Ahetuka Cittas - Feeling that arises with ahetuka vipakacitta

The ahetuka vipākacittas which see, hear, smell and taste are invariably accompanied by indifferent feeling, upekkhā, no matter whether they are akusala vipāka or kusala vipāka. The citta which dislikes the object may arise afterwards. This citta is ''sahetuka'', with hetus (roots),  and it is accompanied by unpleasant feeling. Or the citta which likes the object may arise; this citta which is also ''sahetuka'', with roots, may be accompanied by pleasant feeling or by indifferent feeling. We are inclined to think that the dvi-pañca-viññānas, such as seeing or hearing, can occur at the same time as like or dislike of the object, but this is not so. Different cittas arise at different moments and the feelings which accompany the cittas are different too; these realities arise each because of their own conditions and they are non-self.

 

The feeling arising with body-consciousness which experiences tangible object

through the bodysense cannot be indifferent feeling; it arises either with

painful bodily feeling or with pleasant bodily feeling. When an unpleasant

tangible object is experienced the feeling which accompanies the ahetuka

vipākacitta is painful bodily feeling, dukkha-vedanā. When a pleasant tangible

object is experienced the feeling which accompanies the ahetuka vipākacitta

is pleasant bodily feeling, sukha-vedanā. Painful bodily feeling and pleasant

bodily feeling are nama which can arise only with the vipākacitta which

experiences an object through the bodysense. Bodily feeling is conditioned by

impact on the bodysense. Both bodily feeling and mental feeling are nāma,

but they arise because of different conditions and at different moments. For

example, we may have pleasant bodily feeling when we are in comfortable

surroundings, but in spite of that, we may still be worried and also have

moments of ''mental'' unpleasant feeling which accompanies dosa-mūla-citta;

these feelings arise at different moments and because of different conditions.

Pleasant bodily feeling is the result of kusala kamma. The mental unpleasant

feeling which arises when we are unhappy is conditioned by our accumulation

of dosa (aversion); it is akusala. The whole day there are tangible objects

experienced through the bodysense, which is a kind of rūpa. Tangible object

can be experienced all over the body, also inside the body, and thus the door

of the bodysense can be anywhere in the body. Whenever we touch hard or

soft objects, when cold or heat contacts the body, and when we move, bend

or stretch, there are unpleasant or pleasant objects experienced through the

bodysense. One may wonder whether at each moment there is a bodily

impression, pleasant bodily feeling or painful bodily feeling arises. One may

notice the coarse bodily feelings, but not the subtle bodily feelings. For

example, when something is a little too hard, too cold or too hot, there is

painful bodily feeling, dukkha-vedanā, arising with the ahetuka vipākacitta

which experiences the object through the bodysense. One may not notice the

subtle bodily feelings if one has not learned to be aware of realities.