Cittas of the Sense-Sphere

There are eighty-nine different types of citta and these can be classified according to different grades, namely as four planes (bhūmi) of citta:

• sensuous plane, kāmāvacara bhūmi,

• fine-material plane, rūpāvacara bhūmi (rūpa-jhāna),

• immaterial plane, arūpāvacara bhūmi (arūpa-jhāna),

• supramundane plane, lokuttara bhūmi.

The “Atthasālinī” (I, Book I, Part II, Analysis of terms, 62) gives an explanation of the meaning of kāmāvacara, sensuous, according to different methods. According to one method of explanation, kāmāvacara is used for the citta that is involved in kāmāvacara dhammas, thus, it is the citta which is of the grade of the sensuous plane of consciousness. “Kāmāvacara” is the complete term, but the abridged form of “kāma” is also used. Citta of the grade or plane of kāma, kāmāvacara citta, frequents objects of sense, namely: visible object, sound, odour, flavour and tangible object.

At each moment in daily life there is kāmāvacara citta, except when there is citta of another grade or plane that is more refined than that of the kāmāvacara citta. When one develops kusala citta with calm by means of a meditation subject that is dependent on rūpa, materiality, and calm becomes firmly established so that it reaches the level of attainment concentration (appanā samādhi), there is rūpa-jhānacitta, which has an object that is still dependent on rūpa. Then there is a higher plane of citta, the fine material plane of citta, rūpāvacara bhūmi, and the citta of this plane, the rūpāvacara citta, is free from kāma, sensuousness. A plane of citta that is still higher is the arūpa bhūmi, immaterial plane. The citta of this plane, the arūpāvacara citta, is of a higher degree of calm and more refined, firmly established in calm with an object that is not dependent on rūpa. The citta that is even more refined than arūpāvacara citta is lokuttara citta which realizes the characteristic of nibbāna. That is the citta of the supramundane plane, lokuttara bhūmi. Thus, cittas are varied as they are of different planes of citta. The eighty-nine cittas can be classified according to the planes of citta in the following way:

• 54 kāmāvacara cittas,

• 15 rūpāvacara cittas,

• 12 arūpāvacara cittas,

• 8 lokuttara cittas.

There is kāmāvacara citta at the moments when there is not rūpāvacara citta, arūpāvacara citta or lokuttara citta.

The “Atthasālinī” (in the same section) states that the term kāma, sensuousness, has two meanings:

• sensuousness of defilements, kilesa kāma,

• the base or foundation of sensuousness, vatthu kāma.

The “Atthasālinī” states:

“The sensuousness of the defilements is so termed because it desires, and the other, the sensuousness of base, is so termed because it is desired by the sensuousness of defilements.”

Kilesa kāma is sense desire (chanda rāga) that is lobha cetasika, the dhamma that enjoys objects, is pleased with them and clings to them. Vatthu kāma are the objects that are the basis on which desire or clinging depends, that which is desired. Vatthu kāma also comprises the three classes of planes of existence where a person can be reborn: the sensuous planes of existence (kāma bhūmi), the fine material planes (rūpa bhūmi) and the immaterial planes. So long as lobha has not been eradicated, one is not free from the cycle of birth and death and, thus, one can be reborn in those planes. They are vatthu kāma, the objects for kilesa kāma, the sensuousness of defilements.

Kāmāvacara citta that is attached to visible object, sound, odour, flavour and tangible object clings firmly to them, even though they appear just for a moment. Visible object appears for an extremely short moment, when it impinges on the eyesense. Sound appears just for an extremely short moment, when it impinges on the earsense. It is the same with odour, flavour and tangible object. All of them are insignificant dhammas (paritta dhammas), they appear just for a moment and then they fall away. Nevertheless, citta is attached and clings all the time to these insignificant dhammas. Since these dhammas that arise and fall away are succeeding one another, it seems that they can last, that they do not fall away.

There is no end to clinging to all the sense objects, to visible object, sound, odour, flavour and tangible object. We are infatuated with them and keep on clinging to them. These objects fall away, but they are replaced; the rūpas that fall away are succeeded by new ones. We are deluded and cling again to visible object, sound and the other sense objects that replace those which have fallen away and thus clinging continues all the time. When we see visible object and we like it, we want to see it again and again. When we hear a sound that we like we want to hear it again, and it is the same with odour, flavour and tangible object that we like. When we are eating and we like a particular flavour, we wish to eat the same food again and taste that flavour again. Clinging to the sense objects arises each day, time and again. It is our nature to cling through the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, the bodysense and the mind-door.

When we like something we see, we wish to see it all the time, but that is impossible. All conditioned dhammas, saṅkhāra dhammas, arise and then fall away; that is their nature. When a delicious flavour appears, attachment depending on the tongue arises. At that moment attachment through the eyes, the ears, the nose or the bodysense cannot arise. When odour appears and attachment to it arises, there cannot be attachment through the eyes, the ears, the tongue or the bodysense, since only one citta arises at a time. There cannot be the arising of two cittas at the same time. We all are attached to the objects that appear alternately through the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, the bodysense and the mind-door. We are not attached just to colour, just to sound or just to one of the other sense objects; we are attached to all of them. The reason is that attachment to all the sense objects has been accumulated continuously, from the past to the present time, and it will be accumulated on to the future.

Thus, kāmāvacara citta, citta of the sense sphere “travels” to, frequents visible object, sound, odour, flavour and tangible object; it clings to these objects, it is not free from them. Some people who want to be free from sense objects say that, as a result of having performed meritorious deeds, they want to be reborn in heaven. Even heavenly planes are not free from sense objects, but they are more refined than the objects in the human world.

From birth to death, when citta has not attained calm to the degree of attainment concentration (appanā samādhi), that is, when citta is not jhānacitta, and when citta is not lokuttara citta, citta is kāmāvacara citta. Whether we are asleep or awake, whether we see, hear, smell, taste, experience tangible object or think of different subjects, at all such moments there is no living being who experiences objects, there is no person, no self. There are only cittas of the grade of kāma, sensuousness, kāmāvacara cittas that experience objects.

The person who is not an anāgāmī (non-returner who has attained the third stage of enlightenment) or an arahat still clings to visible object, sound, odour, flavour and tangible object. This shows how difficult it is to eradicate clinging to the sense objects that appear through the six doors. Even if someone has cultivated calm to the degree of jhāna and he is reborn in a brahma plane, clinging to the sense objects cannot be completely eradicated. If he is not yet an anāgāmī, he will again and again return to a life of clinging to visible object and the other sense objects that appear through six doors. Therefore, we should not be negligent with regard to the defilements. We should understand realities as they are; we should understand which cause brings which effect. Then we shall be able to develop right understanding of the eightfold Path, which can eradicate defilements completely.

Kāmāvacara is a name for the citta that is involved in dhammas of the sense sphere, kāmāvacara dhammas. The “Atthasālinī” explains that the planes of existence of the kāmāvacara dhammas, that is, the sensuous planes of existence, extend from the lowest plane, which is the “Avīci hell,” up to the highest sensuous plane which is a heavenly plane, called the “paranimmita vasavatti deva plane” (the plane of heavenly beings with power over the creations of others). In all these planes there are sense objects.

As regards the term basis of sensuousness or clinging, vatthu kama, this has, according to the “Atthasālinī, a wider meaning than visible object, sound, odour, flavour or tangible object. Any kind of dhamma that is a basis or foundation for attachment is actually vatthu kāma. Lobha cetasika is the reality that is attached, which clings to everything, except lokuttara dhammas. Lobha clings to the rūpa-brahma planes and the arūpa -brahma planes, thus, these are vatthu kāma, the basis on which clinging depends. All dhammas other than lokuttara dhammas are vatthu kāma, they are the basis of clinging.

The “Atthasālinī” (§ 61-63) uses several methods to explain the meaning of kāmāvacara citta. According to the first explanation, kāmāvacara citta is the citta of the grade or plane of sensuousness, kāma; it is not free from kāma, sensuousness. According to the second method, kāmāvacara citta is the citta which frequents, “travels” to the sensuous planes of existence: the four unhappy planes, the human plane and the six classes of heavenly planes (of the devas). According to the third explanation, kāmāvacara citta is so called because it attends to, frequents, the sense objects: visible object, sound, odour, flavour and tangible object. Since the citta takes these sense objects as its objects of experience, citta is called kāmāvacara citta.

It is easy to understand that any citta that is involved in sense objects, thus, visible object and the other sense objects, is kāmāvacara citta.

Questioner: Does the arahat have kāmāvacara citta?

Sujin: Yes. When the arahat sees visible object that appears through the eyes, the citta that sees is kāmāvacara citta, because visible object is a sense object. Whenever citta experiences visible object and the other sense objects, it is kāmāvacara citta, no matter whether it is the citta of the Buddha, an arahat disciple or anybody else.

According to the fourth method of explanation, citta is kāmāvacara citta because it causes rebirths in sensuous planes of existence, namely the four unhappy planes, the human plane and the six classes of heavenly planes.

All of us here are in the human plane, because kāmāvacara kusala citta has conditioned kāmāvacara vipākacitta to perform the function of rebirth in the human plane, which is a sensuous plane of existence.

Someone may develop samatha to the degree of attainment concentration (appanā samādhi) and attain rūpa-jhāna or arūpa-jhāna. If he does not lose his skill in jhāna and jhānacitta arises just before the dying-consciousness, the jhānacitta does not condition rebirth in this world but in a rūpa-brahma plane or an arūpa-brahma plane, depending on the degree of jhāna. Rebirth as a human being is the result of kāmāvacara kusala citta that performs dāna, generosity, observes sīla, morality, develops samatha or vipassanā. These ways of kusala, performed by kusala citta of the sense-sphere, citta that is not free from kāma, have rebirth in sensuous planes of existence as a result.

The term bhūmi, base or plane, has two different meanings: plane or grade of citta and plane of existence. As to the first meaning, bhūmi designates the citta that is the base or foundation for the accompanying dhammas (sampayutta dhammas), all cetasikas that arise together with the citta. As we have seen, we can classify cittas by way of four bhūmis or planes of citta: the cittas of the sense-sphere, kāmāvacara cittas, rūpa-jhānacittas, arūpa-jhānacittas and lokuttara cittas. As to the second meaning of bhūmi, this designates the plane of existence, the situation or place where a living being is born. The human world is one bhūmi, a plane where one is born. It is one plane among thirty-one planes of existence.

Citta is variegated. There are different types of citta and even cittas of the same type are varied. Kāmāvacara kusala cittas that arise are varied because the accompanying cetasikas are different and have different intensities, such as saddhā, confidence in kusala, which can be of different intensities, and paññā which can be of different levels. There is a great variety of the accompanying cetasikas. Thus, their result is rebirth in different happy planes, not only in the human plane.

When one commits akusala kamma, it can be noticed that akusala kammas are of different degrees, they can be more serious or they can be of a lesser degree. Sometimes there may be a great deal of hate or vengefulness, sometimes there may not be so much aversion. Sometimes one does not make a great effort to hurt or kill other beings; the intention to kill may not be very strong, and moreover, only tiny beings may die as a consequence of one’s effort to kill. Since the different akusala kammas are performed by cittas that are accompanied by various cetasikas of different intensities, their results are varied, in the form of vipākacittas performing the function of rebirth in four different classes of unhappy planes. Since both kusala kamma and akusala kamma are variegated, causing variegated results, there must be many different planes where there can be rebirth. Besides the human plane, there are other planes of existence.

Questions

1. What is the difference between sensuousness of defilements, kilesa kāma, and sensuousness of base, vatthu kāma?

2. What is the meaning of “insignificant dhammas,” paritta dhammas?

3. Did the Buddha have citta of the sense sphere, kāmāvacara citta?

4. What are the meanings of bhūmi, plane?