Glossary
mogha-vara-vithis = futile cognitive series
cakkhu-pasada = eye-door
bhavanga = life continuum, factor of life
atita-bhavanga = past life-continuum
calana-bhavanga = vibrating life-continuum
paccheda-bhavanga = arresting life-continuum
atimahanta-rammana = object of very great intensity
mahanta-rammana = object of fairly great intensity
paritta-rammana = object of slight intensity
atiparitta-rammana = object of very slight intensity
cittakkhana = one conscious-moment
panca-dvaravajjana = five-door-adverting consciousness
cakkhu-vinnana = eye-consciousness
sampaticchana = receiving consciousness
santirana = investigating consciousness
votthapana = determining consciousness
javana = impulsive consciousness
tadalambana = registering consciousness
Dr. Mehm Tin Mon explains atiparitta-rammana vithi in his book "The Essence of Buddha Abhidhamma" (1995: pp. 148-149):
"When a visible object of very slight intensity strikes the eye-door, the object takes 10 to 15 conscious moments for its full development. Even then, the intensity of the object is so slight that it causes the life-continuum to only vibrate twice without becoming arrested. So no vithi-cittas arise, and the object is not known at all. However, the following six vithi-forms can be written to represent the ati-paritta-rammana vithis.
(1) "Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Na-Na-Bha-Bha-Bha-Bha-Bha"-
(2) "Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Na-Na-Bha-Bha-Bha-Bha"-
(3) "Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Na-Na-Bha-Bha-Bha"-
(4) "Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Na-Na-Bha-Bha"-
(5) "Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Na-Na-Bha"-
(6) "Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti-Na-Na-Bha"-
Explanation:
"As usual the sense-object and the cakkhu-pasada (eye-door) arise together at the arising instant of the first atita-bhavanga (past life-continuum). The sense-object, being of very slight intensity, takes 10 to 15 consciousness moments for its full development. When it is well developed, it appears at the mind-door. But, being very weak, it can cause the life-continuum only to vibrate twice without breaking the stream of the life-continuum. Thus, after two bhavanga-calana cittas (vibrating life-continuum), only bhavanga-cittas keep on flowing. The sense-object and the cakkhu-pasada (mind-door) will dissolve together at the end of 17 conscious-moments after their genesis.
"The object is not known at all as no vithi-cittas arise. Because these vithis are deprived of vithi-cittas, they are known as "mogha-vara-vithis (futile cognitive series).
Wijeratne, R. P. and R. Gethin (translators) expound atiparitta-rammana vithi in the "Summary of the Topics of Abhidhamma" and "Exposition of the Topics of Abhidhamma (2002: pp. 132,133):
"There is no arising of the process consciousness: since [an object] that will last at most seven consciousness-moments is not capable of sustaining the arising of determining two or three times, there is no arising of the process-consciousness, but only the lapsing into existence-continuum; this is the meaning.
"He states that there is no arising of the process-consciousness in order to indicate that the full extent of the effect is only the vibrating of the existence-continuum. But others indicate that the full extent of the effect is that the existence-continuum is not interrupted. But that is already implied by the statement that there is no arising of the process-consciousnesses, for when the process consciousnesses arise the existence-continuum is interrupted. But since there has been no separate mention of the term 'interruption' of the existence-continuum' above, he speaks without specifying [it] here.
"The cases of the ear-door, etc., are exactly the same as the case of the eye-door; so in all cases, by constituting objects for four courses known as the retention course, the impulsion course, the determining course, and the futile course respectively, the presentation of objects at the five sense-doors should be understood as fourfold.
"Because the arising of the process-consciousnesses is entirely absent, here only the last course is said to be futile, but elsewhere, as they lack retention and impulsion, the second and the third are also said to be 'futile'.
"Constituting objects (aramanabhuta): constituting an object [of perception] (visaya) and constituting a condition (paccaya). For a condition is also called an object in such expressions as "Mara finds an opportunity, Mara finds an object (arammana). It is precisely for this reason that it is established that the presentation of an object [of perception] constitutes an object (aramana) in the case of the futile course, for the very slight object is the condition for recognising a futile course. Otherwise, if there were no presentation at all in the case of the very slight object of the futile course in the form of the vibrating of the existence-continuum in response to the different objective fields, it would be difficult to explain how [the presentation of objects] constitutes four courses.
In our next Abhidhamma class we will study pancadvara-vithi.
Bibliography
Dr. Mehm Tin Mon, "The Essence of Buddha Abhidhamma", publisher Mehm Tay Zar Mon, Yangon, 1995
Wijeratne, R. P. and R. Gethin (translators), 2002, "Summary of the Topics of Abhidhamma" and "Exposition of the Topics of Abhidhamma", Pali Text Society, Oxford
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