Citta and Cetasikas

Citta does not arise singly, it is always accompanied by cetasikas, mental factors. Only one citta arises at a time and each citta is accompanied by several cetasikas. Citta is the leader in cognizing an object and the accompanying cetasikas have each their own function while they assist citta in cognizing an object. Citta may be of one of the four jātis of kusala, akusala, vipāka or kiriya. Cetasikas are of the same jāti as the citta they accompany. Some cetasikas, such as feeling and remembrance or “perception” (saññā), accompany each citta, others do not. Feeling, in Pāli: vedanā, is a cetasika which arises with every citta. Citta only knows or experiences its object; it does not feel. Feeling, vedanā, however, has the function of feeling. Feeling is sometimes pleasant, sometimes unpleasant. When we do not have a pleasant or an unpleasant feeling, there is still feeling: at that moment the feeling is neutral or indifferent. Perception or remembrance, in Pāli: saññā, marks the object so that it can be recognized later on. Whenever we remember something it is saññā, not self, which remembers. It is saññā which, for example, remembers that this colour is red, that this is a house, or that this is the sound of a bird. Contact, in Pāli: phassa, is another cetasika which arises with every citta; it “contacts” the object so that citta can experience it. There are also types of cetasika which do not arise with every citta. Unwholesome mental factors, akusala cetasikas, accompany only akusala cittas, whereas sobhana cetasikas, “beautiful” mental factors, accompany kusala cittas. Among the cetasikas which can accompany akusala cittas or kusala cittas, some are roots, hetus. A root or hetu is the foundation of the akusala citta or kusala citta, just as the roots are the foundation of a tree. They give a firm support to the citta and cetasikas they arise together with. There are three cetasikas which are unwholesome roots, akusala hetus: attachment (lobha), aversion (dosa) and ignorance (moha). Akusala cittas may be rooted in moha and lobha, or in moha and dosa, or they may have moha as their only root. Moha arises with each akusala citta. Moha is blindness, it does not know the danger of akusala; it is the root of all evil. There are three sobhana hetus, beautiful roots: non-attachment (alobha), non-aversion (adosa), and wisdom (paññā). All kusala cittas are rooted in non-attachment and non-aversion, and they may or may not be rooted in wisdom, paññā. There are many shades and degrees of the akusala hetus and the sobhana hetus. Akusala citta is impure and it leads to sorrow. At the moment of akusala citta there is no confidence in wholesomeness; one does not see that akusala citta is impure and harmful. For example, when we see a pleasant sight, akusala cittas with attachment tend to arise. At such a moment there is “ unwise attention” to the object which is experienced; we are enslaved to that object and do not see the danger of akusala. Thus we go on accumulating more and more akusala. We may find it difficult to see that even when we do not harm or hurt others, the citta can still be akusala. For example, when we like nature, there is a degree of attachment and attachment is not kusala, it is different from unselfishness. We may see the danger of akusala which is coarse, but it is difficult to see the danger of akusala which is more subtle. However through the study of the Dhamma we can acquire more understanding of akusala dhammas and then we may begin to see the danger of all degrees of akusala. Whenever the citta is not intent on wholesomeness, we act, speak or think with akusala citta. We may not have unkind thoughts or thoughts of coarse desire, but the cittas which think can still be akusala cittas; they are akusala cittas whenever we do not think wholesome thoughts. We think time and again of people, of things which have happened or will happen, and we should find out for ourselves when thinking is kusala and when akusala. When the citta is kusala, there is confidence in wholesomeness. Confidence, or faith, saddhā, is a sobhana cetasika. Each kusala citta is assisted by many sobhana cetasikas. When we see the value of kusala, there are conditions for the arising of kusala citta. Kusala citta is pure and it is capable of producing a pleasant result. Defilements and wholesome qualities are cetasikas, they are non-self. They are not listed just to be read and memorized, they are realities of daily life and they can be known as they are by being mindful of them.