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Utilization
the truth of "One Citta at a time" for real insight and easiness in daily life
(citta=mind or consciousness)
By Soe Win Htut This article is based on the guided talks of meditation teachers, Rev. Ottamasara & Ma Chit Myat Noe from Than_Lyin Natural Meditation Centre, Yangon, Myanmar_Burma.
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Preface
Our intellect can understand any mind and body are not mine, yours, myself, and yourself. We understand that mind, body, life or everything is subject to change, impermanent, unsatisfactory and non-self. But we still attach life, mind, body and the meditation method-etc; with firm likes and dislikes. Why is our attachment to life, mind, body and the meditation method-etc; still being? In our country especially in Myanmar, there are a lot of meditation centers and people have been practicing meditation methods taught by Buddha. After some time, they can let go of some worldly attachments but they become attaching firmly one's meditation method and meditation centre. Some are even becoming in more egotism about my way, my teacher, mine, yours etc, In 2002, a monk has appeared in Myanmar to solve the problem in Myanmar. His name is Rev. Ottamasara, Abbot of Than-lyin Natural Medtation Center, Yangon, Myanmar(Burma). Now his teaching is becoming well known in Myanmar_Burma. He teaches the Dhammaupassana, letting go of the idea of something, someone, somewhere, sometime as reality and as of real importance. (i.e. His teaching is just trying to abandon or discard the idea(mindaction) of centering, emphasizing, and attaching upon something, someone, somewhere, sometime and dualistic knowing such as hotnesscoldness, pain-pleasure, good-bad, likes-dislikes, rising-falling, tightnesslooseness etc; as reality and as of real importance). This article is based on the guided talks of meditation teachers, Rev. Ottamasara & Ma Chit Myat Noe from Than_Lyin Natural Meditation Centre, Yangon, Myanmar_Burma.). It will enable you what is the real insight meditation which enable us really and permanently to be liberated from mental and physical sufferings.
We should learn together with his mp3 teaching at below link http://onlymiddleway.multiply.com/music/item/3 with loving-kindness. SoeWinHtut
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Utilization
the truth of "One Citta at a time" for real insight and easiness in daily life
(citta=mind or consciousness)

Natural Meditation Centre


Thanlyin Township, (Near Tar Wa University), Yangon, Myanmar. (95)056-22707, (95)09-5085212, Email: mtsm45@gmail.com Web: http://onlymiddleway.co.cc. http://trueanswer-tmc.blogspot.com
(This article is based on the guided talks of meditation teachers, Rev. Ottamasara & Ma Chit Myat Noe from Than_Lyin Natural Meditation Centre, Yangon, Myanmar_Burma.)

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Nowadays, many meditators_yogi contemplate that mind,
body, life or everything-etc; is impermanent, unsatisfactory and non-self. Our intellect can understand any mind and body are not mine, yours, myself, and yourself. We understand that mind, body, life or everything is subject to change, impermanent, unsatisfactory and non-self. But we still attach life, mind, body and the meditation method-etc; with strong likes and dislikes. Why is our attachment to life, mind, body and the meditation method-etc; still firm? It is because of mistaking that life(mind & body) our habitual perceptions can detect is real and existing for a certain period. In other words, we are misunderstanding that mind & body we contemplate are the Citta, Ceticeka, and Rupa the Buddha taught as original truths. In Abhidhamma (Original truth_higher teaching of the Buddha), it says that there is only one mind or consciousness (citta) at a time for a mental process. In reality(in original truth), one mind or consciousness can arise after the previous one has already disappeared. This is the natural law of mental process.
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This law is known as the citta-niyma (psychic order). The psychic order is that only one mind or consciousness(citta) can arise at a time. In other words, each consciousness has to cease before the next one arises. One consciousness can appear after the previous one has already gone. In reality, observing mind or mindful consciousness or mindfulness cant see the real arising and passing away of the previous mind such as feeling, perception, volition or thinking etc; which is assigned as the object of meditation in cittanupassana and vedananupassana (contemplation of mind and feeling). Because observing mind or mindfulness can arise after the previous mind or feeling or volition or thinking-etc has already disappeared according to the psychic order or natural law of mental process. Nevertheless, our mindfulness or observing mind in meditation, seems to be seeing the arising and passing away of the previous mind such as thinking or feeling or perception or volition or desire -etc which has already gone. Why is it becoming like that? So, why does one mind seem to see the previous one arising and passing away which has already gone? In fact , it is just delusion or illusion. It is just creation, fake and fraud. That means the mind such as thinking or feeling or perception or volition or desire etc; our mindfulness is contemplating is not real. Thus, our contemplation of Impermanece (Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta) concerning with the mind and body we are now understanding is also untrue and fake and fraud.
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So, what we need to understand isIn reality, according to citta-niyma (psychic order or natural law of mental process) i.e. one citta at a time and two minds cant arise at a same time; one mind is specified to arise only when the previous mind has already disappeared, but it seems to be seeing the previous one arising, existing and passing away. Why ? It is because of the deceitful actions or creations of the momentum of the previous minds which have already vanished. In fact, one mind feels, perceives, knows or acts upon only the situation of nothing after the previous mind has already passed away. How meaningless, empty and unsatisfactory is its nature! But we think the action, feeling, responses and experiencing of our mind is meaningful and worthy to be centred, emphasized and taken as original reality or essence of life. It is because of the deceitful actions of the momentum of vanishing (impermanence) of previous mind. The deceitful action(activation) of the vanishing momentum of the previous minds which have already disappeared, create the previous mind which has already passed away as if it is arising, existing and passing away, so the mind such as feeling or perception or volition or thinking - etc, seems to be arising, existing and passing away in our perception. Thus in meditation , our mindfulness/perception seems to be seeing the previous mind such as perception, feeling, knowing, thinking or volition -etc, is arising, existing and then passing away. If so, why do we develop that kind of mindfulness? In fact, the main aim of our practising and developing mindfulness upon mind and body is to be able to accept and
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understand the truth that on account of constant vanishing_impermanent nature (deceitful actions of vanishing momentum of the previous minds), our mindfulness seems to be seeing as if the feeling, ascribing, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, sensing, and thinking _etc, seem to be alive, arising, existing for a certain time and passing away. In this case, it is necessary to understand and accept that our current mindfulness itself is also just created truth, in fake seeing and even itself is also in vanishing nature, unworthy to be attached and grasped as reality. According to citta-niyma (psychic order or natural law of mental process) our mindfulness (observing mind) cannot detect or know the previous mind which has already gone. Here we are explaining about citta-niyma (psychic order or natural law of mental process)"only one citta at a time" which is arising & vanishing within very short moment.
(i.e The time duration of one unit of citta__consciousness is even less than one-trillionth part of the time occupied by a flash of lightning which lasts for a microsecond (10-6 second), The sub commentary said that the mental elements (cittta & cetasika) arise and cease 1015 x 106 = 1021 times per second. Their extremely short duration is also mentioned in the Anguttara Nikaya.)

In fact, one mind feels, perceives, knows or acts upon only the situation of nothing after the previous mind has already passed away.
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So, we may misunderstand that at first we must try to see directly "only one citta_consciousness at a time" which is arising & vanishing in very high rate as mentioned above. The Buddha taught the natural law of "one citta at a time" not because he want us to see that nature firstly and directly but because he want us to accept that our current mind such as perception, thinking or feeling is unreal yet and just created truth or fraud or fake by sankhara dukkha_real impermanence in high rate as mentioned above.
(i.e. It means to accept and contemplate that until real final enlightenment our current perception/mindfulness is unreal and not yet seeing the real nature_Original reality).

Our current mind is unreal yet and just created truth or fraud or fake by sankhara dukkha_real impermanence in high rate

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It does not mean, by seeing the real nature of "one citta at a time" directly, real enlightenment will appear. But it means to accept, contemplate and understand that whatever our mind can now perceive is just created truth or fraud by sankhara dukkha __real impermanence (constant vanishing nature in very high rate) by understanding and remembering that natural law of "one citta at a time" that one mind cannot see the previous mind arising and existing. By accepting and contemplating like that, we become able to abandon the attachment, grasping and centering upon whatever our mind can now perceive as reality and as of real importance. In meditation or daily life, our perception/mindfulness seem to be seeing the previous mind such as thinking, knowing, feeling or volition is arising, existing and passing away because of the deceitful action of the constant vanishing momentum of the previous minds. But do not mind for this fake seeing. Just try to accept and contemplate whatever concerning with our current mind is just created truth and fake or fraud because of (sankhara dukkha)the momentum of the real impermanence (constant vanishing nature in very high rate) of the previous minds which have already disappeared. What advantages will come out by accepting, contemplating and understanding as mentioned above? By accepting and contemplating that the observing mind itself and its observing objects such as feeling, ascribing, hearing, smelling, tasting, sensing, and thinking -etc; seem to be arising, existing and passing away because of the illusive
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action of constant vanishing momentum of previous minds which have already gone, we become able to abandon the attitude of centering, emphasizing, attaching them as reality and as of real importance. The most important we need to understand is our main goal is to abandon the centring, emphasizing and attaching the created truths such as mind and matter that we are now understanding as reality and as of real importance. Our aim is not to become a someone/something special/ nothing. In fact, the middle way is the direct stopping the unsatisfactory round of constant arising and vanishing nature__Dependent Origination (Paticca Samuppada). The more our mind can abandon the attitude of centring, emphasizing and attaching created truths such as mind and matter that our senses can now detect as reality and as of real importance, the less misunderstanding of the feeling good or bad (Vedena) as original reality and importance. Thus, our mind-action do not centre, emphasize and attach upon whatever concering the mind & matter that we are experiencing and knowing, as reality and as of real importance. So, there will be no more arising of likes_ craving and dislikes_aversion (Tanha) concerning the mind such as feeling, knowing, experiencing, attributing, knowing, unknowing, thinking and not-thinking -etc. Then, the more abandoing the mind-action of attaching, centering and emphasizing upon the created truths such as the mind and body with believing them as reality and as of real importance, the less attachment of created truths and the more our mind can have the connection with the original wisdom(right understanding of created truths and original truths.)
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The less attachment and centring of mind and matter in our current perception as original reality, the more we can understand the original truth and created truths correctly. More and more understanding to original truth & created truths correctly, our mind becomes perfect and free from defilements such as worries, aversion, craving, jealousy, sorrow, unsatisfactoriness, sorrow, lamentation, stress, agitation, doubts and attaching because of having connection with the Original Truth which is perfect, permanent and forever constant. Our life and contemplation will become free, happy, peaceful and full of blessing naturally.

Just try to accept and contemplate whatever concerning with our current mind is just created truth and fake or fraud because of (sankhara dukkha) the momentum of the real impermanence (constant vanishing nature ) of the previous minds which have already disappeared.

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Summary
1) The main purpose of explaining " only one citta at a time" is not to try to see it firstly and directly. It is just giving the reason so that we can accept, contemplate and understand easily that whatever mind and body in our current perception is just created truth and fraud by the illusive action/activation of constant vanishing momentum of previous minds which have already gone. 2) The main purpose is to become able to abandon the mindaciton of centring, emphazing and attaching upon the mind and body with believing them as reality and a real existence, by accepting and contemplating as mentioned above. 3) The more we can abandon the attitude of centring, emphasizing and thinking upon mind and body as original reality, the more detachment of our mind and body. 4) The more detachment of our mind and body, the more insight leading to real enlightenment. 5) Then, our mind will be free and it will also give rise to the ability of right utilization of created truths and thus our action will become "doing only ", "experiencing only" and "understanding only" upon the various kinds of "events," "actions and inactions," or "understanding and notunderstanding" which enables us a real happy and easy life. 6) Priority is to abandon the attitude of centring, emphasizing, attaching with likes & dislikes upon mind and body as Priority and Original Reality.
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APPENDIX I
Only One Citta at a time
One unit of citta or consciousness or mind consists of three phases arising or genesis (uppada) static or development (thiti), and cessation or dissolution (bhanga). The time duration of one unit of citta or consciousness or mind consisting of three phases is even less than one-trillionth part of the time occupied by a flash of lightning which lasts for a microsecond (10-6 second), The subcommentary said that the mental elements (cittta

& cetasika) arise and cease 1015 x 106 = 1021 times per second. Their
extremely short duration is also mentioned in the Anguttara Nikaya. Immediately after the cessation stage of a thought-moment (mind or consciousness) there occurs the genesis stage of the subsequent thought-moment(mind or consciousness). Each momentary thought (each consciousness) of this ever-changing lifeprocess, on passing away, transmits its whole energy, all the indelibly recorded impressions to its successor. Every fresh consciousness consists of the potentialities of its predecessors together with something more. There is therefore, a continuous flow of consciousness like a stream without any interruption.
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The subsequent thought-moment(consciousness or mind) is neither absolutely the same as its predecessor since that which goes to make it up is not identical nor entirely another being the same continuity of Kamma energy. Here there is no identical being but there is an identity in process. Every moment there is birth, every moment there is death. The arising of one thought-moment(consciousness or mind) means the passing away of another thought moment and vice versa. In the course of one life time, there are actually momentary rebirths and disappearances again and again. Here we find a juxtaposition of such fleeting mental states of consciousness opposed to a superposition of such states as some appear to believe. (i.e.There is only one consciousness_citta at a time). No state once gone ever recurs nor is identical with what goes before. But we worldlings, veiled by the web of illusion, mistake this apparent continuity to be something eternal and go to the extent of introducing an unchanging soul, an Atta, the supposed doer/ someone and receptacle of all actions to this ever-changing consciousness.

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Thought-process (Mind_process/ Consciousness process)


When a material object is presented to the mind through one of the five sense-doors, a thought-process(mind process) occurs, consisting of a series of separate thought-moments leading one to the other in a particular, uniform order. This order is known as the citta-niyma (psychic order). As a rule for a complete perception of a physical object through one of the sense-doors precisely 17 thought-moments (consciousnesses or minds) must pass. Hence the thought-process runs as follows: Suppose a visible object which has passed one instant (i) enters the avenue of eye. Then the bhavanga 1 consciousness (subconsciousness) vibrates for one moment and perishes, (ii, iii) arresting the bhavanga stream. Subsequently the five-door apprehending consciousness (iv) arises and ceases apprehending that very visible object. 1. Bhavanga-citta (subconsciousness) is a karma-resultant state of consciousness (vipka, ), and that, in birth as a human or in higher forms of existence, it is always the result of good, or wholesome karma (kusala-kamma-vipka), though in varying degrees of strength (padisandhi). The same holds true for rebirth consciousness (padisandhi) and death consciousness (cuti), which are only particular manifestations of subconsciousness. As long as no other consciousness arises to interrupt the continuity of the consciousness-stream, so long the consciousness-stream, like the flow of a river, bhavanga-citta (subconsciousness) arises in the same way again and again, even during dreamless sleep and at other times. In this way one has to understand the continuous arising of those nature of subconsciousness and consciousness in the mind-stream.
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Thereafter the following thought-moments (consciousnesses) arise and cease in order (v) eye-consciousness seeing that very form, (vi) recipient consciousness receiving it, (vii) investigating consciousness investigating it, (viii) determining consciousness determining it. Then any one of the 29 kinds of Sense-sphere javanas, thus causally conditioned, runs mostly for seven moments (ixxv). Following the javanas, two retentive resultants (xvi, xvii) arise accordingly. Finally comes the subsidence into the bhavanga. In shortly, 17 steps_
1. Past bhavanga 2. Vibrating bhavanga (the present life object - a photon - "knocks" on the eye door) 3. Arresting bhavanga (the bhavanga stream _unconsciousness stream, is cut off to give way to the new sense object) 4. Five door adverting consciousness 5. Eye consciousness 6. Receiving consciousness 7. Investigating consciousness 8. Javana , 9. Javana , 10. Javana 13. Javana

11. Javana, 12. Javana, 14. Javana 2

15. Registering consciousness 16. Registering consciousness 17. Bhavanga .

2. Javana - impulsion in a mind-process (thought-process) where


karma (volition) is produced; i.e. wholesome and unwholesome volition concerning the perception. They are normally 7 times(impulsive moments) in a mind-process.
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Thus far seventeen thought-moments are complete namely, fourteen thought-arisings (cittuppda) two vibrations of bhavanga, and one thought-moment that passed at the inception. Then the object ceases. Such an object is termed very prominent. The wholesome and unwholesome kamma are performed at the javana stage. The visible object & eye sensitivity perish with the registering consciousness.
Ref: A Manual of Abhidhamma by Narada Maha Thera

The more we can abandon the attitude of centring, emphasizing and thinking upon mind and reality. body as original reality, the more detachment of our mind and body.

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APPENDIX II
The time duration and rate of vanishing of citta, cetasika and rupa (mind and matter)
In Dhatukatha of Pali Text Society, the Discourse on Energies, Buddha said The Energies are Void of Beings or something. The energies do not possess the characteristic functions of living beings. They arise and cease within an exceedingly short period of time. In the wink of an eye or a flash of lightning, which lasts for a microsecond (10-6 second), the mental elements (cittta & cetasika) arise and cease a trillion (1012) times. (1,000,000,000,000 times). This is just an estimate. The subcommentary takes the higher figure of 1015. Thus the mental elements arise and cease 1015 x 106 = 1021 times per second. Their extremely short duration is also mentioned in the Anguttara Nikaya. As regards the material energies, since they endure for 17 thought-moments (consciousness). they arise and cease 1021/17 (app= 58,823,530, 000,000, 000,000) times per second. But because the functions of the energies give rise to the concepts of continuity, collection and form the ideas arise of (1) the initial effort that has to be exerted when a deed is about to be performed and (2) the care that has to be taken while the deed is being performed to its completion. And this leads to the subsequent ideas (3) I can perform and (4) I can feel,
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Utilization The Truth of "One Citta at a time" for Real insight & Easiness in daily life
(This article is based on the guided talks of meditation teachers, Rev. Ottamasara & Ma Chit Myat Noe from Than_Lyin Natural Meditation Centre, Yangon, Myanmar_Burma.) presented by Soe Win Htut; http://onlymiddleway.co.cc

Natural Meditation Centre


Thanlyin Township, (Near Tar Wa University), Yangon, Myanmar.
(95)056-22707, (95)09-5085212,

Email: mtsm45@gmail.com web: http://onlymiddleway.co.cc, http://trueanswer-tmc.blogspot.com.

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