Buddha Abhidhamma - Ultimate Science - BuddhaNet

Chapter 4
VäTHI
Cognitive Series
Process of Consciousness
‘Vãthi’ means a chain of consciousness or cognitive series that
arises when a sense object appears at one of the sense-doors in
order to be aware of the object.
As the road passes one village after another without
skipping any nor changing the order of the villages, so also the
cittas (consciousness) arise one after another in the order they
should according to the law of cittas (citta-niyàma).
The Life-span of Citta
Cittas arise and dissolve in a person at a tremendous rate of
more than a thousand billion (10 12 ) times per eye-wink, and there
are about 250 eye-winks in a second. So the life-span of a citta
(consciousness) is less than one-thousand billionth of a second.
The life-span or duration of a citta is measured by three
short instants of the distinct features in the arising and passing
away of a citta. These are:
1. Uppàda – the genetic instant
2. Thãti – the existing instant
3. Bhaïga – the dissolving instant
These three short instants (khaõas) are said to be equal to
one moment of consciousness or conscious-moment (cittakkhaõa).