finding was Sutta explanation include
six elements or essentials.
Solid Pathavi
Liquid Apo
Heat Tejo
Motion Vayo
Space Akasa
Consciousness Mano
Abhidhamma explanation of six psycho-physiological elements are
Eye Visible Object Visual Perception
Ear Sound Audible Perception
Nose Odour Smell
Tongue Food Taste
Body Touch Sensory Perception
Mind-element Thinking Thought Process
(Mano-dhatu) (dhamma-dhatu) (Mano-vinnana-dhatu)
1. Bhavanga
This
is the essential mental accompaniment of every conditional of
existence. It consists of succession of three components, arising,
formation (development) and decay of thought moments. Arising and
perishing it flows like a stream not remaining the same for two
consecutive moments and is called by Bhavanga-sota (stream of
consciousness). It has a past, present and a future course and is
present in both wakeful and sleep states in a dynamic continuum.
2. Avajjana
In
its formal existence the stream of consciousness Bhavanga-sota is
subjected to attention and focus of a new thought process coming from
all six senses. The stream is disturbed (Bhavanga-calana) and arrested
momentarily (Bhavanga-upacchheda)
3. Pancavinnana
The
six senses take over the perception (a physiological process) depending
on the attention (avarjjana) focused. The three processes, the
reception (Sampaticchana) of the (impulse or the impression),
investigation (Santirana) and determination (Vothappana) of the impulse
set forth an important mental activity called Javana.
4. Javana
Javana
which consists of 4 to 7 thought moments is the most important part of
the mental activity as far as Buddhist psychology is concerned. Javana
means dynamic and running and this is the psychological stage where the
Buddhist ethical concepts stand out prominently. Good and the bad, in
effect the Kamma Concept (moral and immoral Javanas) is ingrained in
this mental activity. The quality of the Javana is dependent on the
intensity of the Sanna which is graded into four intensities. While
feeblest of Sanna does not give rise to Javana.
In
Jhana absorptions there are five (5) thought moments. This is quite
acceptable concept in physiological responses (all or none) as the
threshold and sub-threshold impulses. However the grades are finely
defined in Abhidhamma into 5 grades.
5.Tadaramnna
The
object of the Javana thought process in effect get registered in the
stream of consciousness soon after. After tadarammana the stream of
consciousness lapses into Bhavanga.
6. Patisandi (relinking) and Cuti (death consciousness)
The
Kamma Concept is invariably associated with rebirth and the other two
mental activities are rebirth consciousness (Patisandi-relinking) and
death consciousness (Cuti) or the passing away from one life to another.
As Patisandhi is the initial thought moment of life, so is cuti the
final thought moment. The Bhavanga-sota flows into the next cycle of
existence and carry with it the immense potentials of past Kamma Energy.
If one is to accept the Abhidhamma Concepts the personality and
emotionality of an individual is based on the mental activity that is
neither destroyed nor different from the previous existence. Na ca so na
ca anno; the identical stream of Kammic Energy.
Thought Moments
The
contentious issue is the duration of a single thought moment which is
considered very, very small. I do not intend to delve into time since it
is a linear concept of only two dimensions which is not adequate to
measure a multi-dimensional concept called the “thought process”. It is
said that there are 17 thought moments for the impulse of the Sanna to
alert awareness in Mind (consciousness). If one takes the transmission
time of an impulse along a long un-myelinated (slowest conducting) nerve
fiber, what we are talking about is in milli-seconds. One should not
have any difficulty in perceiving that, the normal (ordinary) thought
processes having fraction of a second duration.
What
one is not sure is how finer is these measurements when somebody is in
Jhana absorptions. If we are to take time as a relative concept as in
modern physics this difficulty is imaginary.
Memory
It
is a striking fact that there is paucity of discussion about memory in
Buddhism. Sati does not correspond to western conception of memory and
mindfulness is better equivalent. Samma-sati in fact is right
consciousness and not memory. Similarly, Sanna is only a precursor of
memory. The characteristic of Sanna is cognition of an object by way of
its special attributes (mark of recognition-colour, rose). The stage of tadarammana(registering)in thought process can be considered as the final stage of memory (imprint) construction.
Could it be that the Kamma that is the vehicle for memory in Buddhist connotation?
In
other words memory cannot be compressed into a one single existence.
Similarly, the habits that one inherits, is the composite of many
previous existences of personalities and not a single product of a
single existence. It seems that the Buddhist thinking is quite at
variance with the modern behavioural psychology.
The
attempt at localizing memory to certain parts of the brain is made in
physiological psychology. Certain parts of the brain seem to localize
short term and long term memory but the chemical mediators (memory
proteins) that are proposed as modifiers of this function are not
identified convincingly as yet.
Are we barking at the wrong tree?
How
is that some individuals who are exceedingly gifted with fluency in
many languages (but ordinary people at best can master two or three
languages)?
One
should realize that I have not given conclusive evidence for or against
the Abhidhamma Concepts. The intention was to present Dhamma concepts
as it is in the scriptures without corrupting and rendering my
interpretations. However, I have posed appropriate questions that come
to my mind as a starting point for an apprentice wayfarer which I am.
Perception of Nature or Nurture
Modern
psychology gives greater significance to behavioural modification
assuming that nearly 50% is inherited and other 50% nurtured. This
equation has outlasted its practical use. In modern day analysis in
every matter with some obscurity related to biological phenomena that
include mind, three elements have to be taken into account. There are
genetic, environmental and unknown factors to consider (roughly 30% as
far as intelligence is concerned) when analyzing scientifically.
The
above simple equation has to be modified if one is to apply the
Abhidamma Concepts for personality, emotion and behaviour. Instead of
two factors at least three factors which include unknown elements should
be considered in evaluation of mind and its behaviour.
Significantly
Abhidhamma does not waste its energies on mundane affairs and its
concentration is on wholesome Kammas and attainment of higher mental
states leading to Nibbana. One should not waste time in discovering
mundane psychological facets in Abhidhamma. Instead one should
concentrate on developing Sati and concentrating on four Satipatthanas
(Kaya, Vedana, Citta and Dhamma).
