Parinibbana from the Perspective of Abhidhamma

Discussion of Abhidhamma and related Commentaries
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Bakmoon
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Parinibbana from the Perspective of Abhidhamma

Post by Bakmoon »

I was thinking about the process of rebirth and I started to wonder, how is this process different for the death of an Arahat? Obviously there is no rebirth linking contagiousness, but how else is it different?

Also, how does the experience of Parinibbana fit into the Citta classification scheme? Is it classified as the fruition citta of an Arahat?

And like the fruition, in Parinibbana is there the arising of supramundane citta which take Nibbana as its object?
The non-doing of any evil,
The performance of what's skillful,
The cleansing of one's own mind:
This is the Buddhas' teaching.
wouter_doorn
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Re: Parinibbana from the Perspective of Abhidhamma

Post by wouter_doorn »

Hello,

as far as I understand parinibbana means (among othet things) the end of citta. So this is the difference between parinibbana and rebirth, the 5 khanda (consciousness is one of them) cease. With normal rebirth they continue. Nibbana does not fit into the citta scheme. Citta can have nibbana as object, this is what happens with lokuttara citta. This is a big difference between lokuttara citta and other wholesome citta, having nibbana as object. The power of having nibbana as object is so strong that you become stream-enterer and can never fall back.

I hope this answers your question to some extend.

With metta,

Wouter
kataholos
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Re: Parinibbana from the Perspective of Abhidhamma

Post by kataholos »

wouter_doorn wrote: Citta can have nibbana as object, this is what happens with lokuttara citta. This is a big difference between lokuttara citta and other wholesome citta, having nibbana as object.
When an arahat passes into parinibbana, then does even the lokuttara citta cease to exist? If so, then what or who is it that 'knows' parinibbana?
SarathW
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Re: Parinibbana from the Perspective of Abhidhamma

Post by SarathW »

Each of these four supramundane stages involves two phases. One is the "path" (magga) that eradicates the fetters, the other is the "fruit" (phala), moments of supramundane consciousness that result from the path, made possible by the path's work of eradication. The fruit is the enjoyment made available by the work of the path. The fruit can be entered and enjoyed many times after the appropriate path has been reached. The noble disciple determines to enter the fruit, then develops insight until he does so. The highest fruit is the fruit of arahantship. The arahant knows with certainty that his mind is devoid of defilements. He has penetrated the Four Noble Truths. He becomes neither despondent nor elated through contact with the eight worldly conditions — gain and loss, honor and dishonor, happiness and misery, praise and blame. He is free from sorrow, stainless, and safe. "Free from sorrow" because he no more weeps and laments; "stainless" because he has no more defilements; "safe" because there is no more birth for him.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... l#nibbaana" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
wouter_doorn
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Re: Parinibbana from the Perspective of Abhidhamma

Post by wouter_doorn »

kataholos wrote:
wouter_doorn wrote: Citta can have nibbana as object, this is what happens with lokuttara citta. This is a big difference between lokuttara citta and other wholesome citta, having nibbana as object.
When an arahat passes into parinibbana, then does even the lokuttara citta cease to exist? If so, then what or who is it that 'knows' parinibbana?
As far as I understand even lokuttara cease to exist. This is the difference between Sa-upādisesa Nibbāna (nibbana with residue remaining) during life of an arahat and Anupādisesa Nibbāna (nibbana without residue remaining) after death. As to the question where an arahat goes after death, as far as I know this question is not answered by the budddha (intentionally) :). Maybe a mind full of subjective conceptions can not grasp the answer no matter how it is formulated...
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Assaji
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Re: Parinibbana from the Perspective of Abhidhamma

Post by Assaji »

You are probably talking about Anupādisesa Nibbāna.

Parinibbana means exactly the same as Nibbana:

http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=27551
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