Do animals have the cittavithi (17 moments) as in the abhidhamma?

Discussion of Abhidhamma and related Commentaries
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canadianbuddhist
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Do animals have the cittavithi (17 moments) as in the abhidhamma?

Post by canadianbuddhist »

1. do the animals have 17 moments of citta vithi?

2. Do the animals have ahetuks kusal and akusala vipaka citta? If so how they work?
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zerotime
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Re: Do animals have the cittavithi (17 moments) as in the abhidhamma?

Post by zerotime »

"According to Buddhism there are nineteen kinds of rebirth-linking consciousness. Through one of these consciousness all living beings take rebirth and die with the similar consciousness (through which one takes rebirth). For animals, they take rebirth with the unwholesome resultant investigating consciousness (Akusala vipākaṁ upekkhasahagatasantīraṇaṃ). This is the only consciousness through which animals take rebirth according to Abhidhammattha Saṅgaha. In the triple mind element and in the pair of rootless rebirth-linking types of consciousness, all those except desire, zest, and energy occur. (7+3=10).[3]These are the mental factors that are associated with this consciousness. The animal consciousness is lower than human consciousness because of low level of rebirth-linking consciousness.

Because of having this consciousness as rebirth-linking consciousness, animal could not get liberation in this lifetime according to Abhidhamma although they can accumulate meritorious deeds in this life. This consciousness does not associate either with unwholesome roots of greed, hatred, and delusion and wholesome roots of non-greed, non-hatred, and non-delusion. Since a root is a factor which helps to establish stability, in a citta, those cittas which lack roots are weaker than those which possess them.[4]We could find various instances in the Pāli literature such as a monkey offered honey to the Buddha while staying in the forest. Moreover, an elephant offered honey to the Buddha. Through such offering they accumulated lots of merit.

Further in the case of consciousness during animal lifetime, 12 kinds of unwholesome consciousness, 17 rootless consciousness and 8 wholesome consciousness (37 kinds of consciousness) could arise among animals.[5]It means they could have wholesome consciousness associated non-greed, hatred and non-delusion and unwholesome consciousness that are associated with greed, hatred and delusion. Because of such instances it is no wonder why animals could perform many skillful tasks and could save children from dangers in many instances that we have heard and saw (by ourselves). One should not confuse that through a particular consciousness living beings take rebirth whereas in the life time there are other consciousness that are possible to arise in the mental stream.

Despite the arising of 8 kinds of wholesome consciousness among animals, it is not possible to get liberation."


https://ariyajoti.wordpress.com/2019/08 ... ara-silva/
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