Upvote:-3
Seeing impermanence is not actually necessary for seeing not-self (anatta), even though the Buddha first taught anatta as a characteristic related to impermanence . Merely discerning the aggregates as 'aggregates' and merely experiencing the mind void of self-view is enough.
Philosophies such as Abhidhamma or Nāgārjuna Madhyamaka is for intellectual non-meditators. In other words, these extreme philosophies are alien to the Buddha, which are why they are not found in the Pali suttas.
In summary, the concept of cuti patisandhi cittas is not nececessary so no soul or ego (anaththa) can be justified (unless, similar to Nāgārjuna, you engage in worldly intellectual debates).
Upvote:0
your understanding about relationship between abhidhamma and anattā is correct. But your abhidhamma knowledge still wrong.
The concept of cuti patisandhi cittas- ie. generation of patisandhi citta conditioned by cuti citta in a minute fraction of a second- is a very important concept mentioned in Abhidhammaththa Sangaha.
No, every abhidhamma and sutta described that whatever kamma of javana in the past, just in a minute or in the trillion rebirth ago, determine the nature of the next life's Paṭisandhi-citta (resultant). And the same kamma in the past of present life's Paṭisandhi-citta (resultant) let present life's Bhavaṅga-citta (resultant) and Cuti-citta (resultant) arise, too.
If you recite and memorize chapter 4th and 5th of abhidhammatthasaṅgaha you will notice that maraṇāsannavithī and paṭisandhi-citta which appear in 4th chapter, that you mentioning, were specially described in 5th chapter and in 5th chapter, the title: "iii. Fourfold Kamma" come before the title: "iv . Procedure with Regard to Decease and Rebirth", because most of the kammas in iii. cause the resultants in iv.
Furthermore, there are too many cause more than kamma condition paṭisandhi-citta, such as many sahajāta-nāma/rūpa, many past upanissaya-nāma/rūpa, etc. But many cannon often focus at kamma as the main cause of paṭisandhi because of paṭiccasamuppda.
For conclusion, you have to recite paṭiccasamuppāda, then read this answer:
Sacca-pabba Is The Reason That Commentary Commented "Viññāṇa Is Jāti And Paṭisandhi", Right?
Another mention of you:
This is so important that only by describing the mechanism of cuti-patisandhi in this way the main teaching of Buddhism that there is no soul or ego (anaththa) can be justified. Can I find any reference in Abhidhamma Pitaka.
Abhidhamma is vipassanā-cannon.
Commentary said:
The vinaya is too much adhisīla. The suttanta is too much. The abhidhamma is too much vipassanā.
Also commentary said:
Sāriputta school studied abhidhamma.
And commentary said:
1st saṅgāyanā saṅga gave majjhimanikāya to sāriputta school students for keeping by reciting and memorizing.
Another commentary said:
Majjimanikāya is mahāvipassanā (too many vipassanā).
Who is venerable sāriputta, aggasāvaka?
- Bhikkhus, I do not know of any other person who could follow up the teaching proclaimed by the Thus Gone One other than Sāriputta. Bhikkhus, Sāriputta follows up the teaching proclaimed by me.
http://84000.org/tipitaka/pitaka2/v.php?B=20&A=585&Z=627&eng=metta_e
Path of purification was written follow sāriputta's cannon, paṭisambhidāmagga. Many quotes and sequence in Path of purification follow paṭisambhidāmagga.
According to mahāgosiṅgasālasutta venerable Sāriputta was a teacher of venerable Mahākassapa, venerable Mahāmoggallāna, venerable Mahākassapa, venerable Anuruddha, venerable Ānanda, and venerable Revata, too (except ānanda, sotāpanna-ariya, the others were arahanta-ariya).
According to understanding section in Path of purification, that mostly describing about vipassanā (adhipaññā-sikkhā), you can found too much abhidhamma in this section of Path of purification.
So, your understanding about relationship between abhidhamma and anattā is correct. But your abhidhamma knowledge still wrong.
Upvote:1
Patisandhi citta is not conditioned by the Cuti citta. Cuti citta merely marks the end of that life. The Javanas that occur just before the Cuti citta determine the nature of the Patisandhi citta. Read more here: The mind at the time of death.
Upvote:1
To undertstand “Cuti” and “Patisandhi “, first it is good to know the difference between bhava and jathi. When one gets a human bhava (existence), one could be born (jathi) many times in succession until that kammic energy runs out. This is why people can recall past lives in recent past. Otherwise, since the human existence is very rare, how would one remember so recent past lives?
There is no "gap" between two adjacent "bhava", i.e., no "antarabhava". There is only a single thought moment between cuti (death in the current bhava) and patisandhi (grasping the next bhava). Death of the physical body is not the end of the current bhava, unless the kammic energy for the current bhava has runs out. Patisandhi (“pati” is bond and “sandhi” is joining - thus patisandhi means joining a new life at the end of the old) happens in a thought moment in the body of the dying person; if the next life is human or animal, then the gandhabba for that life comes out of that body at the end of that last citta vithi.
The transition of a life stream from one existence (bhava) to another takes place during the last citta vithi of the present bhava, for example from a human to an animal or a deva. each of our sense inputs coming in though any one of the five physical senses is received and analyzed by the mind in a “citta vithi” (series of cittas) with 17 cittas. These are called pancadvara citta vithi. Pancadvara (“panca” + “dvara” where “panca” is five and “dvara” is door) means five (physical) doors.
To undewrstand this process better, one has to refer to citta vithi processes in Abhidhamma. It is a bit too complex to go into detail but to put it in a nutshell, as stated in “Cuti-Patisandhi – An Abhidhamma Description
“the last citta vithi of the old life with 17 citta run in the standard way: atita bhavanga, bhavanga calana, bhavanga upacceda, pancadvara vajjana, cakkhu vinnana, sampaticcana, santirana, vottapana, and then javana sequence (7 javana citta) starts. After the fifth javana citta, there are two more javana citta left. The sixth is the cuti citta and the seventh and last javana is the patisandhi citta.”
”In the last citta vithi, a previous kamma vipaka provides an arammana (thought object) associated with that kamma vipaka through one of the five sense doors: it is normally a visual or a sound associated with the new existence (bhava). Even though the person’s physical faculties may be very weak, the person will see or hear very clearly whatever the nimitta presented by the kamma vipaka. Then at the vottapana citta, the mind makes a decision to act on that arammana based on the person’s gathi. The person has no control of it. It is called, “kammaja pure jatha; cittaja pacce jatha”, i.e., kamma vipaka comes first, and then accordingly the javana citta flow grasping that new bhava.”
“First there is the vipaka citta; then it induces kamma sambhava. “Vipako kamma sambhavo” is initiated at the vottapana citta. The vottapana citta decides how to proceed with the arammana (object) that came from the kamma vipaka, and the being normally gets attached to that object via greed/hate and grasps a new existence in the javana cittathat follow. Thus “vipako kamma sambhavo” starts with the first javana citta. After 5 javana citta kammic energy is optimized, with each subsequent javana strengthening via asevana paccaya from the previous javana. The sixth one is called cuti citta, and the next citta grasps the new bhava.”
”Now let us take a look at the last citta vithi of the old life in detail. This citta vithi was started by the last bit of kammic energy from the old life, and it will run its course of 17 cittabefore it comes to an end. It is like throwing a stone; even though the energy was fully spent by the time the stone was released, the stone will be travelling until its energy is all spent. In the same way, even though the kammic energy for the old life has ended, the last citta vithi will run its course of 17 citta including the last two bhavanga citta after the 7 javana citta.”
“ In that last citta vithi, by the time atita bhavanga, bhavanga calana, and comes to bhavanga upacceda, the kammic vipaka from the old life are finished. Now what comes to the pancadvara is the kamma nimitta, asanna kamma, or a gathi nimitta; it is the vipaka citta that powers the new life: “kamma vipaka vajjanti”. It is received by the sampaticcana, santirana citta and then “vipaka kamma sambhavo” happens at the vottapana citta, i.e., a decision is made on what to do and this decision depends on the level of avijja (in the form of one’s gathi and asavas).”
“When this last citta vithi ends, the old hadaya vatthu is dead too; it had exhausted all its kammic power. The next citta vithi starts with a new hadaya vatthu in the new life that is powered by a new kamma beeja. The new hadaya vatthu if formed by the new kammaseed that was grasped at the 7th javana (the patisandhi citta), and immediately the first citta vithi for the new life starts. The gandhabba is formed and comes out of the dead body.”