Viññāṇa-kicca (Pāli), indicates a function of the conscience. These functions are presented in an analytical way in the Paṭṭhāna, work Buddhist belonging to the gun pāli.

Fourteen functions

After having enumerated the Vijñāna, after thus having analyzed all the forms of existing consciences, the Paṭṭhāna details the fourteen functions (pāli " viññāṇa-kicca") who are exerted inside a process of conscience. This description attempts to enumerate functions to analyze in which state of consciousnesses these functions correspond: one can see the will there to inform precisely the teaching of the conditioned Coproduction, which thus has direction only in certain interpretations of this process, of which interpretation theravadin forms part.

However, this analysis is worth very as much like information source as for psychology Buddhist, since it details the many phenomena which are taken for a current of conscience continuous and personal, where it has there only transitory phenomena - Anicca - and impersonal - Anatta.
The fourteen functions of the conscience are presented in the order of their appearance, since the birth with the death, although the complete process can be interpreted like " cycle consciences" not implying the birth and death with the strong direction (it is then of the birth and died of these consciences and not about a " être").

1. Rebirth or bond-of-rebirth, pāli Paṭisandi;

2. Subconsciousness or mode-existential, pāli Bhavaṅga;
3. Attention or turning, pāli āvajjana;
4. vision;
5. hearing;
6. smell;
7. gustation;
8. feeling of touching;
9. reception, receptivity, pāli sampaṭicchana;
10. survey, investigation pāli santīraṇa;
11. determination (or determining), pāli voṭṭhapana;
12. impulse, pāli javana;
13. recording or repetition, pāli tadārammaṇa;
14. death, pāli cuti-reaction.

Meeting

See also Punarbhava
" The death a new bond of renaissance" succeeds; (Visuddhimagga). According to the Paṭṭhāna, nineteen consciences play the part of " bond of renaissance" , " réunion" , Paṭisandi. The analysis then distinguishes the sphere (pāli will avacara) in which takes place the " naissance".

• In the case of a rebirth of a man or a god of the sensory sphere, it occurs one eight resulting consciences (Vipaka) associated with the beneficial causes which are the absence of attachment, aversion or confusion. However, in the case of the Eunuque S " or of the human conditions comparables" , it then occurs a resulting state of consciousness, but beneficial cause.

• During a birth in the " existences; physics pures" or " not physiques" , it occurs one of the nine resulting consciences corresponding to these spheres (will avacara). The conscience then has as an aim the " sign Karma " present at the time of the death, and it forms the " bond-of-renaissance".

• During the births in the states which are consequences of consciences " nuisibles" , pernicious, a conscience occurs then resulting from pernicious, without beneficial cause which would be associated for him; in the same way this conscience has as an aim the sign of the karma moment of the death and form the bond-of-rebirth.

The bond of rebirth ceases then and occurs a conscience having for function the " existentiel" mode; , " subconscient" (see low).

Bhavaṅga: subconscious

Bhavaṅga comes from " Bhava " : to become, existence. The expression is twice in the Paṭṭhāna, but in fact especially the comments of the Abhidhamma specify it. “Bhavaṅga-citta” (or “Bhavaṅga sota”) is translated by Nyanatiloka like subconsciousness and Christian Maës like “existential mode”.

Bhavaṅga would be the essential condition of the life, it would act of a key making it possible to explain the characteristics of the Karma, the rebirth, the faculty of memory. According to Michel-Henri Dufour, it is about an at-rest state in which the spirit in the absence of Stimulus turns over.

" Bhavaṅga-sota" is current mental subjacent: sota means flow. This current would collect all the sensory impressions, would store them, but be unknown conscience.
It is about a conscience " Vipāka" (result of Karma).

After the rebirth, a conscience occurs making function of " existentiel" mode; , Bhavaṅga, having the same characteristics as the " bond of renaissance" , paṭisandi. The existential mode is prolonged then: corresponding states of subconsciousness reappear unceasingly.

Turning: āvajjana

The " tournant" or the Attention indicates the fact of turning to an object (sensory). That thus corresponds, in the cognitive Psychologie, only with the one of the significances of the attention, which one can identify like automatic process attentionnel.
To return from there to Buddhist psychology, this attention is thus distinguished from vittaka , selective attention and volunteer who corresponds to the Buddhist Méditation.

The turning is what stops the current subconscious, which puts an end to this repetition. Paṭṭhāna distinguishes two cases: the case of the " doors physiques" , five directions, and the case of the " carry mental" , the sixth direction describes in the " psychology bouddhique".

In the case of the five directions, and to take the example of the vision, an appearance in contact with the eye shake the current subconscious. It occurs a mental element, it occurs a mental element, a conscience " résultante". Then a conscience sensorielle.
follows In the case of the " carry mentale" , which can relate to one of the six types of sensory objects, it occurs a resulting conscience without beneficial cause, accompanied by indifference (within the meaning of neither attraction nor repulsion). In this case, the conscience which follows is an impulse and not a sensory conscience.

Sensory consciences

The sensory consciences apply, here, with the five directions also described according to Western psychologies.

Following the turning, therefore following the fact that the conscience turns to an object, occurs a sensory conscience associated with this object, that it is about Vision, with Audition, of Olfaction, gustation, or body conscience.
The sensory conscience is " résultante" (Vipāka); it can either result from beneficial, or to result from the vermin - and the analysis then allots ten state of consciousnesses to this function of sensory conscience. The enumeration of the Vijnana however proposes much more resulting consciences, even for the only sensory sphere…

Receptive conscience: sampaṭicchana

The reception, sampaṭicchana-citta , take place after the sensory conscience. As soon as the element of sensory conscience ceases, a mental element of reception takes place, which receives the sensory object.

If the element of sensory conscience resulted from the beneficial one, the conscience of reception will make in the same way - idem for the vermin. The Visuddhimagga allots two resulting state of consciousnesses (vipāka) to this function.

Investigatory conscience

The survey, the investigation, santīraṇa-citta , follows the receptive conscience. It is about a resulting conscience without cause, being able to result either from beneficial or from the pernicious one: three consciences correspond to this function.

Conscience-determination

The determination, determining conscience, voṭṭhapana-citta, follow the survey. The Visuddhimagga gives only one state to be for this function: it is about a resulting element of conscience, without beneficial causes. But the enumeration of the Vijnana gives two of them: conscience resulting from pernicious and conscience, always without beneficial causes, but resulting from the beneficial one.

The impulse

" Impulsion" , javana, comes from the verb javati : " to push " ahead;. It is about fact of the function which details the formation of Karma.

Case of a sensoriel.
object The determination is followed of impulse " if the object is important". Once the object (sensory) given, six or seven impulsive consciences occur which have as an aim this last. This function can be filled by one of the eight beneficial consciences of the sensory sphere, by one of the twelve consciences " pernicieuses". But in the case of a noble being, it occurs one of the nine consciences " fonctionnelles" , kiriya-citta, of the sensory sphere.
In this case, it is thus a aware turning, followed by a sensory conscience, followed by a reception, then a survey, then a determination, and finally the impulsion.

Case of the door mentale.
In the case of the mental door, the same consciences fulfill the function of impulse. Simply, in this case they follow the " tournant" rather than the " détermination".

Case of the ennoblement.
(...)

Conscience which records

The recording, or the repetition, tadārammaṇa-citta, in the case of occur an object, physics or mental, important, and then follow the generating impulse of Karma. According to this analysis, this conscience-recording, has place or two once, and has the same object as the impulse.

Eleven resulting state of consciousnesses can hold place of recording. It can be a question of the one of the eight sensory consciences resulting from beneficial (partners to the beneficial causes, since that follows the karmic production). If not, it is about the one of the three resulting mental consciences which are not associated with the beneficial causes, but being able to result either from beneficial or from bad.

After this repetition, this recording, occurs a Bhavaṅga conscience, i.e. a subconsciousness, a " mode-existentiel" , which will be followed by new a " tournant" , a new attention, perpetuating the cycle of the consciences, until the arrival of the named conscience " décès".

Cuti-reaction: the death

Death, if it is one of the functions of the conscience, is a Bhavaṅga, a subconsciousness. The ten nine consciences which play the part of paṭisandi and bhavaṅga are also those which play the part of death.
After the death simply new a paṭisandi occurs, which expresses the wheel of the existences, the Saṃsāra.

According to the theravâda, death can have four causes:

• 3 dead “normals”:
• the exhaustion of the janaka kamma; the reproductive force of the life. This death relates to the suspension which did not die of old age but the attack of the nirvana does not describe.
• natural death: the term of the life expires. With each plan of existence, Loka, corresponds a limiting age.
• two joined together preceding causes.
• the brutal action of a Karma which acts apart from the first two causes

An analysis details the moments of conscience which precede death, to which are added the conscience of the death and the conscience of the birth:

1. Since this moment of thought, the Karma does not produce any more any physical appearance, rupa. But the physique which exists persists until the moment of death. A sign, nimitta , appear then: it is the object of the conscience. If a very powerful karma, garuka kamma , were generated during the life, it will be him; otherwise a close karma in time will appear: asana kamma . It can be finally an action often undertaken, even a unspecified Karma.
2. Bhavaṅga
3. Bhavaṅga
4. Bhavaṅga
5. Bhavaṅga
6. Bhavaṅga
7. the conscience is stopped: atita bhavaṅga
8. It wavers a first moment of thought, bhavaṅga calana
9. Then it wavers a second, it is the “subconsciousness of suspension”, bhavaṅga upaccheda
10. Appears the conscience of the door of the spirit, manodvaravajjana
11. He occurs an impulse, javana , of only five moments of conscience, because this impulse is weak. This impulse will determine the rebirth.
12. Javana
13. Javana
14. Javana
15. Javana
16. Conscience of recording, tadalambana
17. Conscience of the death, cuticitta
18. Conscience of rebirth, paṭisandi
19. Again occurs one moment of conscience bhavaṅga , etc

Conclusion: cycles samsaric

This analysis strikes by its roughness and its extreme precision; undoubtedly it is good to take stock of the cycles which they propose. It is noted initially that the bond of rebirth and the death occur only in particular cases, and that, put besides these particular cases, two cycles are proposed:

• With subconsciousness makes continuation a turning, then a sensory conscience, a conscience reception, a survey, a determination, an impulse, a repetition, then, again, a subconsciousness: the loop is buckled;

• In the other case, with subconsciousness makes continuation a turning, then directly an impulsive conscience, a repetition, and again a subconsciousness.

These two cases thus constitute the " cycles of consciences" most current. This study of the various functions of the conscience deserves several note: it is applied in order to comment on the teaching of the conditioned Coproduction, but it is also applied in the comprehension of " moments psychologiques" private individuals, how the entry in " in-stase" (according to the term of Mircea Eliade), i.e. the realization of the one of the state of consciousnesses, suitable for the meditation samatha, which are the Dhyana S.
With regard to the interpretation of the conditioned coproduction, and its evolution, this analysis corresponds to the reading " matérielle" , corresponding to a long formulation of the conditioned coproduction, which is described by Dominique Trotignon like a relatively late reading of this process.

References

Internal bonds

• For a general approach: Conscience
• For the analysis of the various consciences: Vijnana

• In the conditioned coproduction:

• For the birth, to see Jāti
• For old age and death, to see Jarāmaraṇa

• the bond of rebirth can be compared

• with the theory of the ālayavijñāna of the Cittamatra
• with the Bardo Thödol Tibetan
• with the Réincarnation

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