The Dhammasaṅganī, the first Book of the Abhidhamma

The Dhammasaṅganī, begins, after the Mā tika, with a description of mahā-kusala citta accompanied by paññā. It enumerates all the sobhana cetasikas assisting this citta while they accompany it just for a moment. It refers to mahā-kusala citta experiencing an object, be it visible object, sound, odour, flavour, tangible object or dhamma object. This points to daily life. Time and again citta experiences an object through one of the six doors. The Dhammasaṅganī states with regard to the first type of mahā -kusala citta of the sense sphere: ”At a time (yasmiṃ samaye) when mahā-kusala citta of the sense sphere accompanied by joy and associated with understanding has arisen...” and then sums up the accompanying cetasikas. The “Expositor” (p. 76) explains the word samaya as time, occasion, concurrence of conditions, the mutual contribution towards the production of a common result: “By this word showing thus the condition, the conceit of one who believes that states unconditionally follow one’s own will is subdued.” We cling to the idea of our own will that can direct dhammas, but this is not according to reality. Will or volition, be it wholesome, unwholesome or indeterminate, is only a conditioned element. The mahā-kusala citta is accompanied by the cetasikas that always accompany citta, the “ universals”, such as contact, feeling or remembrance, saññ ā, as well as by the “particulars”, pakinnakas, cetasikas that accompany many cittas but not all. Then follows a list of all the sobhana cetasikas necessary for the arising of even one moment of kusala citta of the sense sphere. For example, the cetasika confidence or faith, saddhā, always has to accompany kusala citta. If there is no confidence in kusala, kusala citta could not arise. There have to be non-attachment and non-aversion. When we perform dāna or observe sīla we are not selfish, we are not thinking of our own pleasure and comfort. There is calm with each kusala citta, at such a moment there is no agitation. There has to be sati which is non-forgetful of kusala. Sobhana cetasikas are necessary so that mahā-kusala citta with paññā can arise just for one extremely brief moment and perform its function, and then citta and cetasikas fall away together. The cetasikas condition the citta by way of conascence-condition and by several other conditions. Thus, we cannot make kusala arise at will, it has no possessor; there is no one who can direct its arising. It arises when the right conditions are present and then it falls away immediately; nobody can cause it to last. All the sobhana cetasikas that fall away are accumulated from moment to moment so that there are conditions for the arising again of kusala citta. We shall see that several cetasikas are listed more than once under different aspects, such as understanding as faculty, or as power. The list ends with: sampajañña (sati and pañña), samatha, vipassanā, pagg āha (grasp, which is the faculty of energy), avikkhepa (balance, self-collectedness, another word for ekaggata cetasika, one-pointedness or concentration). Thus we see that these lists are not a mere summing up, but that they point to the development of right understanding of realities.