Puggalapaññatti, the fourth Book

The fourth book of the Abhidhamma is the Puggalapaññatti (Translated as “A Designation of Human Types”). This book deals with the cittas and the different accumulated tendencies of individuals. Some people are easily inclined to anger, whereas others are full of mettā. We read about an angry person: ‘What sort of person is angry? What then is anger? That which is anger, and the state of being angry, hatred, hating, hatefulness, malice, the act of being malicious, maliciousness, hostility, enmity, rudeness, abruptness, resentment of heart- this is called anger. He who has not got rid of this anger is said to be an angry person.” In this definition we read about the “ state of being angry”, and this teaches us that anger is not a person, that it is a dhamma which is conditioned. We think of an angry person, but anger, after it has arisen, is gone completely, it does not last. The contents of this book are the evil and good qualities of individuals, but actually, these are cetasikas, mental factors arising because of conditions. Thus, we are constantly reminded that these are not persons, they are impermanent and not self. We read (II, 17) about a person who is guarded as to the sense-doors. There is no person who is guarding the sense-doors, but the realities of sati and paññā are guarding the sense-doors. When there is mindfulness and understanding of visible object appearing through the eye-door, of sound appearing through the ear-door, of the other sense objects appearing through the other sense-doors, one is not enslaved by these objects but one learns to see these realities as they are: impermanent and non-self. At such moments there is no opportunity for akusala cittas rooted in lobha, dosa and moha. Some persons are able to attain jhāna, others do not. We read (I, 30):

“Which is the person who is twice-liberated (ubhatobhā ga-vimutta)? It is one who, in his own person, has attained to the eight liberations (jhānas), and through wise penetration his taints (ā sava) have come to extinction.” (I, 31) “Which is the person who is liberated by wisdom (paññā-vimutta)? It is one who has not attained, in his own person, to the eight liberations, but through wise penetration his taints have come to extinction.” When we read about the attainments of different individuals we should not forget that these are citta and cetasikas with highly developed paññā.