Function of Javana - When kusala cittas or akusala cittas arise?

We may not know that both in a sense-door process and in a mind-door process there are akusala cittas or kusala cittas arising. Because of our accumulated ignorance we do not clearly know our akusala cittas and kusala cittas and we do not recognize our more subtle defilements.

 

In a sense-door process the object is experienced first by cittas which are not

kusala cittas or akusala cittas ; it is experienced by kiriyācittas and by

vipākacittas. The sense-door-adverting-consciousness (pañca-

dvārāvajjana-citta) is an ahetuka kiriyācitta (a kiriyā-citta without beautiful

roots or unwholesome roots). It is succeeded by one of the dvi-pañca-

viññānas (the five pairs, which are : seeing-consciousness, hearing-

consciousness etc.) and this citta is ahetuka vipāka. Then there are two more

ahetuka vipākacittas : the sampatic-chana-citta which receives the object

and the santīrana-citta which investigates the object. The santīrana-citta is

succeeded by the votthapana-citta (determining-consciousness) which is an

ahetuka kiriyācitta. The votthapana-citta determines the object and is then

succeeded by kusala cittas or by akusala cittas. In the case of those who are

arahats there are no kusala cittas or akusala cittas succeeding the votthapana

-citta but kiriyācittas. When the cittas of the sense-door process have fallen

away, cittas of the mind-door process experience the object. First there are

bhavanga-cittas and then the mano-dvārāvajjana-citta arises which has

the function of adverting to the object through the mind-door. The mano-

dvārāvajjana-citta is succeeded by kusala cittas or by akusala cittas in the

case of those who are not arahats. The mano-dvārāvajjana-citta is not kusala

or akusala, it is an ahetuka kiriyācitta.

 

Since cittas arise and fall away very rapidly it is hard to know the different

cittas which arise. Often we might not even know when we have kusala cittas

or akusala cittas. For example, after there has been seeing we may not realize

when there is attachment to the object, when there is aversion towards it, or

when there is ignorance of realities. If we study the Dhamma we will learn

about our more subtle defilements. Ignorance of our akusala cittas is

dangerous. If we do not realize when we have akusala cittas we will continue

accumulating akusala.

  The kusala cittas or akusala cittas which arise perform a function ; they perform the function of javana or 'running through the object'. In the sense -door process the votthapana-citta has determined the object already when the javana-cittas arise and in the mind-door process the mano-dvārāvajjana- citta has adverted to the object already when the javana-cittas arise. Thus, the kusala cittas or akusala cittas which follow have as their only function to 'run through' the object. Usually there are seven cittas in succession which perform the function of javana. If the first javana-citta is kusala, the succeeding six cittas are also kusala cittas ; if the first javana-citta is akusala, the succeeding six cittas are also akusala cittas. Do we realize it when javana- cittas are cittas rooted in lobha, dosa or moha, or when they are kusala cittas? We are ignorant most of the time, even of javana-cittas.