Process of Consciousness and Matter - Abhidhamma.com

I. CONSCIOUSNESS AND ITS FACTORS
ones. The 8 supra-mundane consciousnesses are: 4 path cittas and
4 fruition cittas.
Thus, the total number of consciousnesses is eighty-nine: 54
sense-sphere, 15 fine-material sphere, 12 immaterial sphere and 8
supra-mundane cittas (54+15+12+8=89). Of them the first three
classes are designated as mundane cittas, they are 81 in total. The final
class is the supra-mundane citta, there are only 8 such cittas.
Supra-Mundane Citta and Jhāna
There are two vehicles (yāna) to obtain the supra-mundane cittas:
Vipassanā yāna and samatha yāna. A person who practises bare
vipassanā meditation experiences the four path cittas and the four
fruition cittas. Therefore, there are only eight supra-mundane cittas for
the person who realizes supra-mundane citta through vipassanā
meditation. However, consider a person who first develops samatha or
tranquillity meditation and achieves the first jhāna, as the foundation
for his vipassanā insight. For this person the first path consciousness is
also accompanied by the first jhāna, so it is known as the first jhāna
stream entry path citta. Like-wise for the second, third, fourth and fifth
jhāna stream entry path cittas. Thus, there are five stream entry path
cittas associated with each jhānic stage. In other words, the stream
entry path citta is multiplied by the five jhānas. In the same way, there
are five once returning paths, five non-returning paths and five
Arahantship paths. Thus, the total number of path consciousnesses is
twenty. As fruition immediately follows the path citta, without any
lapse in time, there are also twenty fruition cittas. There are altogether
forty types of supra-mundane consciousnesses. In all there are 121
cittas: 81 mundane cittas and 40 supra-mundane cittas.
Classification by way of Nature (Jāti)
The consciousnesses may also be divided into classes according to
nature (jāti). There are four such classes:
(1) 12 Unwholesome Cittas: 8 greed rooted cittas, 2 hatred rooted
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