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Abhidhamma View: Cognitive Processes

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 1:50 pm
by yawares
Dear Members,

:candle: Abhidhamma View: Cognitive Processes :candle:
[Presented by Dr.Tep Sastri @ SariputtaDhamma/JTN/Mult]


CMA IV, p. 151-152:

According to the doors the six cognitive processes are: (i) the process connected with the eye door; (ii) the process connected with the ear door;
(iii) the process connected with the nose door; (iv) the process connected with the tongue door; (v) the process connected with the body door;
(vi) the process connected with the mind door.


When cittas arise cognizing an object at the sense doors or the mind door, they do not occur at random or in isolation, but as phases in a series of discrete cognitive events leading one to the other in a regular and uniform order. This order is called cittaniyaama (the fixed order of consciousness), and the word viithi is used in the sense of process.

For a cognitive process to occur, all the essential conditions must be present. According the Commentaries, the essential conditions for each of process are as follows:
(i) For an eye-door process: (a) eye-sensitivity(cakkhuppasaada); (b) visible object(ruupaaramma.na);
(c) light(aaloka); (d) attention(manasikaara).
(ii) For an ear-door process: (a) ear-sensitivity(sotappasaada); (b) sound(saddaaramma.na); (c) space(aakaasa); (d) attention.
(iii) For a nose-door process: (a) nose-sensitivity(ghaanappasaada); (b) smell(gandhaaramma.na); (c) air element(vayodhaatu); (d) attention.
(iv) For a tongue-door process: (a) tongue-sensitivity(jivhaappasaada); (b) taste(rasaaramma.na); (c) water element(aapodhaatu); (d) attention.
(v) For a body-door process: (a) body-sensitivity(kaayappasaada); (b) tangible object (pho.t.thabbaaramma.na); (c) earth element(pa.thaviidhaatu); (d) attention.
(vi) For a mind-door process: (a) the heart-base(hadayavatthu); (b) mental object(dhammaaramma.na); (c) the bhavanga; (d) attention.


The six types of cognitive processes are conveniently divided into two groups -- the five-door process(pa~ncadvaaraviithi), which includes the five processes occurring at each of the physical sense doors; and the mind-door process(manodvaaraviithi), which comprises all processes that occur solely at the mind door. Since the bhavanga is also the channel from which the five-door processes emerge, the latter are sometimes called mixed-door processes(missaka-dvaaraviithi)as they involve both the mind door and a physical sense door. The processes that occur solely at the mind door are then called bare mind-door processes (suddha-manodvaaraviithi) since they emerge from the bhavanga alone without the instrumentality of a physical sense door.

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:heart: Love Buddha's dhamma,
yawares/sirikanya :heart: