Delusion of Restlessness

(First Published 30-Mar-14)

Delusion of Restlessness - Realizations on the 49th day, 12th March, 2014

Today is the 49th day after my mother passing. She is teaching me much everyday, from the encouragement I received from her in her passing, as much or more than she did before her passing away, through my own reflection of the Dhamma. She died slowly on me, over a four-month period, validating for me and helping me in my own realizations, esp. in the dissolution stages, of the gross and subtle elements. 

My mother, Irene, came to me seven years ago, to be cared for and looked after in the last stages of her life. She did not ask to be looked after and I did not ask her if she wanted looking after, although I had been saying frequently, from the time I was a small boy, that I would. The mind to pursue her coming came to me came about 9 months prior to her coming. It was a difficult process to get her owing to immigration formalities. Things just happened. They came together to make it happen. 

There are certain things that happened and people who came together to make it happen. As much as they came together they also disintegrated and went away, just like a "perfect storm". In retrospect, I can clearly identify the various components of this greater picture that played out over a 2 year period before her coming, and going further over a six year period before her coming, and even further back about 14 years from this very moment. That's as much as my mind is capable of at this time. 

Why did it happen, and who made it happen is what we would usually ask ourselves. From the events that transpired, viewed in slow motion, what is very evident to me now is that all of this was conceptually driven, out of emotion, of greed, of attachment, of aversion and of just not knowing that fueled my various pursuits - my various states of mind, the causative for the functional minds and bodily actions. 

Her coming to me was the greatest gift of all, which made me awaken my mind. Some days have been exceptional, like last evening and this morning, when my mind has been revealing to me some aspects of its nature. I have captured in prose the state of my mind after her death, which you can find in this blog on the right, titled "my mother, my love, my companion, my teacher". 

Today was of a mind of restlessness and agitation.

1. We know that restlessness can mean several things, from nervousness, agitation, having little rest as a result of which we are unable to sit still, or quietly, or comfortably. Agitation is an unpleasant state of mind, when we are excited, anxious, tense, confused, and irritable, with an increased heartbeat or palpitations. Whatever be the external causes, restlessness is a mental affliction, a hindrance to various states of mind, one that results from our various states of mind.

2. A condition of restlessness can be most apparent when one sits down to meditate and one begins the practice of silencing oneself. And it can become a great obstacle. 

3. When we observe our self in greater detail, more frequently, we will begin to discover more about us. The observation should be one that is non-reactive, where we observe just, the arising and passing of mind. And, it would suffice to say that we should try, at least, to cultivate this awareness when in and out of meditation.

4. To achieve a clear mind in what may seem insurmountable mental obstacles one would have to use  “skillful” means. We would have many means at our disposal if we have discovered ourselves better and have learnt and practiced much.

5. Despite all the “skillful” means I used, which I tried to do with a clear and purposeful mind, I found that concentration was difficult. The mind was wavering fast at first and later more slowly, in a repetitive cycle. I had a rapid heart rate. Some of the means that I used are contained at the tail end of this article

6. We would be eluded of a mind of concentration due to our cognizance of an object or several objects, the resulting feelings and perceptions that act as cause, causal effect, and effect as new cause. These objects may not be apparent to us, except to show their presence by way of this mind, the restless mind of delusion. 

7. Delusion is to not know, as opposed to wisdom (panna). It is a mind that is deluded of the true nature of the object, of stupidity, of bewilderment, which mind is clouded, blinded, and brought about by ignorance. There are two types of mind (or cittas) of delusion, one associated with the mental factor (cetasika) of doubt and the other with the mental factor of restlessness, both of which I will explain shortly. 

8. Whilst meditating today what I discovered was that my rapid heart rate had a connection to an image that I was seeing. The image was that of a house or a building, which lay at the end of a dead-end street. It was gated. The property onto my left was protected by a thick, whitish, strongly built wall, about 8-9 feet tall. It had an eave at its crown, all along its wall head, and this top edge was sharply inclined downwards and extending about 4 inches outwards from the wall, brown in color, like a little awning that protects the wall from the sun and rain. It was a masonry wall, a wall where the stone work was not visible. The wall had sunken window like opening at intervals, in which rested small windows of about a foot squared. These small windows were shut, had rolled plate glass on them, one that had a high relief uniform pattern, very opaque. 

9. The property on left was also walled but it was not very conspicuous to me. Its affect seems to be neutral on me. But that was not so with the property on the right as you can see from the degree of detail above. The one I have a vivid memory of seems to have some connection the property I had an interest in, the gated one at the end. It maybe that I spent some time beside this wall and so I noticed the detail. 

10. As regards the gated property, with a small bare frontage, it was not clear to me exactly what was in that building. My mind seems to still want to blank out whatever was there. I did not want to even look too hard at the property fearing someone inside could see me. It has no connection to the present. It is of the past and whatever went on there was not something pleasant. 

11. The type of white wall I described to you has always caught my attention as a young boy, so much so that I can still name some of the places that had this type wall. And this was the image, the wall and gated property that was making me restless. My heart rate weakened considerably once I had resolved the constituent nature of the image. This memory is strong in me and has lay dormant, except to arise now and again. As I write this, I can feel the very air of that place in my breath.

12. To me the revelation of this subtle mind was significant. That is that latent past thoughts (anusaya) can affect the state of mind at any given moment. This would be the reason that sometimes we feel agitated for no apparent reason. The reasons lie beyond our immediate periphery. And it was obvious that I was clinging to an unpleasant moment that could have been re-ignited in my mind by an unpleasant moment I faced recently. 

13. And here it was “I” who perceived, the bad moment in the past, rekindled to affect the present self. 

14. One could call this the workings of the sub-consciousness. And it would be so that my present mind conditioned a latent thought that set-off feelings that increased my heart rate.

15. Let's see how this happens without getting too technical, too heavy, but in simple terms. There are several things that happened here. Firstly it was happening to me! Secondly how does it happen?

16. Why me? It is because of who I am, my own personality (sakkaya), an ordinary worldling (putthujana), one who belongs to the world and delves in it (lokika) and all that comes with it. 

17. And what is this all? This all, is made up, essentially, of 3 things, three of the ten fetters (samyojana), namely, self-view (sakkaya ditthi), doubt (vicci kicca), and adherence to rules, norms, observances (silabbata). It is these 3 things that must be present, among others, to set off all of the bad feelings. It is also these three things, essentially, that make the person who feels and suffers from them. So we have sakkaya ditthi vici kicca silabbata paramasa. 

18. The simplest of explanations of mind (citta) is that it is an instrument, carrying out the activity of cognizing. In Theravada Buddhism cittas that are involved in cognition can be differentiated into several types, 89 of them or 121 of them using a finer method. 

19. Cognition upon contact requires a subject say our eye, an object say the object in our vision and our self, the one who sees (the psychophysical being or nama-rupa/name and form) . So we have objects that arise in the mind. A cognizable object requires a sustained application of cittas or moments of consciousness. 

20. The mental body or nama consists of consciousness, feelings, perception and sankhara (volitional thought). Sankhara includes the mental factors (cetasika), 50 of them all excluding feelings and perception and its process – includes the process of conditioning, and the effect arising from a cause that serve as cause resulting in a new effect. The rupa or body or form consists of the 4 elements of earth, fire, water and wind.  

21. And here I would like to digress a little and introduce you to the process of cognition. In the process of cognition something rather remarkable happens where the object of cognition ends up being the subject of cognition. It has been equated to a tiger created by a magician devouring the magician. 

22. Let me explain this by taking one of the five senses - eye consciousness. Our eye or visual consciousness arises because of eye and material shapes. Sensory cognition or impingement happens when the three, the subject, object and knowledge provided by our experience links up and meets. This leads to feeling. What is felt one perceives. What is perceived one reasons. What one reasons about one proliferates conceptually (papanca) - that is, say, turns it in to concept based on one’s knowledge, experience and imagination. It is a four-fold process of feelings, perception, reasoning (through mental formations) and conceptualization - of cognition, of consciousness.

23. And here what one created assails or pounces on one with material shapes belonging to the past, the future and the present. It is an explosion of recognition, retrospection and speculation. 

23.1 And the process would run thus: passionate of (raga), seeking out (chanda), and delighted (nandi) by one’s own creation, and by craving (tanha) for it, asserting (conceit) such creation by one’s views (ditthi) and then clinging (upadana) to such creation it establishes itself. So here one can see both kamaraga or sensual clinging and ditthiraga or clinging to views. At this stage the subject, that is our self or our eye and eye-consciousness becomes a hapless object. Recognition, retrospection and speculation leads to feelings and so the round continues.

24. And so here we see the self (ego) creeping in to the process of cognition, and if we examine what I say here carefully it would be evident that the involvement of the ego comes at time of contact with the resulting feelings, and maintaining its presence thereafter.

25. When cognition takes place, perception picks out the objects distinctive mark, that is recognized from one that has been given previously and in memory, grasps the identity of the distinctive mark and attaches to it the name of the previous one. These are two series of thought processes – one of picking out distinctive mark and the other of grasping its identity. If the distinctive mark is clear and not obscured or distracted by other thoughts then grasping will function well and result in good memory. If we have attention then our perception will be clear.

26. Cognition and our experience is a two-way street - reception and response, a union between object [ (rupa) from the world] and mind [(nama) to the world]. The former (the reception) creates an impact on the sense faculty (mental body) [impingement contact (patigaha sampassa)] (form). The latter designation contact (adhivacana sampassa) (of a response) is the act that establishes a connection between the world and things (referents) – the act of referencing, by which we interpret and evaluate our experience, that involves concepts, language, and reality. 

27. To describe and discuss the world and things, which we called the referents, require tools of reference, by which we designate (the act of naming- by ascribing a name through the concoction of labels). These tools of reference are the spheres of activity or the pathways (patha) that arise for designation (adhivacana), language (niruti) and description (concepts or pannati). The pathways arise with nama-rupa, to its extent, together with consciousness at its base.

28. A pathway for designation can be an expression used through a mere word regardless of meaning (like a proper name). A pathway for language is an expression used with reference to a reason, (example one is called mindful because one has mindfulness). A pathway to description (concept or pannati) is of two kinds – the object conveyed by the concept and the name given to the object – examples being “wise” or “clever” or “intelligent”. 

29. And, as I said above conceptual impression or designation contact (adhivacana sampassa) manifests in the physical body (rupa kaya) through description (pannatti) in the mental body (nama kaya) upon contact. This happens through qualities, traits, signs and indicators from the mental body.

30. And, as I said above sense impression or impingement contact (patigaha sampassa) manifests in the mental body through description (pannatti) in the mental body upon contact. This also happens through qualities, traits, signs and indicators from the mental body.

31. Conceptual impression or designation contact (adhivacana sampassa) and sense impression or impingement contact (patigaha sampassa) can manifests in the mental body through description (pannatti) in the mental body (namakaya) and physical body (rupakaya) upon contact. This also happens through qualities, traits, signs and indicators from the mental body. This happens due to the four-fold process that I talked of at para 22 where consciousness or cognition that results feeds back the process. So in the absence of qualities, traits, signs and indicators from the mental body through which there is description of name and form, there would be no contact.

32. Description of our experience of the mental body or physical body happens through qualities (akara), traits (linga), signs (nimitta) and indicators (udessa) from the mental body. 

33. Quality (akara) refers to the different nature of function of the mental body - that is feelings - feel an affective mode, perceptions recognize the input, formations is the emotional process (sankhara), and consciousness which is the process itself and also the resulting product, that go on to feed the process.  Traits (linga) are the hidden meanings that influence. It is the value we attach to the experience or an aspect of it such as a like or dislike or our neutrality. It is based on the present experiences, past memories, knowledge, learning, and the like. Sign (nimitta) is the distinctive mark we talked of in para 25 by which we identify a form, a cause for perceiving. And indicators (uddesa) are what we point out, our reality to our self and to others by communication, once we have recognized it, and have given meaning to it.

34. As I said sensory cognition (impingement) occurs when an object encounters the subject. The word impingement would denote resistance. And as much as the object would make its impact, what is impacted upon must exert an influence or leave a mark on the object. The incoming resistance is new input and so must result in a new mark (in other words creates new kamma). And the outgoing resistance that is exerted results from existing marks (in other words results from past kamma). 

35. And so we have two kinds of resistance. Form or rupa exerts one. The other by nama or name. And if all the concepts were absent in rupa (form) then there would be no resistance that would manifest in nama. And if concepts were absent in both name and form then what would manifest upon contact would be neither name nor form as we, as our psycho-physical being would know it. If such concepts were present upon contact then that would lead to feelings and craving for feelings and a becoming. In the absence of craving feeling would cease at feelings or we would experience non-conceptual feelings. 

36. It is nama-rupa (the psychophysical being) that is the subject and what is behind the subject, the sense base. For nama-rupa to possess resistance it should have been created already. This creation takes place in the manner stated above upon contact. The interaction between consciousness and nama-rupa upon contact results in the notion of “mine”, “I am” and “myself”, of identity (sakkaya) and views (sakkaya ditthi) – the ego being.

37. So with all this what is evident and important to realize is that behind every one of our actions lies the doer of the action, behind every experience there is the one who experiences, behind every feeling there is the one who feels, and behind every sense contact there is the one who senses. Since this ego being is conceptually born out of nama-rupa it is difficult to find and cannot be found, and what cannot be found is difficult to eradicate. If we call it an enemy it is indeed a clever one, one who does not show itself except affectually.

38. Cittas combine in various ways to give us cognition. They always act together with mental factors (cetasika) which are mental phenomena that assist the cittas in performing the more detailed tasks of filling up the blanks in quality, color and flavor, in the total process of consciousness. Cetasika are likened to a retinue of a king who always goes with his retinue. They arise and cease together with consciousness (cittas). They have the same object and same base (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, heart).  

39. Sakkaya Ditthi is the notion of a self, the notion of a permanent entity, the notion of a soul (not exactly a soul), the one behind it all, the "I", "myself", "me", "mine". It arises as we take the 5 aggregates of matter, feeling, perception, mental states and consciousness, as self – the psychophysical self, of mind and matter. I have a strong desire for existence and continued existence. I have a tendency to flee whatever is inimical is painful and take steps to protect my self and so may have greed and jealousy. I have wrong views of what it is, and I think I know what is, and also I alone known what it is, conceitedly.

40. Doubt (vicci kicca) examined in relation to the state of my “self” would reveal that my mental agitation, my restlessness, is consequent to the bad feelings, negative perceptions and mental states that arise from my mind examining the self vis-à-vis the past - past experiences, retrospection, and future - consequences in the future, speculation, and also of both the past and the future taken together. This happens all the time. I have no escape from it. So I need to be mindful of it and try let go what arises, with wise consideration, knowing why and how they arise. This degree of awareness is most important.

41. Silabbata paramasa refers to a broad range of things. Silabbata is the notion of moral duty (as the word sila conveys) and covers religious duty, observances, rites, practices, and customs. Paramasa means adherence or attachment to them with a wrong view (misapprehension). It is in a sense also our sense of right and wrong, what we fall back on, and by which we live our lives. And as much as it is an observation of rules and rituals it is also the template against which we measure all things that we encounter.

42. Fetters (samyojana) in Theravada teachings (samyojana), mentioned both in the sutta pitaka and the abhidhamma pitaka, are unwholesome mental states that bind us to samsaric existence. As mentioned in the abhidhamma pitaka there are the 10 mental factors (cetasikas) of greed (in two modes: greed of sensual lust, greed for attachment to existence or for becoming), aversion, conceit, wrong views (ditthi) [in two modes: (1) adherence to rites and observances (silabatha paramasa) and (2) doubt (vicci kicca)], envy, avarice, and ignorance.

43. Defilements (kilesa) - Most of the fetters are also known as defilements (kilesa). Defilements are that which afflict or cloud the mind and manifest in unwholesome actions and torment the mind. It is called defilement because it defiles beings by dragging them down to a mentally soiled and depraved condition. They are greed, hatred, delusion, conceit, wrong views, doubt, sloth, restlessness, shamelessness, fearlessness of wrong doing. 

44. Asava (taints) - Some defilements are called taints (asava) because they are like oozing pus or fermented nectar. They can and have been festering in us for a long long time.  They are said to flow up to the top most plane of existence, that is up to the citta that sees the change from the worldlings (puthujjanagotra) to noble ones (ariyagotra) and the supra-mundane path, that is when one begins to enter path to becoming a stream-enterer (sotapanna). These taints are attachment to sensual desire and attachment to existence which are both different modes of the mental factor (cetasika) of greed (lobha), wrong view from the mental factor (cetasika) of wrong view (ditthi), and ignorance from the mental factor of delusion (moha). 

45. Floods (ogha) and Bonds (yoga) -  These four are also referred to as floods (ogha) and bonds (yoga). They are called floods as they sweep us away into the cycle, the great ocean of existence. They are called bonds as they tie us down to suffering with no escape. And so delusion indeed will tie us down to suffering and continued suffering. I suppose looking back at it now with this knowledge that will be very evident.

46. Hindrances (nivarana) - Some of them are also hindrances (nivarna), a hindrance to achieving nibbana, or for that matter to concentration, one that you will discover in meditation. Hindrances are mental states that prevent wholesome states from arising and which do not allow arisen wholesome states to endure. Hindrances overwhelm awareness and weakens discernment. They are the 8 mental factors (cetasika) of sensual desire (kamachanda), ill will (patigaha), sloth (thina) and torpor (middha), restlessness (uddaccha) and worry (kukucca), doubt (vicikicca) and ignorance. You can see which of these play their part when you sit in meditation next. If you notice here sensual desire, worry, doubt and ignorance are the fetters.  

47. The term defilements include both fetters and hindrances, whereas fetters are that which span across life times, hindrances are that which are ephemeral in nature, transitory obstacles.  

48. Latent thoughts or dispositions (anusaya), like the one I discovered, are defilements that lie with the mental process that they belong to, that rise to the surface as obsessions whenever suitable conditions are available to them. They are the 6 mental factors (cetasikas) of greed (in two modes: greed of sensual lust, greed for attachment to existence or for becoming), aversion or resentment, conceit (pride included), wrong or false view, doubt or uncertainty, and ignorance. Due to their pertinacity they tend to become conditions for new arising, especially of unwholesome states. 

49. We also have the problem of attachment to our body which you may very well discover during meditation, when you see of your inability to let go, which can manifest in several ways, one of which is the tightness around your neck. This tying of mind to the body is known as bodily knots.

50. Bodily knots (gantha) are so called because they tie the mind to the body or the present body (aggregates) to bodies in the future. Here the word body applies to both mental and physical bodies. The bodily knots are the bodily knot of covetousness - craving or greed that pulls us towards desirable objects, the bodily knot of ill will which is the same as the mental factor (cetasika) of hatred or aversion, the bodily knot of adherence to rites and ceremonies, and the bodily knot of dogmatic belief that our own view is the only truth, same as the mental factor (cetasika) or wrong view.   

51. Clinging (upadana) is what we do in cognition, where in fact there are two types of clinging taking place, one between the object and us, say our eye, and the other between mind and our self. This double bind happens at every instance of cognition for us ordinary beings. There are 4 types of clinging that are identified. They are clinging to sense pleasures (kama upadana), clinging to wrong views (ditthi upadana), clinging to rites and ceremonies (silabbata upadanam) and clinging to the notion of self (attavada upadana).

52. What should be evident now from the explanation above is that the mental factor (cetasika) of greed (to the sensual and self) has been identified as falling into every category of classification, all of the nine mentioned above from fetters to latent dispositions. Wrong view falls into 8 of the categories and delusion 7. 

53. All mental arisings result from conditioning, the conditioning state (paccaya dhamma) that either produce or support it, the resulting conditioned or conditionally arisen states (paccaya uppanna dhamma), and the conditioning force (paccaya sati) – the particular way in which the conditioning states functions as condition for the conditioned states. 

54. These conditioned states are the mind (cittas), mental states (cetasika) and material phenomena which act as their bases, objects and supports (here material phenomena refer to its origin or mode of origin rather than a particular characteristic). 

55. While the Theory of Dependent Arising (patticca samuthpada) explains the happening of a state in dependence of another state, how phenomena contribute in different ways in the arising of a single dependent state - that is the method in which they bring about a force to cause the effect - is explained in the method of conditional relations (patthananaya from the book of Patthana). There are 24 such conditional relations. They examine the conditional relations of mind on mind and matter and vice versa.

56. Here I will not go into the manner in which conditioning took place to bring about my “self”, as it is, entirely, a separate subject, one that requires examination in greater length. There are several types of conditioning that took place to bring about my mental agitation and restlessness. 

57. One that is obvious, is the kamma condition, and more specifically an asynchronous kamma condition.

58. Asynchronous kamma condition is a condition where there is a time gap between the conditioning state, that is the influencing action from the past mind (citta) and the conditioned state, that is, the present mind (citta) and the present increased heart rate (matter). The conditioning state in this case is a past unwholesome thought. The conditioned state is the resulting mind, mental factors and resulting physiological affect on the body.

59. And, once the object was recalled to mind there is also the conditioning that takes place on our “self, reinforcing the deluded nature of self. Due to our ignorance we crave for self-existence and cling to a self. And, we have bad feelings whenever our self is under threat. Here, several types of  conditioning take place - mind on mind and mind on matter. In every one of these minds there is a reinforcement of the personality view, the ego self.

60. Bad feelings never go away. In fact they linger and come to mind now and again creating more bad feelings and anxiety. It is how the mind works, where past thoughts have the power to influence or ignite new thoughts, the natural progeny of cause. This is also known as conditioning (sankhara, also known as volition). 

61. A deluded mind manifests in two ways, one is a mind of doubt - perplexity, indecisiveness, and skepticism.  The other is a mind of restlessness - mental agitation, mental unsteadiness, a mind of turmoil, and of course the faster heart rate. Such minds manifest as we cling to objects and they remain in our mind - an unwise attention to mental disquiet (its proximate cause).

62. Cittas according to their nature can be classed wholesome, unwholesome, functional (kriya) and resultant (vipaka). The first two are causative cittas – causes for action though body speech and mind. They result in new thoughts of the same flavor, the first resulting in lust or greed or anger and delusion creating our disturbed mind of suffering. And the second the opposites of these. Third are functional, perform simple functions and are incapable of producing karmic results. They are indeterminate in that they are neither wholesome nor unwholesome. The fourth is the ripening of past thoughts and these serve to affect new thoughts. 

63. When we have sensory perception it is the vipaka citta that functions. Whatever we see or hear, for example, as pleasant or unpleasant is the result of the past mind, embedded in our continuum of experience (of the person (sakkaya). And, the same that is pleasant today maybe unpleasant tomorrow, depending on what factors conditioned this thought process.

64. Being aware of vipaka cittas is to be mindful of the arising and passing of this citta. If we can be aware at the moment of its passing, one or several of them that happens in rapid succession we can arrest the subsequent process, where the mind (the mind-door) takes over from the eye (eye-door)  in further processing.  Here what is of great importance if the citta of mindfulness, which takes over the mind-door thereby cutting of the cognitive process that would have otherwise ensued from eye to mind, which would have proceeded through the mind door to give us hate, aversion, attachment, greed and delusion. 

65. In Theravada Buddhism body, speech and mind (thought) are known as doors of action, which is the channel through which the mind acts upon the world, the doors being eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind doors – which is the channel through which the mind interacts with objective world. So may we remain well advised to guard these doors for all that happens must pass them.

66. Past minds embedded in the continuum of experience is also known as the life force or bhavanga (the luminous mind) in Theravada Buddhism. In the Yogacara school of Mahayana Buddhism it is referred to as the alaya-vijnana (store-consciousness). In other Mahayana schools it is referred to by various terms such as emptiness and awareness, or luminous or tathagathagharba,  the bodhicitta (awakened mind), and so on, which is used to describe the non-flawed mind, and the normal mind as the flawed mind.  It is not a permanent continuum. It is an ever-changing dynamic continuum, always conditioned by input from the six senses.

67. Delusion accounts for two of the twelve cittas classed unwholesome. The other ten are made up of greed (lobha or clinging or attachment) and hate (aversion). The citta of greed and hate arise together with the citta of delusion, where delusion plays a subordinate part in them. 

68. In a mind (citta) of delusion the minds (cittas) of greed and hate are absent. Such minds have one root (citta), only of delusion, and arise singly without any other root citta, and so are referred to as sheer delusion. But in a mind of greed and hate the citta of delusion associated with the mental factor of restlessness is always present, playing a subordinate part, and so such minds have two root cittas. Greed and hate are mutually exclusive, we will find either one or the other.

69. I have explained the nature of roots in the paragraphs below. If we are mindful it will be possible to identify the associated roots with every mind that we have and so we will be able to see the more subtle aspects of mind and its tainting. Being mindful of unwholesome roots of greed, hate and delusion will have the effect of weakening unwholesome minds.

70. Mental factors number 52 including feeling and perception. The 50 mental factors without feeling and perception are collectively known as sankhara or voliton. Citta and cetasika arise and cease together because their base and objects are the same. It is the combination of citta and cetasika that give it the determinate, and ethical quality. 

71. The difference between the citta and cetasika is very very subtle. We can see it if we observe the mind with mindfulness. One such example is what I saw, in the manifestation of the latent and restlessness. The more visible example of it is in anger or attachment - that is always accompanied by restlessness. All these will be revealed to us only if we observe our minds carefully. It is the degree of observation that we must strive to achieve.

72. Mental factors (cetasika) play an important part in the mental process leaving potent mental imprints – ones that have the force to influence new thoughts – karmic force.  The 50 mental factors are group in to 4 by their mode of operation. The universals always arise. The particular occurs at some time. The rest are grouped in to unwholesome and wholesome. 

73. The universal mental factor of feeling is an affective mode, which feels the object that is experienced – pleasant, painful or neutral. It manifests as relishing the associated mental factors. Feelings experience an object directly whereas other mental factors have a derived experience of an object. Feelings can be classified into a five-fold analysis when analyzed in the manner in which they exercise control (or lordship) over their associated states with respect to the affective mode of experiencing an object. These five types of feelings are called faculties (indrya) as they exercise control (or lordship) over their associated states. They are

• Pleasure (sukha) – the experience of a desirable tangible object (body), functions as intensifying associated states – the proximate cause is the body

• Joy (somanassa) - the experience of a desirable object, in the desirable aspect of the object that manifests as metal enjoyment – the proximate cause is tranquility and contact. 

• Pain (dukkha) - the experience of an undesirable tangible object (body), the functions of attrition or wearing down associated states, manifests as bodily affliction  – the proximate cause is the body

• Displeasure (domanassa) - the experience of an undesirable object, in the desirable aspect of the object that manifests as mental affliction  – the proximate cause is the proximate cause is the heart base. (A base is a physical support for consciousness. Materiality obtains and citta and cetasika arises in dependence on a condition called base (vatthu). There are 6 bases, namely eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and heart-base. The heart base serves as the base for all cittas and cetasika other than the sense cittas and cetasika) 

• Equanimity (upekkka) - the experience of neutrality, neither intensifying nor wearing down associated states, manifests as peacefulness,  – the proximate cause is consciousness without zest (piti).  Piti has the characteristic of endearing (sampiyayana). Its function is to refresh the body and mind, to thrill with rapture, manifests as elation – proximate cause is nama-rupa.

74. So cittas differ according to the feeling it is associated with. And therefore it is important to recognize the associated feeling as it leads to the arising of defilements, of attachment or aversion. Attachment to arisings that eventually disappear causes suffering, of pain, sorrow, sadness and despair. Aversion results in hate and other unwholesome mental factors.

75. Of the universal mental factors, the mental factor of volition (cetana) organizes the associated mental factors in acting upon an object and determines the activities of the associated states. It also determines the consequences that arise from these states. So whilst it plays its own part it also coordinates and organizes other mental factors to do their part. Volition leads to actions of body, speech and mind. The Budhha was unequivocal when he declared “cetana bhikkave kammam vadami” – volition O monks is kamma. 

76. Remember every volition action creates a force, through body, speech and mind, which will cause an effect on mind and matter (phenomena). A volitional action is every action prompted by desire and consciously directed towards that result. Therefore if one unintentionally steps on an insect and kills it the resulting effect has no potential to influence or condition or effect phenomena. The same cannot be said of our eating meat comforting ourselves with the notion that the animal was not exclusively killed by us or for us. And, if for instance say the killing is done for greater good of mankind then again the potential to influence remains although the nature of the effect may not be the same as when one kills with a different intent.

77. A root is a mental factor (cetasika) that provides stability to the citta and cetasika with which it is associated. Such cittas are firm and stable. Of these there are three roots classed unwholesome. They are greed, hate and delusion. There are three roots that are wholesome when they arise with wholesome cittas. They are indeterminate when they arise with resultant or functional cittas. 

78. A mind of delusion occurs naturally and unlike other minds there is no occasion where it is self-aroused as it lacks knowledge and vision.

79. When we have a mind of delusion it will be accompanied by a feeling of neutrality as such a mind is incapable of determining the positive or negative of an object. So one is not aware of the consequences of ones actions. 

80. Mental factors that are unwholesome that accompany unwholesome minds number 14. Mental factor of delusion (moha or avijja) is one of the 14.

81. When unwholesome minds arise there are four mental factors that always arise. They are 

• delusion (moha), 
• restlessness (uddaccha) - a state of excitement and agitation, disquetitude), 
• shamelessness (ahirika), ; and 
• fearlessness of wrongdoing (anottappa). 

The remaining unwholesome mental factors number ten:

• attachment (lobha) - clinging to an object
• wrong view, 
• worry (kukkucca) - remorse and subsequent regret over commission or omission (the proximate cause), 
• greed, 
• conceit, 
• hatred, 
• envy, 
• avarice, 
• sloth (thina) - indisposition of intellect, adhering, clinging 
• torpor (middha) -indisposition of senses, a shrouding, barricading within, sleepiness, drowsiness, slumbering, somnolence.  
• doubt (viccikicca) - characteristic is doubting and manifests as indecisiveness, proximate cause is unwise attention - here it signifies spiritual doubt which must be seen in the larger context as doubt on the dhamma (of all things and the teachings (the 4 noble truths included), of the teacher (and of the Buddha and sangha) ). 

So we can now try to explain the various components involved when we have a mind of delusion.

81.1 Shamelessness (ahirika)  is the absence of shame  (hiri) and or we can say shame (lajja) and fearlessness of wrongdoing (anottappa) is the absence of fearfulness of wrong doing (otappa) or anguish over evil (ubbego). It is said hiri springs from within and autonomous (attadhipathi) whereas otappa from the outside and influenced by society (lokadhipati), hiri established on shame whereas ottappa on dread,  hiri marked by consistency and ottappa by discernment of the danger and fearsomeness of error. The subject source of hiri is four-fold: due to one's birth, age, worth and education - that is that those of a lesser standing than himself will only do an act which for him is below his standing and shameful so he refrains. In the case of ottappa the idea that his peers will blame or the body of the faithful will blame him so he refrains. Hiri and ottappa play an important part in society.    

81.2 Worry (kukkucca) - remorse and subsequent regret over commission or omission (the proximate cause) arises only with a mind (citta) of hatred or aversion. the nature of worry is better explained as follows: 

• Consciousness of what is lawful in something that is unlawful
• Consciousness of what is unlawful in something that is lawful
• Consciousness of what is immoral in something that is moral
• Consciousness of what is moral in something that is immoral

So worry (kukucca) arises from what is in  the past. It usually arises with restlessness (uddacca).

82. Mental factor of delusion (moha or avijja) is the result of ignorance or mental blindness or the aspect of not-knowing. It happens due to the absence of knowledge or right understanding of something, as our mind is unable to see its real nature (unwise consideration ayoniso manasikara as opposed to wise consideration yoniso manasikara). It is also the ignorance with regard to the 4 noble truths. It is the root for all mental arising that is unwholesome. A simple example is, we worry of what is on the next street or what consequence something we did today will have tomorrow. 

83. The mental object that results with the combination of cittas and cetasika can be likened to a digital picture that is made up of several pixels (dots). It takes many types of pixels to make up the complete picture. These pixels are the citta and cetasika, that combine in various specific ways to give us our various states of mind.

84. A delusional mind associated with doubt can mean several things, but primarily it is our vexation (worry or irritation) due to perplexity - confusion, bewilderment, puzzlement, bafflement, incomprehension, or mystification arising from our lack of knowledge of an object. Such a mind would have indecisiveness and skepticism. It is a mind that has the citta of delusion accompanied by the four cetasika of delusion, restlessness, shamelessness, and fearlessness of wrong and the cetasika of doubt.

85. A delusional mind associated with restlessness is a mind of mental agitation or mental distraction – an inability to focus. It is a mind that has the citta of delusions accompanied by the four cetasika of delusion, restlessness, shamelessness, and fearlessness of wrong, restlessness playing a major part. Such mind is found in all of the remaining 11 unwholesome minds but plays a weak part in them. 

86. One distinct difference between the two minds of delusion – one accompanied by doubt and the other by restlessness is that in doubt a further mental factor termed decision (adhimokkha) - the absence of conviction and decisiveness, is absent. The two minds of delusion are known as consciousness involving sheer delusion (momuhacitta - intensification of moha) as delusion alone is present as an unwholesome root.

87. When a mind (citta) of greed (attachment) is associated with the mental factor of delusion (moha) and wrong view (dhitti) we have a mind in which the true nature of the object is obscured but we think it is the truth, it is indeed the truth, an unwise interpretation of it. Dhitti is also the conception of I, mine and myself.

88. When a mind (citta) of greed (attachment) is associated with the mental factor of delusion (moha) and conceit (mana) we have a mind of vanity, of self-exaltation. It is also has the conception of I, mine and myself. The cetasika of wrong view (dhitti) that I talked of in the previous paragraph and the cetasika of conceit (mana) are not found together in one citta.

89. The problem with delusion as a mental factor is that it acts as cause of further delusion, a proximate cause.  So when we have a mind of delusion we have a tendency of being deluded further and further away from the truth, unless some new event rescues us from our misery. So we need to understand this and be aware of its insidious workings.

90. Sometimes when we are physically calm and relaxed our heart rate can still remain the same as earlier, and it may also be faster than normal if it was so at the time we started off. The finer our breath becomes the more apparent this becomes. It can be the same with our blood pressure.

91. The finer breadth occurs from the breadth body conditioning the physical body, the physical body the mental body and the mental body re-affecting the physical body and breadth body.

92. The faster heart rate is the result of mental agitation, that is a delusional mind together with the mental factor of restlessness. And for this to happen whatever that comes to mind must affect or have affected the very existence of the ego, the ego being, that is the one in us who sees and feels – I mine and myself. 

93. We can, usually, find two types of thought in a delusional mind - thoughts related to perceptions of the future, and contemplation of past thoughts. Both these may have thoughts of a speculative nature, of the objective mind or the day dreaming nature, of the subjective mind. And if we examine our breath at this time we would find, usually, that when we have the former kind of thought we would be breathing with our left nostril and the latter our right nostril. And if we are breathing with both, each sort of half blocked, then we should be having mixed thoughts. This should be so for most of us. 

94. The explanation for this can be found by examining the energy winds, the imbalances that are present, where the left or right channels converge upwards away from the central channel.

95. There are several ways one can try overcome a mind of delusion or unwholesome mental states. As we may have experienced a mere observation of the state of mind, a non-reactive observation will not shake us out of a mind possessed by delusion, or any unwholesome thought.  

96. As found in Theravada teachings, there are 5 specific ways for the “Removal of Distracting Thoughts”, which I state below, briefly, in the same order they appear in the sutta, which can be practiced by us, one or all, and not necessarily in any particular order. 

• By giving our attention to a different object of a wholesome nature

• By reflecting on the danger of those unwholesome thoughts thus: These thoughts are unwholesome, reprehensible and result in suffering. 

• By trying not to give any attention to the unwholesome thoughts or forgetting them 

• By giving attention to the sources of those unwholesome thoughts, that being the thought formations of those thoughts

• By suppressing the mind with mind, unwholesome with wholesome – done by pressing the tongue against the palate, clenching the teeth as necessary to achieve this, so as to restrain, subdue and suppress, beat down the mind with mind.

97. They should be practiced only when the distractions become destructive and persistent, when owing to some sign there arises in us an unwholesome thought connected with desire, hate or delusion – whence the former thoughts abandon us and subside. Then our mind becomes steadied internally, quieted, brought to singleness and concentrated.

98. If we know what the unwholesome and wholesome mental factors are, then we will be able to recognize them as they arise. We will also be able to see the associated roots in the cittas. And with practice we will begin to realize the subtleties of their arising, how they arise, the dependent nature of their arising, the relationships of the various conditions for their arising. 

99. To recognize, prevent or abandon unwholesome thoughts as they arise we will have to exercise mindfulness. Usually, the mere recognition and acknowledgement of passing of unwholesome thoughts such as anger, hatred, aversion, greed, attachment, conceit, jealousy, among others, are sufficient to stymie these thoughts and prevent them from entering the doors of action that lead to actions of body, speech and mind.

100. Another way to overcome this delusional mind would be to meditate on the clear mind, a Mahayana Buddhist practice. More simply put, one would have to address the disturbances that occur. Anything karmically fueled must originate from body, speech or thought. So we address these three and try to achieve stillness in body, silence in speech and spaciousness in mind. 

101. And, I have found several other effective methods to counter a distracted mind from delusion, each a tool at the appropriate time, a state of mind, to be used skillfully. One that I often practice and that is very effective is the Tong-Leng practice in Tibetan Buddhism that originated from the Kadampa tradition. Two others in the Mahamudra teachings in Mahayana Buddhism are the practice for dispelling impure winds and meditating on the hollowness of the body. The Theravada Buddhist meditation - Brahma Vihara meditation - meditating on loving kindness, sympathy or compassion, unselfish joy and equanimity (Metta, Karuna, Mudtha, Uppekha), one or all of them, are also useful although I prefer the same in the form of the Tong-Leng more efficacious and the realizations more direct. 

102. And, of course one can practice, for a start, with conviction, consciously and mindfully, without living a lie, the 5 precepts, which we usually recite but hardly observe. By this we can prevent unwholesome minds from arising.

103. The practice of the Eight-Fold Path (arya atthangiko maggo), if we are serious in our practice, can lead us to remove the causes that lead to unwholesome mental states, and thereby of suffering. In the eight-fold path, in the path of right effort (samma vayama) we can find the manner in which wholesome factors can be cultivated and unwholesome factors can be removed. 

104. This is to be done by rousing our will, making an effort, with energy and mindfulness, and striving to: 

• prevent the arising of unwholesome thoughts (of sense desires (kama), ill will (vyapada) and cruelty (himsa)

• abandoning unwholesome thoughts that have arisen, 

• cultivation of wholesome thoughts that have not yet arisen: and

• maintaining and growing the wholesome thoughts so arisen to perfection.   

105. Spiritual Faculties and Powers: 

105.1 The above paragraphs contain measures that we can take to overcome a mind of delusion of restlessness. However, it is more effective if we use opposing beneficial wholesome mental states to nullify unwholesome non-beneficial and destructive mental states. This would be the smarter way of getting the job done and fast. So we need to cultivate these powers. I am leaving this open ended here as the way to cultivate these powers must be taken as a subject in itself. 

105.2 Faculties are factors that exercise control over their respective domains and associated states. They number 21, (sense faculty, sex faculty, life faculty, physical life faculty, and spiritual faculty).

105.3 There are five faculties and five out of the nine powers that are beneficial in overcoming non-beneficial opposing states, and so they are known as enlightenment factors.

105.4 They are known as powers (mental powers) (balani) as they are unshakable (akampanatthena) by their opposites and strengthen their adjuncts.

105.5 Distraction is an opposing mental state to control that is exercised by the faculty of concentration. 

105.6 The five spiritual faculties (indriya) exercise control over their respective spheres and help overcome their opposites as follows: 

• Faith (saddha indriyam) ----> control over sphere of resolution (adhimokkha) – that is to release mind to object with characteristic of decision 

• Energy (viriya indriyam) ----> control over sphere of exertion – characteristic of supporting (upatthambana) upholding (paggahana), sustaining (ussahana) 

• Mindfulness (sati indriyam) ----> control over sphere of awareness (uppathana) 

• Concentration (samadhi indriyam) ----> control over sphere of non-distraction (avikkhepa) 

• Wisdom (panna indriyam) ----> control over sphere of discernment (dassana) 

105.7 The powers (mental powers) (balani) overcome there opposing forces as follows:

• Faith (saddha balam)  ----> as a power  overcomes unwholesome opposing force of indecision or doubt (vicikicca) and craving (tanha) 

(This power can also be indeterminate and so will not have any effect on opposing forces unless properly developed and applied).

• Energy (viriya balam) ----> as a power  overcomes unwholesome opposing force of unwholesome opposing force of laziness, or inability to take pains (lassitude), or lack of fearlessness in dhamma practice (patipatti). 

(This power can also be an unwholesome power when combined with the unwholesome so as to overpower good by evil. So must be carefully noted) 

• Mindfulness (sati balam) ----> as a power  overcomes unwholesome opposing force of negligence and absent-mindedness (mutthasacca) 

(This power can also be indeterminate and so will not have any effect on opposing forces unless properly developed and applied).

• Concentration (samadhi balam) ----> as a power  overcomes unwholesome opposing force of agitation and distraction (vikkhepa). 

(This power can also be an unwholesome power when combined with the unwholesome so as to overpower good by evil. So must be carefully noted) 

• Wisdom (panna balam) ----> as a power overcomes unwholesome opposing force of delusion (sammoha) and include ignorance, lack of clarity, mistiness and absence of lucidity of mind

(This power can also be indeterminate and so will not have any effect on opposing forces unless properly developed and applied).

The other four powers are:

Power of shame – wholesome or indeterminate (This power can also be indeterminate and so will not have any effect on opposing forces unless properly developed and applied).

Power of wrongdoing – wholesome or indeterminate  (This power can also be indeterminate and so will not have any effect on opposing forces unless properly developed and applied).

Power of shamelessness - unwholesome

Power of fearlessness – unwholesome

106. As our mind becomes steadied internally, quieted, brought to singleness and concentrated we will become more open and absorbed. We may then begin to see various signs that appear before the mind’s eye, what would be called the third eye, the one that arises from the deeper mind, rather than the sensual mind. 

106.1 The mind’s eye, as referred to by psychologists is the corridor that opens out before you, in which vivid images are seen by the mind rather than the eye. The eye-sense would see an object outside and our mind an object inside our mind.

107. The mind’s eye as seen from the third eye would see an object somewhere in between, just like when you see and not see the window frame when you are in a room and look out through your window. In Theravada teachings it is known as the "Eye-of-Wisdom" (pannacakkhu). It is non-conceptual vision. With practice we can achieve dustless, stainless, and clear vision. 

108. As we continue we may begin to have visions, or see images, which we would let go with non-reactive awareness. Some of these images may tell us what past events are influencing our present mind. This was my experience on the 49th day. 

109. Later, a short while after my meditation session, my mind set off to recall another event, the “delusional” concept of significant events and their numerical relationships. I am going to state this here, as it is somewhat interesting. The condition that prompted this thought would be referred to as a proximate condition - where one metal state causes another mental state to arise, both routed in delusion.

110. I remember about 8 years ago I went to see an astrologer, Athula Manchanayaka in Sri Lanka. His resume states that he was formerly an advanced level math teacher at Ananda College Sri Lanka, and an alumni of the Kelaniya University Sri Lanka in 1965-68 graduating in Arts. He had also functioned as Director of Publications at the National Institute of Education of Sri Lanka and its project officer specializing in maths, and a teacher of advanced math to teachers.  He is a man of art and maths, trying to find connections between astrology, mathematics and Buddhism. He had an interesting approach to various subjects with theories all rationally thought out. 

111. According to him the dates of all things that happen to us that are significant in our lives can be resolved numerically.  Using his theory of numerology the 49th day of my mother’s death (12-3-2014 = 4) would resolve into the numeral 4, the same as my birthday. For both of these the prime factor is 2, which is also my birth date. 

112. Interestingly, my mother’s birth date and my father’s birth date both resolves in 5. Perhaps Athula can but I cannot find any numerological significance to these dates compared with my siblings except that my siblings taken together excluding myself resolve in 5 and all of us together resolve in 5 and the whole family resolve in 5. And likewise it can also be extended to our age, according to which the ages of 38, 40, 44, 47, 49, 53, 56 and 58 should be significant to me as they have the prime factor of 2.  

113. But let’s not get carried away, all this is based on convention, including the Christian era of date, numerology and interpretations and astrology. It is also the basis of our reality, conventional reality as opposed to ultimate reality. And so, conventionally, connections would seem possible, perhaps coincidental, although in Buddhism there is no such thing called coincidence. And so it is up to us to daydream on whether it has a special relationship or not, something that I shall leave to your imagination   

114. A delusional discursive mind can best be realized by direct realization of the nature of the mind at the moment of its discursiveness. Direct realization can only be experienced if you see mind for mind. Of the three schools of Buddhism it is only in Mahayana that we see teachings that enable us to experience direct realization. Theravada teachings approach the cultivating of non-attachment through renunciation and Vajrayana teachings through transformation. 

Numerology:

115. A number that is divisible by 2 is called evenly even or doubly even if it is a multiple of 4 in mathematics, an even integer, which names come from ancient Greece from the time of Euclid.

116. The names reflect a basic concept in number theory, the 2-order of an integer or how many times the integer can be divided by 2. In prime factorization it is equivalent to the multiplicity of 2. An even number that is single can be divided by 2 only once, but its quotient by 2 is odd. A doubly even number is an integer that is divisible more than once by 2. It is even and its quotient by 2 is also even.

117. In numerology and number theory, integer factorization or prime factorization is the decomposition of a composite number into smaller non-trivial divisors, which when multiplied together equal the original integer.

118. Numerology is defined in wikipedia as a belief in the purported divine, mystical or other special relationship between a number and some coinciding events. It has many systems and traditions and beliefs. Numerology and numerological divination by systems such as isopsephy were popular among early mathematicians, such as Pythagoras, but are no longer considered part of mathematics and are regarded as pseudomathematics or pseudoscience by modern scientists.  Today, numerology is often associated with the paranormal, alongside astrology and similar divinatory arts.