Hi, your helpful input has been appreciated. My point is that there appears to be two types of vinnana:
1) Vinnana refers to the aggregate "consciousness" [the consciousness established on name and form]: awareness + proliferations/fabrications;
In MN 22: Alagaddūpama Sutta: [
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html]
"... assumes about form: 'This is me, this is my self, this is what I am.'
"He assumes about feeling: 'This is me, this is my self, this is what I am.'
"He assumes about perception: 'This is me, this is my self, this is what I am.'
"He assumes about volitions: 'This is me, this is my self, this is what I am.'
"He assumes about
what seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought after, pondered by the intellect [mind]: 'This is me, this is my self, this is what I am.'"
-- As you can see,
what seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought after, pondered by the intellect [mind]: is used here instead of normally used "consciousness" [vinnana].
And in DN 22:
"And what is endearing & alluring in terms of the world? The eye is endearing & alluring in terms of the world. That is where this craving, when arising, arises. That is where, when dwelling, it dwells.
"The ear... The nose... The tongue... The body... The intellect...
"Forms... Sounds... Smells... Tastes... Tactile sensations... Ideas...
"Eye-consciousness... Ear-consciousness... Nose-consciousness... Tongue-consciousness... Body-consciousness... Intellect-consciousness...
"Eye-contact... Ear-contact... Nose-contact... Tongue-contact... Body-contact... Intellect-contact...
"Feeling born of eye-contact... Feeling born of ear-contact... Feeling born of nose-contact... Feeling born of tongue-contact... Feeling born of body-contact... Feeling born of intellect-contact...
"Perception of forms... Perception of sounds... Perception of smells... Perception of tastes... Perception of tactile sensations... Perception of ideas...
"Intention for forms... Intention for sounds... Intention for smells... Intention for tastes... Intention for tactile sensations... Intention for mental objects...
"Craving for forms... Craving for sounds... Craving for smells... Craving for tastes... Craving for tactile sensations... Craving for mental objects...
"
Thinking directed at forms... Thought directed at sounds... Thought directed at smells... Thought directed at tastes... Thought directed at tactile sensations... Thought directed at mental objects...
"
Evaluation [Cognization and differentiation] of forms... Evaluation of sounds... Evaluation of smells... Evaluation of tastes... Evaluation of tactile sensations... Evaluation of mental objects is endearing & alluring in terms of the world. That is where this craving, when arising, arises. That is where, when dwelling, it dwells.
-- Here "Thinking" and "evaluation [Cognization and differentiation]" instead of "consciousness" is used, as its synonyms to elaborate what the Buddha might mean for vinnana.
2) Vinnana refers to the "unbound mind" (with consciousness unestablished) of the Buddha and living arahants = vimariyādīkatena cetasā "rid of barriers (defilements)" (as appeared in MN 111 as cited by Kirk) = unestablished on name and form as cited in the following suttas:
SN 22.53 Upaya Sutta:
How does consciousness become unestablished? It's through the abandonment of delight, craving and attachment to name and form or the five aggregates:
“When that consciousness is unestablished, not coming to growth, nongenerative, it is liberated. By being liberated, it is steady; by being steady, it is content; by being content, he is not agitated. Being unagitated, he personally attains nibbaana.”
SN 12.64:
“… where there is no delight, no craving, then consciousness does not land there or grow. Where consciousness does not land or grow, name-&-form does not alight. Where name-&-form does not alight, there is no growth of fabrications. Where there is no growth of fabrications, there is no production of renewed becoming in the future.”
I'm concerned about the translation of vinnana and think it's important to understand that vinnana as the sense consciousness means not only awareness but also the proliferations in the suttas.[/b][/color]
Metta to all,
Starter