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July 22, 2016; December 1, 2017; December 14, 2019

Three Components of Mental Body (Manomaya Kāya)

1. In previous posts in this series, we discussed kabaḷīkāra āhāra for the physical body and three types of āhāra for the “mental body” (or manomaya kāya or gandhabba): phassa āhāra, mano sañcetanā āhāra, and viññāṇa āhāra.

▪The manomaya kāya or the gandhabba consists of three components: kammaja kāya, citta kāya, and utuja kāya. The kammaja kāya gets its energy at the beginning of that bhava, and does not require any external āhāra. The utuja kāya is sustained continuously via fine rūpa produced by kammaja kāya and cittaja kāya.

▪Therefore, the three types of āhāra for the manomaya kāya are all consumed by the cittaja kāya. This cittaja kāya is nothing else but the stream of thoughts that we generate.

▪An aside: Sometimes the gandhabba can inhale “aroma” or gandha (kabaḷīkāra āhāra)  and have a fine (misty) physical body too; thus the name gandhabba, where “abbha” means “inhale” or in this case “absorb.” Such “more solidified” are the ones that people can sometimes see, and even be captured by a camera.

The Big Picture

2. Now we can take a step back and look at the big picture, and it gives a very illuminating view. This “big picture” could be very helpful in comprehending the anicca nature. Of course, this is not the only way to grasp anicca nature.

▪The physical body that we value so much and think about as “me” is just a temporary shell. Just like anything material in this world, it grows and peaks and then starts the downhill march ending in decay and eventual death. At the death of physical body, the gandhabba that comes out and has to wait for a suitable womb to start building a new body, if the human bhava still has more kammic energy left; see, for example, “Bhava and Jāti – States of Existence and Births Therein” and “Gandhabba – Only in Human and Animal Realms.”

▪This is a key factor that contributed to the concept of a “self” (“āthma”) in Hinduism. Hindu yogis who cultivated abhiññā powers could look back at a finite number of previous lives and could see a gandhabba giving rise to repeated rebirths in human form (they likely practiced jhāna in those recent previous lives, which made it easier for them to attain abhiññā powers in this life).

▪However, they could not see far back enough to see that one could be born an animal or even worse too.

An Analogy

3. For humans and animals, we can compare the physical body controlled by the gandhabba to a car (or any other vehicle) being driven by a person. The body of the vehicle is like our physical body, and the driver is analogous to the gandhabba. Without the gandhabba , the physical body cannot do anything; it would be a lifeless, i.e., a dead body. It is the gandhabba that “operates” the human body; see, “Ghost in the Machine – Synonym for the Manomaya Kāya?.”

▪The birth of a gandhabba, in turn, is due to the kammic energy that was created in a previous life. The kammaja kāya represents that energy (which will be slowly depleting with time.) The term kammaja kāya comes from “kamma” and “ja” and “kāya.” Here “ja” means “birth” or “origin” and “kāya” is the body. Thus kammaja kāya means the “body that was created due to kamma.”

▪Similarly, cittaja kāya arises due to citta (loosely translated as thoughts).

▪“Utu” means “change” and the utuja kāya is that part of the gandhabba body which arises by conversion of kammic energy and the energy from citta (javana).

We Have Control Over Cittaja Kāya

4. Now, we can see the critical importance of citta. Kammaja kāya itself arises due to previous kamma, i.e., by citta in a previous life. More specifically, javana in such citta provided the energy for a new bhava which lead to the kammaja kāya; see, “Javana of a Citta – The Root of Mental Power.”

▪Kammaja kāya is just a result, and it will slowly lose its energy over the human existence. We cannot do anything about (but if one does an anatariya kamma it will be shortened). Thus it is only the cittaja kāya that we have control over. This is critically important. We have finally converged to the essence of a human being.

▪This is why the Buddha said “Mano pubbangama Dhamma.….” The origin of anything in this world can be traced back to the mind (thoughts).

▪Here we see the truth of the above statement for living beings. In the future, it will become clear that ANYTHING in this world has origins in the mind. That is the story in the Aggañña sutta. But we have to proceed step-by-step. An introduction at, “Buddhism and Evolution – Aggañña Sutta (DN 27).”

5. We have the control over our own destiny via our thoughts or cittaja kāya. I cannot emphasize enough the critical importance of the cittaja kāya. 

▪Therefore, we have to pay attention to what kind of āhāra (conventionally translated as food, but you can see that is not a good translation) that we provide for our thought stream. But we have control over only those thoughts that we initiate.

Two Types of Citta (Viññāṇa) and Associated Feelings (Vedanā)

6. There are two types of thoughts. Some citta arise due to kamma vipāka. For example, we may get to taste a delicious meal due to a good kamma vipāka and while eating it we feel “jivhā viññāṇa,” i.e., those come through our sense of taste. These do not have abhisaṅkhāra. Also see, “Moha/Avijjā and Vipāka Viññāṇa/Kamma Viññāṇa” and “Vedanā (Feelings) Arise in Two Ways.”

▪There is another set of citta that we initiate. For example, based on that tasty meal, we start thinking about coming back to the same restaurant in the future, how to make it at home, etc. These generate abhisaṅkhāra. The worst kind is apuññābhisaṅkhāra, where we think about ways to get that meal in an immoral way, say, by stealing.

▪But if it is just some food that quenches the hunger, we do not generate that type of citta subsequent to the vipāka citta.

▪In another example, we see millions of things in a day (via vipāka citta), but generate abhisaṅkhāra only in a few.

The Unending Cycle of Kamma/Vipāka

7. The Buddha said, “kammā vipākā vaddanthi, vipākā kamma sambhavo, thasmā punabbhavo hothi, evan loko pavaththathi.”

▪What that means is: “Because of kamma vipāka we experience sense inputs; based on those we initiate new kamma (abhisaṅkhāra), and those, in turn, will bring vipāka in the future; that is how the world evolves (rebirth process continues).”

▪Thus the critical part is where we generate abhisaṅkhāra. This is done with javana citta. We will discuss this using citta vīthi in the future, but let us try to get some basic understanding of how these javana citta can be controlled. There are many posts in the “Mind and Consciousness” sections on citta and citta vīthi.

The Key Is to Change Our Gati

8. In fact, javana citta run too fast to control at that time. Billions of citta run in a second. How can we control them? We cannot control them in situ, as they initially arise.

▪Javana citta arise due to our gati! This is the key.

▪For example, an Arahant is not be tempted by any attractive sense input. He has removed all āsavas (cravings) and there is no anusaya to bubble up. He/she has “Noble gati of an Arahant.”

▪On the other hand, a Sotāpanna may be tempted by that attractive sense input. He has not removed all āsavas (cravings); but he/she has removed gati suitable for the apāyā, so javana citta corresponding to highly immoral acts will not arise .

▪The āsava (or gati) are analogous to the dirt in the bottom of a well. If the well water is perturbed, some dirt can come to the surface (anusaya). (i.e., if a sense input matching our gati comes into play, bad thoughts automatically come into the mind). This is discussed in the post, “3. The Second Level – Key to Purify the Mind” in the Meditation section.

▪When one attains the Sotāpanna stage, the worst types of “gunk” will be removed. The rest will be removed in three more stages (Sakadāgāmī, Anāgāmī, Arahant).

Ānāpānasati/Satipaṭṭhāna – Only Way to Change Gati

9. In a normal human, whether or not immoral javana citta will be triggered, will depend on his/her set of āsavas (or gati). If that particular sensory input is attractive (i.e., matches his/her āsavas), then he/she may automatically initiate a highly immoral act to pursue that sense input.

▪But the key here is the following. Even if such immoral javana citta arise, one can still suppress them before the actual act is done, if one has learned Satipaṭṭhāna (or Ānāpāna.) For extremely immoral acts, like killing another human, most people will be able to control such thoughts even without knowing about Satipaṭṭhāna. But the more one learns Dhamma, and the more one understands the consequences, one will be able to have firm control even over minor offenses.

▪Furthermore, the more one controls one’s actions this way, the more one’s gati will change for the better. This is another key! This has been discussed in detail in, “9. Key to Ānāpānasati – How to Change Habits and Character (Gati).” There are several posts under that topic.

Irreversible Change of Gati with Understanding of Tilakkhaṇa

10. A large chunk of immoral gati goes away just via comprehending anicca, dukkha, anatta at the Sotāpanna stage. In fact, those gati that are suitable to be born in the apāyā will be removed. This is called “dassanena pahāthabbā,” i.e., “removal via correct vision.”

▪Thus highly immoral javana citta do not arise in a Sotāpanna. A well that has been cleaned of the visible dirt at the bottom can not be muddied by perturbing the water in that well. Just like that, highly immoral thoughts do not arise in a Sotāpanna because it is free of “worst gunk.”

▪However, to be able to grasp anicca, dukkha, anatta, one’s mind needs to be cleansed to some extent. One needs to gradual changing of one’s gati or āsava. The way to get there is to practice the correct Ānāpāna bhāvanā (or Satipaṭṭhāna bhāvanā.) See, “Is Ānāpānasati Breath Meditation?.”

Udayavaya Ñāṇa – How Suffering Arises and How It Can Be Stopped

11. Thus the key to Nibbāna is in the uadayavaya ñāṇa: future rebirths arise (uadaya) due to abhisaṅkhāra (or cetanā) in our javana citta. By controlling immoral thoughts via reducing our āsava (bad gati), we can eventually stop them from arising.

▪This is done by always being vigilant about the moral or immoral thoughts that come to our minds; this is Satipaṭṭhāna; see, “Mahā Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta.” Then if the thought is moral, we cultivate it (āna); if it is immoral, we stop it (pāna) before it leads to bad speech or actions; this is Ānāpāna; see, “7. What is Ānāpāna?.”

▪The other key point is that the more cleans one’s mind, the more one will be able to comprehend. In particular, comprehending anicca, dukkha, anatta, REQUIRES a mind cleansed to some extent.

▪I hope you can see that this is a feedback loop: each time one goes through the loop (being vigilant or satipaṭṭhāna to cleansing the mind or ānāpāna to more cleansed mind to grasping deeper Dhamma and back to being vigilant), one makes progress.

Importance of Tilakkhaṇa

12. This effect is greatly amplified when one finally grasps Tilakkhaṇa: One comprehends the futility of staying in this rebirth process (anatta.) Anything that we acquire through much effort cannot be kept to our satisfaction in the long run (anicca) and eventually lead to nothing but suffering (dukha.) When one can “see” that, one will realize the urgency to reduce and remove one’s āsava (bad gati). This leads to the Sotāpanna stage.

▪A huge chunk of āsava (bad gati) simply disappear just via this understanding of the anicca nature at the Sotāpanna stage. Highly potent immoral javana citta do not arise in the mind of a Sotāpanna. Then no more rebirth in the apāyā or the four lowest realms.

▪Thus with udayavaya ñāṇa, one can really clarify the path to the Sotāpanna stage.

▪Then the remaining āsava disappear (āsavakkhaya) via three more stages (Sakadāgāmī, Anāgāmī, Arahant) by continuing this process (Ānāpāna and Satipaṭṭhāna), and one attains Nibbāna, permanent happiness or the removal of all future suffering.

▪But one also needs to do Ānāpāna and Satipaṭṭhāna before the Sotāpanna stage in order to cleanse the mind to a level that is capable of grasping anicca, dukkha, anatta.

Closing the ‘Gaps”

13. Finally, I would like to close the loop by pointing to the connection to the concepts we have discussed in the early posts. The gandhabba consumes three kinds of mental food: phassa āhāra, mano sañcetanā āhāra, and viññāṇa āhāra.

▪As we saw in the previous post in this series, “Āhāra (Food) in Udayavaya Ñāṇa,” all three types of mental foods are consumed by the cittaja kāya. And this confirmed by the above discussion: Our initial sense inputs that COULD trigger javana citta come via phassa, sense contacts. They are JUST contacts. But based on those, we COULD accumulate new kamma vipāka (abhisaṅkhāra) by making samphassa; also see, “Vedanā (Feelings) Arise in Two Ways.”

▪Mano sañcetanā āhāra (which are abhisaṅkhāra) come into play during those samphassa; this simply means we start “making plans”, and also keep going back to that sensory input. With repeated triggers for a given sense input (samphassa) provides āhāra for that viññāṇa; for example, see, “2. Viññāṇa (Consciousness) can be of Many Different Types and Forms,” and other relevant posts.

By reading the links given (and also using the “Search box” at top right) one should be able to clarify key issues. Please don’t hesitate to comment if you need help in clarifying a given concept.

14. Also, please make sure to enter your email address correctly when making a comment. Recently, one person entered incorrect address, and sent me the same question twice. Unfortunately, I have no way of letting him know that I replied each time.