The Tree of Enlightenment

sciousness, too, are either wholesome or unwholesome.
For the purpose of practice of the path, it is important to
know at which point in these seventeen thought-moments one
is able to act freely, for better or for worse. e three moments
of bhavanga are resultant. e adverting consciousness and the
determining consciousness are functional. e perceiving consciousness
is resultant. us the seven moments of impulse
consciousness (javana) are the first karmically active thoughtmoments.
e first of these seven moments determines the next
six, so if it is wholesome, the rest are wholesome, and if it is
unwholesome, the rest are unwholesome, too.
It is at the point when determining consciousness is followed
by the seven impulse moments that resultant or functional
states give way to active states. is is the all-important
point in thought-processes, because one cannot alter the character
of resultant or functional states but can alter the character
of active states, which have a wholesome or unwholesome karmic
potential. At the moment when the javana moments commence,
the presence or absence of wise attention is therefore very
important. If wise attention is present, the probability of wholesome
impulses is greater; if absent, unwholesome impulses are
more likely to predominate.
e actual object of the seventeen thought-moments is of little
importance here because the object in itself, no matter how
desirable or undesirable, does not determine whether the seven
impulse moments are wholesome or unwholesome. You may
recall the case of the Elder Tissa (see Chapter 23). It happened
that the daughter-in-law of a certain family, having quarreled
with her husband, dressed in her best garments and jewelry and
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