Ahetuka Cittas - Five pairs of ahetuka vipakacittas

Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and the experience of tangible object through the bodysense do not arise without conditions; they are the results of kamma. Eyesense, earsense, smelling-sense, tasting-sense and bodysense are rūpas which are produced by kamma, they are the corporal result of kamma. Only the mental result of kamma is called vipāka,and thus only citta and cetasika (mental factors arising with the citta) can be vipāka. Rūpa is not vipāka.

 

The Buddha taught that everything which arises must have conditions for its

arising. When we see something unpleasant there must be a condition for it:

it is the result of akusala kamma. Akusala vipāka cannot be the result of

kusala  kamma. Seeing something pleasant is kusala vipāka; this can only be

the result of kusala kamma. The vipākacitta which arises when there is an

unpleasant or pleasant impression through one of the five senses is ahetuka.

At that moment there are no akusala hetus (unwholesome roots) or sobhana

hetus (beautiful roots) arising with the citta. 

 

Seeing-consciousness, hearing-consciousness and the other sense-cognitions

which experience a pleasant object or an unpleasant object through the

corresponding sense-doors are ahetuka vipākacittas. There are two kinds of

ahetuka vipāka experiencing an object through each of the five sense-doors:

one is akusala vipāka and one is kusala vipāka. Thus there are five pairs of

ahetuka vipākacittas which arise depending on the five sense-doors. There

are also other kinds of ahetuka vipākacitta which will be dealt with later on.

The ten ahetuka vipākacittas which are the five pairs are called in Pali: dvi-

pañca-viññānas (two times five viññāna). Summing them up they are:

 

Seeing-consciousness (cakkhu- viññāna, ''cakkhu'' means eye):

akusala vipāka, accompanied by indifferent feeling (upekkhā):

kusala vipāka, accompanied by indifferent feeling.

 

Hearing-consciousness (sota-viññāna, ''sota'' means ear):

akusala vipāka, accompanied by indifferent feeling:

kusala vipāka, accompanied by indifferent feeling.

 

Smelling-consciousness (ghāna-viññāna, ''ghāna'' means nose):

akusala vipāka, accompanied by indifferent feeling :

kusala vipāka, accompanied by indifferent feeling.

 

Tasting-consciousness (jivhā-viññāna, ''jivhā'' means tongue):

akusala vipāka, accompanied by indifferent feeling:

kusala vipāka, accompanied by indifferent feeling.

 

Body-consciousness (kāya-viññāna, ''kāya'' means body):

akusala vipāka, accompanied by painful bodily feeling (dukkha-vedanā):

kusala vipāka, accompanied by pleasant bodily feeling (sukha-vedanā).