Nyanatiloka Buddhist Dictionary

the path of Arahatship (arahatta-magga); 'deliverance through wisdom' is the knowledge (ñána) bound upwith the fruition of Arahatship (arahatta-phala). Cf. A. V, 142.There are also 5 kinds of deliverance, identical with the 5 kinds of overcoming (pahána, q.v.).vinipáta: 'world of suffering', is another name for the 4 woeful courses (duggati; s. gati) of existence, and forthe 4 lower worlds (apáya, q.v.).The Stream-Winner (sotápanna, q.v.) is no longer subject to rebirth in them (avinipáta-dhamma).viññána: 'consciousness', is one of the 5 groups of existence (aggregates; khandha, q.v.); one of the 4nutriments (áhára, q.v.); the 3rd link of the dependent origination (paticcasamuppáda, q.v.); the 5th in thesixfold division of elements (dhátu, q.v.).Viewed as one of the 5 groups (khandha), it is inseparably linked with the 3 other mental groups (feeling,perception and formations) and furnishes the bare cognition of the object, while the other 3 contribute morespecific functions. Its ethical and karmic character, and its greater or lesser degree of intensity and clarity, arechiefly determined by the mental formations associated with it.Just like the other groups of existence, consciousness is a flux (viññána-sotá, 'stream of c.') and does notconstitute an abiding mind-substance; nor is it a transmigrating entity or soul. The 3 characteristies (s.ti-lakkhana), impermanence, suffering and no-self, are frequently applied to it in the texts (e.g., in theAnattalakkhana Sutta, S.XXII, 59). The Buddha often stressed that "apart from conditions, there is no arisingof consciousness' (M 38); and all these statements about its nature hold good for the entire range ofconsciousness, be it "past, future or presently arisen, gross or subtle, in oneself or external, inferior or lofty,far or near" (S. XXII, 59).According to the 6 senses it divides into 6 kinds, viz. eye- (or visual) consciousness (cakkhu-v.), etc. Aboutthe dependent arising of these 6 kinds of consciousness, Vis.M. XV, 39 says: 'Conditioned through the eye,the visible object, light and attention, eye-consciousness arises. Conditioned through the ear, the audibleobject, the ear-passage and attention, ear-consciousness arises. Conditioned, through the nose, the olfactiveobject, air and attention, nose-consciousness arises. Conditioned through the tongue, the gustative object,humidity and attention, tongue-consciousness arises. Condlitioned through the body, bodily impression, theearth-element and attention, body-consciousness arises. Conditioned through the subconscious mind(bhavanga-mano), the mind-object and attention, mind-consciousness arises."The Abhidhamma literature distinguishes 89 crasses of consciousness, being either karmically wholesome,unwholesome or neutral, and belonging either to the sense-sphere, the fine-material or the immaterial sphere,or to supermundane consciousness. See Table I.viññána-kicca: 'functions of consciousness', as exercised within a process of consciousness or cognitiveseries (cittavíthi). In the Abhidhamma Com. and Vis.M. XIV the following functions are mentioned: rebirth(patisandhi), subconsciousness (bhavanga), advertence (ávajjana), seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting,body-consciousness; recciving (sampaticchana), investigating (santírana), determining (votthapana),impulsion (javana), registering (tadárammana), dying (cuti).A single unit of sense-perception (e.g. visual consciousness), being conditioned through a sense-organ and itscorresponding object, forms in reality an extremely complex process, in which all the single phases ofconsciousness follow one upon another in rapid succession, while performing their respective functions, e.g.:"As soon as a visible object has entered the range of vision, it acts on the sensitive eye-organ(cakkhu-pasáda), and conditioned thereby an excitation of the subconscious stream (bhavanga-sota) takesplace."As soon, however, as subconsciousness is broken off, the functional mind-element (s. Tab. I, 70), graspingthe object and breaking through the subconscious stream, performs the function of 'adverting' the mind