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Talk 5
HOW YOU DISCERN MENTALITY
INTRODUCTION
In our last talk, we discussed how to develop four-elements meditation,
and also how to analyse the particles of materiality called ‘rūpa-kalāpas’.
In this talk, we shall discuss briefly about how to discern mentality (nāma·kamma hāna), which is the next stage in vipassanā meditation.300
Let me begin by explaining briefly the basic facts of the mind necessary
to understand the discernment of mentality.
As is explained in the Abhidhamma, the mind consists of a consciousness (citta) that knows its object, and associated mental factors (cetasika) that
arise with that consciousness. There are fifty-two such associated mental
factors, for example: contact (phassa), feeling (vedanā), perception (saññā), volition (cetanā), one-pointedness (ek·aggatā), life faculty (jīvit·indriya), and attention (manasikāra).301
There are a total of eighty-nine types of consciousness,302 and they can
be classified according to whether they are wholesome, unwholesome, or
indeterminate, or according to their sphere of existence, the sensual
sphere (kām·āvacara), fine-material sphere (rūp·āvacara), immaterial sphere
(arūp·āvacara), or according to whether they are mundane (lokiya) or supramundane (lokuttarā).303 We may, however, speak of just two basic types of
consciousness:
1) The consciousness of the mental process (citta·vīthi).
2) The ‘process-separate’ (vīthi·mutta) consciousness outside the mental
process: at rebirth and death, and of the bhava ga.304
300
Vipassanā refers sometimes to all sixteen knowledges, including the MentalityMateriality Definition Knowledge and Cause-Apprehending Knowledge (knowledge of
materiality and mentality); sometimes vipassanā refers only to knowledge of materiality
and mentality as impermanent, suffering and non-self, beginning with the Comprehension
Knowledge: for the sixteen knowledges, see Q&A 1.5, p.53.
301
Mentality consists thus of 1 consciousness + 52 mental factors = 53 types of mentality.
302
For the eighty-nine types of consciousness, see p.10.
303
The three spheres: 1) The sensuous sphere (kām·āvacara): deva, human, animal worlds,
and hells. 2) The fine-material sphere (rūp·āvacara): Brahma worlds, with only subtle materiality. 3) The immaterial sphere (arūp·āvacara): only mentality, no materiality.
304
For details regarding these consciousnesses, see Table 1d ‘Death and Rebirth’, p.188,
and notes; for the bhava ga, see also Q&A 3.12, p.104, and footnote 184, p.104.
160 K n o w i n g a n d S e e i n g ( R e v i s e d E d i t i o n I I )
There are six types of mental process. The first five are the eye door-,
ear door-, nose door-, tongue door-, and body-door processes, whose respective objects are visible forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles.
They are together called the ‘five-door process’ (pañca·dvāra vīthi).305 The
sixth type of process has all objects306 as its objects, and is called the
‘mind-door process’ (mano·dvāra·vīthi).307 Each mental process comprises a
series of different types of consciousness. The consciousnesses in any one
mental process occur according to the natural law of consciousness (citta·niyāma). If you want to discern mentality, you must see them as they occur
in the order of that natural law.
To do so, you must first have developed concentration with either ān·āpāna·sati (mindfulness-of-breathing), another samatha meditation subject, or four-elements meditation. A pure-vipassanā-vehicle yogi must
also have finished the discernment of materiality (rūpa·kamma hāna), before
he starts on discernment of mentality (nāma·kamma hāna). A samatha-vehicle
yogi, however, can choose: he can first discern materiality, or first discern the mentality of the jhānas he has attained (fine-material308/immaterial mentality309). Although to discern sensual realm mentality, he too
needs first to have finished the discernment of materiality.310
THE FOUR STAGES TO DISCERNING MENTALITY
Mentality is discerned in four stages:
1) Discerning all the types of consciousness (citta) that occur internally.
2) Discerning each and every mental formation (nāma·dhamma) in all the
types of consciousness one is able to discern.
3) Discerning the sequences of consciousnesses, that is, the mental
processes (vīthi) that occur at the six sense doors (dvārā).
4) Discerning external mentality (bahiddha·nāma) generally.311
305
See also table ‘1c: The Five-Door Process’, p.168.
306
For the mind faculty’s taking of all objects, see quotation p.6 (‘The U ābha Brahmin
Sutta’).
307
See also table ‘1b: The Mind-Door Process’, p.164.
308
These are the four jhānas.
309
These are the immaterial jhānas, but not the Base of Neither-Perception-Nor-Non-Perception. (VsM.xviii.663 ‘Di hi·Visuddhi·Niddesa’ (‘Description of View Purification’)
PP.xviii.3-4).
310
VsM .xviii.664 ‘Di hi·Visuddhi·Niddesa’ (‘Description of View Purification’)
311
M.I.i.10 ‘Satipa hāna·Sutta ’ (‘The Mindfulness Foundations Sutta’) explains: ‘In
this way he abides contemplating mind as mind internally, or he abides contemplating
(Please see further next page.)
5 - How You Discern Mentality 161
HOW YOU DISCERN JHĀNA MENTAL PROCESSES
If you have attained jhāna with, for example, ān·āpāna·sati (mindfulness-of-breathing), the best place to start to discern mentality is the jhāna
consciousnesses and associated mental factors.
There are two reasons for this. The first reason is that when developing
jhāna, you discerned the five jhāna factors, which means you have some
experience in discerning those associated mental factors. The second reason is that the jhāna impulsion-consciousnesses (jhāna·javana-citta) occur
many times in succession, and are therefore prominent, and easy to discern. This is in contrast to a sensual-sphere process (kām·āvacara·vīthi), in
which impulsion (javana) occurs only seven times before a new mental
process occurs.312
So, to discern the mentality of jhāna you begin by re-establishing the
first jhāna with, for example, ān·āpāna·sati, till the light is bright, brilliant, and radiant. Emerge from it and discern the bhava ga (mind door),
and the ān·āpāna pa ibhāga-nimitta together. When the nimitta appears
in the bhava ga, discern the mental formations that are the five jhāna factors according to their natural characteristic. The five jhāna factors are:
1) Application (vitakka): directing and placing the mind on the ān·āpāna
pa ibhāga-nimitta.
2) Sustainment (vicāra): maintaining the mind on the ān·āpāna pa ibhāga-nimitta.
3) Joy (pīti): liking for the ān·āpāna pa ibhāga-nimitta.
4) Bliss (sukha): happiness about the ān·āpāna pa ibhāga-nimitta.
5) One-pointedness (ek·aggatā): one-pointedness of mind on the ān·āpāna
pa ibhāga-nimitta.
Practise until you can discern all five jhāna factors all at once in each
first-jhāna impulsion consciousness (javana·citta). And then proceed to discern all thirty-four mental formations. You begin with either consciousness (viññā a), contact (phassa), or feeling (vedanā); whichever is most prominent. Then add one mental formation at a time: discern first one type,
then add one, so you discern two types of mental formation; add one
more, so you see three; add one more, so you see four etc. until eventumind as mind externally.’ This is not the psychic power of penetrating the mind of others
(ceto·pariya·ñā a), but vipassanā power. Hence, it is usually not possible to discern external
mentality in detail. See also quotation ‘The Aggregates Sutta’ p.4.
312
Jhāna-processes are mental processes of the fine-material sphere (rūp·āvacara) or immaterial sphere (arūp·āvacara).
162 K n o w i n g a n d S e e i n g ( R e v i s e d E d i t i o n I I )
ally you see all thirty-four types of mental formation in each first-jhāna
impulsion consciousness. They are:
1) consciousness
...........................
(citta)
MENTAL FACTORS (cetasika)
Seven Universals (sabba·citta·sādhāra a)
1) contact
......................................
Six Occasionals (paki aka)
(phassa)
1) application
.................................................
2) feeling313
.................................
(vitakka)
(vedanā)
2) sustainment
.................................................
3) perception
.................................
(vicāra)
(saññā)
3) decision
...............................................
4) volition
.....................................
(adhimokkha)
(cetanā)
4) energy
..............................................................
5) one-pointedness314
........
(viriya)
(ek·aggatā)
5) joy
..........................................................................
(pīti)
6) life faculty
.....................
(jīvit·indriya)
6) desire
.............................................................
(chanda)
7) attention
..........................
(manasikāra)
Nineteen Beautiful Universals (sobhana·sādhāra a)315
1) faith
...........................................
(saddhā)
2) mindfulness
................................
11) lightness of consciousness
........
(citta·lahutā)
(sati)
12) flexibility of [mental] body
...
3) conscience
...................................
(kāya·mudutā)
(hiri)
13) flexibility of consciousness
....
4) shame
.........................................
(citta·mudutā)
(ottapa)
14) wieldiness of [mental]
5) non-greed
...............................
(a·lobha)
body
............................................
6) non-hatred
..............................
(kāya·kammaññatā)
(a·dosa)
15) wieldiness of con7) ever-evenness
.....
(tatra·majjhattatā)
sciousness
.................................
8) tranquillity of [mental]
body316
......................
(citta·kammaññatā)
16) proficiency of [mental]
(kāya·passaddhi)
body
................................................
9) tranquillity of
consciousness
........
(kāya·pāguññatā)
17) proficiency of
(citta·passaddhi)
consciousness
.............................
10) lightness of [mental]
body
..................................
(citta·pāguññatā)
18) rectitude of [mental] body
.........
(kāy·ujukatā)
(kāya·lahutā)
19) rectitude of consciousness
.........
(citt·ujukatā)
1) Non-Delusion (a·moha): wisdom faculty
...................................................................
(paññ·indriya)
After this, discern all the types of mental formation in the sequence of
six types of consciousness that comprises a mind-door process (mano·dvāra·vīthi) of the first jhāna. The six types of consciousness are first:317
313
The five underlined factors are the jhāna factors.
314
one-pointedness: a synonym for concentration (samādhi).
315
There are twenty-five beautiful mental factors in all, but these nineteen are present in
any wholesome consciousness.
316
tranquillity of body/ consciousness: body = three mental aggregates (feeling, perception, and formations); consciousness = the consciousness aggregate. There are six such
modes, attributes, of wholesome mentality: 1) tranquillity (opposite restlessness); 2) lightness (opposite sloth&torpor); 3) flexibility (opposite the mental rigidity of views and conceit); 4) wieldiness (opposite the remaining hindrances); 5) proficiency (opposite faithlessness, etc.), 6) rectitude (opposite deceit, dishonesty, etc.). When there is tranquillity,
etc. of the mental body, there comes to be also tranquillity, etc. of the material body. That
is why The Buddha divided these mental attributes into two.
5 - How You Discern Mentality 163
1) A
mind-door adverting consciousness (mano·dvār·āvajjana): 12 mental
formations
2) A preparatory consciousness (parikamma): 34 mental formations
3) An access consciousness (upacāra): 34 mental formations
4) A conformity consciousness (anuloma): 34 mental formations
5) A change-of-lineage consciousness (gotrabhu): 34 mental formations
6) An uninterrupted sequence of jhāna impulsion-consciousnesses
(jhāna·javana·citta): 34 mental formations, which you have by now already discerned.
To discern all these mental formations, you must again re-establish the
first jhāna, such as the first ān·āpāna jhāna, emerge from it, and again
discern the bhava ga and pa ibhāga-nimitta together. When the nimitta
appears in the bhava ga, discern the jhāna mind-door process that just
occured. You discern each of the different consciousnesses in the firstjhāna mind-door process, and their twelve or thirty-four types of mental
formation.
After this, and to give you an understanding of mentality as a whole,
discern the characteristic common to all mentality (nāma), to all mental
formations, which is the characteristic of bending towards (namana) and
adhering to the object, in this case, the ān·āpāna pa ibhāga-nimitta.
You need, in the same way, to discern and analyse the mentality of also
the second, third, and fourth ān·āpāna jhānas, as well as any other jhānas
of other meditation subjects that you have attained; for example, foulness-, white kasi a-, and loving-kindness jhāna.
If, however, you have only access concentration, with four-elements
meditation, you must begin your discernment of mentality there: you cannot discern the mentality of a jhāna consciousness without jhāna. In that
case, you must with four-elements meditation re-establish access concentration, where the translucent form of your body sparkles and emits light.
After resting there for some time, turn to vipassanā with a refreshed and
clear mind, and discern the mentality of that access concentration.
Having now discerned the different mental processes in all your previous samatha practice, be it access or jhāna concentration, you then move
on to discern the different mental formations of a sensual-sphere process
(kām·āvacara vīthi).
317
See table ‘1a: The Jhāna-Attainment Process’, p.44.