sma wrote: ↑Sat May 19, 2018 10:10 am
But according to the definition of "wrong view", when she's occupied with comparing herself with another, she is seeing things in a distorted way (i.e., accompanied by wrong view). Am I correct?
Sure. But that two cetasikas happen to have one thing in common with each other doesn't make them the same cetasika nor does it mean that they can be simultaneously present.
Seeing things in a distorted way is what the Christian
was doing
before she proceeded to
conceive herself in a way contrary to fact. But whereas seeing things in a distorted way is an essential feature of
diṭṭhi, it is only an accidental feature of
māna. What is called
māna may occur either as
yāthāva-mānā, “conceits that conceive in accordance with fact” or as
ayāthāva-mānā, “conceits that conceive contrary to fact”. Of the nine kinds of conceit, three are
yāthāva-mānā:
1. The conceit “I am superior to him” conceived by one who is in fact superior.
2. The conceit “I am equal to him” conceived by one who is in fact equal.
3. The conceit “I am inferior to him” conceived by one who is in fact inferior.
While the other six are
ayāthāva-mānā:
1. The conceit “I am superior to him” conceived by one who is in fact equal.
2. The conceit “I am superior to him” conceived by one who is in fact inferior.
3. The conceit “I am equal to him” conceived by one who is in fact superior.
4. The conceit “I am equal to him” conceived by one who is in fact inferior.
5. The conceit “I am inferior to him” conceived by one who is in fact superior.
6. The conceit “I am inferior to him” conceived by one who is in fact equal.
sma wrote: ↑Sat May 19, 2018 10:10 am In any moment when she's occupied with comparing herself with another, then she's not occupied with thinking about Christian eschatology.
According to the same logic, mental factors can only arise one after another too.
Saññā and cetanā are also different mental activities, how can they arise together?
They perform different functions, but these functions are not incompatible with each other in the way that those of
diṭṭhi and
māna are.
sma wrote: ↑Sat May 19, 2018 10:10 amAnd also, how can vittaka and vicāra arise together?......
Why would they not be able to arise together?
sma wrote: ↑Sat May 19, 2018 10:10 amHow can some mental factors arise together while others can not? What makes the difference?
There is no general answer to this. Rather, it's a question would need to be addressed on a case by case basis. In some cases it's very easy to understand why two cetasikas couldn't arise together, e.g., sloth with restlessness, or sympathetic joy with envy, or wisdom with delusion. In other cases we need to give careful attention to all four items in the cetasika's fourfold description, i.e. not just its characteristic but also its function, manifestation and proximate cause.