The 4 characteristics of citta are
1. Called "citta" because it experiences arammana clearly.
2. Called "citta" because it accumulates innate tendencies with the efficiency of javana-vithi.
3. Called "citta" because it is a reality where kamma and kilesa accumulate vipaka.
4. Every citta is called "citta" because of its complex and intricate nature according to the efficiency of the sampayutta-dhamma.

"Intricate" means distinct, not alike and intricate or distinct because of the power of sampayutta-dhamma.

There must be a reason why citta is distinct.  What are the causes that render distinct the citta?  Citta is a sankhara-dhamma, a reality that arises with cetasika as paccaya in its composition.  Cetasika is another kind of paramattha-dhamma that arises simultaneously, falls away at the same time, knows the arammana in common and arises at the same location with the citta.  Therefore the cetasika which are the sampayutta-dhamma that arise concurrently with the citta are what make citta distinct from one to another.

Each person's citta differ greatly according to past accumulations which is why the result of vipaka in the present differ.  No matter the quantity of entities and people in the world, each would be distinct according to the kamma and the complexities of the causes.  From the physical appearance to the acquisition or loss of fortune, fame, happiness and praise, which are the results of diverse causes in the past.  Past causes produce distinct present results from birth to death.  No one knows on what day, at what time, in which manner, whether in- or outdoors, on land, in the water or in midair, with what disease or accident, each will leave this world.  It would all be according to past kamma, and not only do present vipaka alone differ but hetu or causes or the complexity of citta which is a present cause in this lifetime also vary.  This is why vipaka or the future results will also be diverse.

 The intricacy or diversity of the citta is infinite according to its sampayutta-dhamma or the cetasika that arise concurrently.  One should understand the meaning of sampayutta-dhamma.  There are 4 paramattha-dhamma, namely citta-paramattha, cetasika-paramattha, rupa-paramattha and nibbana-paramattha. Citta and cetasika are realities that arise concurrently, inseparable, indivisible.  Since they arise together, they fall away together, know the same arammana and arise at the same location (in the plane of the five khandha).  These are the characterisitics of the sampayutta-dhamma.

In the Atthasalini Cittupadakandha there is a passage saying "Indeed when rupa-dhamma and arupa-dhamma arise together, the rupa would arise with the arupa but they do not compound nor do they sampayutta together.  So too arupa, which arise with rupa but they are not compounded nor sampayutta together.  And rupa arise with rupa but are not compounded nor sampayutta together. While the arupa by nature arises with arupa compounded and sampayutta together entirely."

 The characteristics of sampayutta-dhamma are manifested in detail so that one can clearly see that nama-dhamma is not rupa-dhamma.  The instant of studying and listening to the dhamma is a sankhara-khandha that would gradually compose panna until sati-patthana arises to examine and know each of the characteristics of nama-dhamma and rupa-dhamma until they would appear as completely separate realities, not sampayutta together, even though they arise concurrently.

 Therefore sampayutta-dhamma is the characteristics of nama-dhamma or the citta and cetasika that arise and fall away concurrently and know the same arammana.

 This is the difference between nama-dhamma and rupa-dhamma because rupa-dhamma may arise together and fall away simultaneously but it is not an intelligence.  Rupa-dhamma knows nothing.  All rupa-dhamma that arise together are not sampayutta-dhamma.  The realities that form sampayutta-dhamma must be realities that blend completely, by being nama-dhamma, which are intelligence, arise simultaneously, know the same arammana, fall away at the same time, and arise and fall away at the same location.

 The fourth characteristic of citta is that every citta is called "citta" because of its complex and intricate nature according to the efficiency of the sampayutta-dhamma.

There are 52 cetasika but a citta is not composed of all 52 cetasika at one time, which is why citta differ according to the cetasika that arise concurrently in different quantities depending on the number and kind of the citta.  The 89 different citta that arise are categorized into jati (births) or natures of citta, of which there are 4: kusala-citta, akusala-citta, vipaka-citta and kiriya-citta.  Each day there are kusala-citta, akusala-citta, vipaka-citta and kiriya-citta.  That citta is categorized as different jati is according to the conditions of the citta (…) the nature of a kusala-citta, no matter in whom it arises or where or when, would always be kusala.  And the citta that is akusala, no matter in whom it occurs, to ascetics or people of any nationality, social status, caste or complexion, will always be akusala, inalterably.  This is the nature of paramattha-dhamma.  When citta is composed of sampayutta-dhamma or cetasika that are akusala, the citta is then akusala.  When the citta is composed of sobhana-cetasika, the citta is then kusala or kusala-vipaka or sobhana-kiriya-citta according to its jati.

 In the Atthasalini Cittupadakandha there is a passage saying "Then the Buddha, when he had organized the dhamma into categories, spoke of it in pannatti (conventional terms), achieving what is difficult.  Having been blended in the same vessel for the whole day, different kinds of liquids or oils could still be detected as distinct sorts when seen, smelt or tasted.  Even then to do so is said to be difficult.  But when the Sammasambuddha categorized the dhamma that are citta and cetasika of the same arammana or the same ruparammana into separate categories and used pannatti to speak [of them], he is said to have done what is supremely difficult."

 Nama-dhamma is a reality that is even subtler than the rupa is.  Even so the Buddha had categorized the characteristics of each kind of nama-dhamma according to the characteristics appearing, the function (raso), the aspect (paccupatthano) and the immediate cause (padatthano) of the kinds of nama-dhamma.

 Citta is eminent and presiding in knowing or experiencing.  In the Atthasalini Cittupadakandha there is a passage saying "Citta is the bhumi or place of origin of the sampayutta-dhamma such as happiness.  If there were no citta, the happy feeling could not arise because there would be no basis, no point of origin for
happiness.  Whenever sukha-vedana arises, citta is the bhumi, the basis, the home of that sukha-vedana that arose with that citta.  Therefore citta is the bhumi, the home of its sampayutta-dhamma, which are the sukha-vedana and other cetasika.

 There are 4 jati when citta is categorized by nature, comprising kusala-citta,  akusala-citta, vipaka-citta and kiriya-citta.  To talk about any citta, it is necessary to know its jati, whether it is kusala, akusala, vipaka or kiriya.  As for vipaka-citta, which are results of kamma, since there are two kinds of kamma which are kusala-kamma and akusala-kamma, there are also 2 kinds of kamma, being kusala-vipaka-citta and akusala-vipaka-citta.

 When one speaks of the citta that is the result of kamma, one should use the word akusala-vipaka-citta and not say briefly akusala because akusala-vipaka-citta is the result of akusala-kamma and because kusala-vipaka-citta is the result of kusala-kamma.  Kusala-vipaka-citta is not kusala-citta and akusala-vipaka-citta is not akusala-citta.  The other kind of citta, kiriya-citta, is neither kusala, akusala nor vipaka but a citta that arises from other paccaya than the kamma-paccaya.  Kiriya-citta is not the cause for any vipaka to arise.  Kiriya-citta are generally the kiriya-citta of the arahanta.  The arahanta have eradicated akusala-kamma and kusala-kamma entirely so they have only vipaka-citta, which are the results of past kamma, and kiriya-citta.

 Other than manifesting the characteristics of the citta and cetasika by the four jati categorized as kusala, akusala, vipaka and kiriya, the Buddha also organized the dhamma from other perspectives, or by the three groups of dhamma as follows:

 Kusala dhamma Dhamma          that are kusala.
 Akusala dhamma  Dhamma       that are akusala.
 Abyakata dhamma Dhamma     that are abyakata.

 Kusala-citta and kusala-cetasika      are kusala-dhamma.
 Akusala-citta and akusala-cetasika  are akusala-dhamma.
 Vipaka-citta and vipaka-cetasika      are abyakata-dhamma.
 Kiriya-citta and kiriya-cetasika          are abyakata-dhamma.
 All rupa                                              are abyakata-dhamma.
 Nibbana                                               is abyakata-dhamma.

 
 

QUESTIONS

1.   Can rupa be sampayutta-dhamma with nama?
2.   Can rupa be sampayutta-dhamma with rupa?
3.   Is that which appears through the eyes kusala-dhamma or abyakata-dhamma?  Why?
4.   Is the citta that sees kusala-dhamma, akusala-dhamma or abyakata-dhamma?  Why?
5.   Is nibbana kusala-dhamma?
6. Which kind of citta does not have a jati?
7. With what is citta sampayutta-dhamma?  When?
8. Can citta be sampayutta-dhamma with another citta?
9. Can akusala-dhamma be sampayutta-dhamma with kusala-dhamma?
10. With what is nibbana sampayutta-dhamma?
 

Dec. 19, 1999
Revised May 7, 2001