The Sobhana Cittas in Our Life - Sobhana cittas as maha-kiriya cittas

There are still other kinds of kāmāvacara sobhana cittas : the mahā- kiriyā cittas. The arahat has mahā-kiriyā cittas instead of mahā-kusala cittas. When we experience a pleasant object lobha may arise and when we experience an unpleasant object dosa may arise. The arahat has equanimity towards pleasant objects or unpleasant objects ; he has no defilements. Since he cannot accumulate any more akusala kamma or kusala kamma, he has mahā-kiriyā cittas (inoperative cittas). For the arahat, there are, instead of mahā-kusala cittas, mahā-kiriyā cittas performing the function of javana after the votthapana-citta (determining-consciousness) and the mano- dvārāvajjana-citta (mind-door-adverting-consciousness). One may wonder whether the arahat can have mahā-kiriyā cittas which are ñāna-vippayutta (not accompanied by wisdom). Arahats can have mahā-kiriyā cittas which are ñāna-vippayutta,  because paññā does not necessarily accompany the mahā-kiriyā cittas when they are not preaching or discussing Dhamma.

 

The arahat has kiriyā cittas which are sobhana cittas and also kiriyā cittas

which are asobhana cittas. The pañca-dvārāvajjana-citta (five-sense-door-

adverting-consciousness), the mano-dvārāvajjana-citta and the hasituppāda-

citta (smile-producing-consciousness of the arahat) are asobhana

kiriyā cittas. These types of citta are not accompanied by sobhana

cetasikas, they are ahetuka.

 

There are eight types of mahā-kiriyā cittas in all. They are accompanied

by somanassa or by upekkhā, they are accompanied by paññā or not

accompanied by paññā, they are asankhārika or sasankhārika. They are

classified in the same way as the eight types of mahā-kusala cittas.