What carries and accumulates wholesome/unwholesome qualities

Discussion of Abhidhamma and related Commentaries
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Alex123
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What carries and accumulates wholesome/unwholesome qualities

Post by Alex123 »

Hello all,

What carries and accumulates wisdom (paññā) from moment to moment?
What carries and accumulates other wholesome qualities (such as alobha, adosa) from moment to moment?
What carries and accumulates unwholesome qualities (such as lobha or dosa) from moment to moment?

Is it bhavaṅga citta, or some other kind of citta?


With metta,

Alex
ajahndoe
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Re: What carries and accumulates wholesome/unwholesome qualities

Post by ajahndoe »

There is nothing carried, only related. If you harm someone and they later harm you, this is not because you or any part of you carried anything. It is due to the attachment in the mind of another, a seed planted within their mind which ripens in the form of violence upon you. Causes of related Effects. This is how all things work, including our Karma and skillful means used to break the mind out of unwholesome states and views.
Last edited by ajahndoe on Fri Mar 04, 2011 5:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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retrofuturist
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Re: What carries and accumulates wholesome/unwholesome qualities

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

Does the Abhidhamma talk about anything being "carried (by x)" or "accumulated (by x)?

I think you'd start there before asking the "what" does the carrying or accumulation.

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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Alex123
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Re: What carries and accumulates wholesome/unwholesome qualities

Post by Alex123 »

Hello Venerable Ajahn Doe, Hello Retro,


The question is about the mechanism that accumulates qualities such as wisdom or ignorance.

How does the mental quality that one has developed affect the future mental states?

If nothing is "carried", "accumulated" or "stored", then it is useless to develop anything as it will not affect anything in the future.

With best wishes,

Alex
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mikenz66
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Re: What carries and accumulates wholesome/unwholesome qualities

Post by mikenz66 »

Dear Members,

Please be aware that this is the Abhidhamma Forum. Off topic posts may be removed.

I would appreciate a detailed reply in terms of Abhidhamma, though I tend to think that Retro's reply sums it up reasonably well.

:anjali:
Mike
meindzai
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Re: What carries and accumulates wholesome/unwholesome qualities

Post by meindzai »

For me it made sense when I started thinking in terms of each citta arising and passing, each citta conditioned by the one before it, each citta conditioning the one after it. From Nina van Gorkom at: http://www.buddhanet.net/budsas/ebud/ni ... bhi-03.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Each citta which arises falls away completely and is succeeded by the next citta. How then can there be accumulations of experiences in life, accumulations of good and bad inclinations? The reason is that each citta which falls away is succeeded by the next citta. Our life is an uninterrupted series of cittas and each citta conditions the next citta and this again the next, and thus the past can condition the present. It is a fact that our good cittas and bad cittas in the past condition our inclinations today. Thus, good and bad inclinations are accumulated.
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