Process Freed
Process Freed
In the Compendium of the Process Freed, there are four sets of four, or “catukkas” that
should be known :
1. Four planes of existence – Bhumi catukka
2. Four types of rebirth-linking – Patisandhi catukka
3. Four kinds of kamma – Kamma catukka
4. Fourfold advent of death – Maranuppatti catukka
Four planes of existence – Bhumi catukka
1. Apaya bhumi or kamaduggati bhumi
The plane of misery.
2. Kamasugati bhumi
Sensuous blissful plane.
3. Rupa bhumi
Plane of fine material.
4. Arupa bhumi
The immaterial plane.
Four types of rebirth-linking – Patisandhi catukka
1. Apaya bhumi or kamaduggati bhumi
The plane of misery.
2. Kamasugati bhumi
Sensuous blissful plane.
3. Rupa bhumi
Plane of fine material.
4. Arupa bhumi
The immaterial plane.
1. Apaya bhumi or kamaduggati bhumi
These are the 4 planes of misery consisting of :
i. the hell realms (niriya)
ii. the animal kingdom (tiracchana)
iii. the world of unhappy ghosts (peta)
iv. the host of titans (asuras)
Apaya means devoid of happiness and kamaduggati means there are sense pleasures but more
misery than happiness.
Rebirth linking :
Beings are born into these realms because of a kammaduggati patisandhi, or a rootless
unwholesome resultant investigating consciousness accompanied by indifference.
The patisandhi then lapses into the bhavanga and finally the cuti citta at the time of death.
These beings are known as duggati ahetuka puggala.
2. Kamasugati bhumi
This consists of the following 7 planes, 1 human and 6 deva realms :
i. Manussa
ii. Catumaharajika
iii. Tavatimsa
iv. Yama
v. Tusita
vi. Nimanarati
vii. Paranimitavasavati
Rebirth linking :
Beings are born into these realms because of a ahetuka kammasugati patisandhi (A), or a
sahetuka kammasugati patisandhi (B), and subdivided into the following types :
A. Rootless wholesome resultant investigating consciousness accompanied by indifference.
These beings may be born as deformed humans, some earth-bound devas or fallen asuras.
They are known as sugati ahetuka puggala.
Bi. One of the 4 wholesome resultants disassociated with knowledge (dvi hetuka citta), and
these beings are known as dvi hetuka puggala.
B.ii. One of the 4 wholesome resultants associated with knowledge (ti hetuka citta),
and these beings are known as ti hetuka puggala.
3. Rupa bhumi
This consists of the 16 fine material planes, being the 3 first jhana planes, 3 second jhana
planes, 3 third jhana planes and 7 fourth jhana planes :
A. 3 planes of first jhana :
Realms of Brahma’s retinue
Realms of Brahma’s ministers
Realm of Great Brahma
Rebirth linking :
These beings are born with the rupavacara first jhana vipaka citta and are considered as ti
hetuka puggala.
B. 3 planes of second jhana :
Heaven of minor lustre
Heaven of infinite lustre
Heaven of the radiant gods
Rebirth linking :
These beings are born with either the rupavacara second jhana vipaka citta or the rupavacara
third jhana vipaka citta, and are considered as ti hetuka puggala.
Persons of average wisdom have 5 rupavacara jhanas as they have to eliminate the jhana
factors one by one as they progress to the higher jhanas.
Persons of keen wisdom have only 4 rupavacara jhanas, as they eliminate vitakka and vicara
together when entering the second jhana. Thus their second jhana is equivalent to the third
jhana of the average wisdom people, third jhana equivalent to the fourth, and fourth jhana
equivalent to the fifth.
C. 3 planes of third jhana :
Heaven of the gods of minor aura
Heaven of the gods of infinite aura
Heaven of the gods of steady aura
Rebirth linking :
These beings are born with the rupavacara fourth jhana vipaka citta, and are considered as ti
hetuka puggala.
D. 7 planes of fourth jhana :
Heaven of the gods of great rewards
Heaven of the gods with only rupa (non-percipient beings)
Pure abodes (Suddhavasa)
The durable heaven
The serene heaven
The beautiful heaven
The clear-sighted heaven
The supreme heaven
Rebirth linking :
These beings, with the exception of the non-percipient brahmas, are born with the rupavacara
fifth jhana vipaka citta. The non-percipient brahmas are born with a “jivita navaka kalapa
rupa patisandhi” (pure octad plus life-force rebirth linking consciousness).
The Pure abodes are only for anagamis and arahants.
4. Arupa bhumi
This consists of the 4 non-material, or immaterial, planes as follows :
The realm of infinite space
The realm of infinite consciousness
The realm of nothingness
The realm of neither perception nor non-perception
Rebirth linking :
These beings are born with the corresponding arupavacara jhana vipaka cittas according to
their attainments, and are considered as ti hetuka puggala.
Four kinds of kamma – Kamma catukka
1. With respect to function :
a) Reproductive kamma
b) Supportive kamma
c) Obstructive kamma
d) Destructive kamma
2. With respect to priority of results :
a) Weighty kamma
b) Proximate kamma
c) Habitual kamma
d) Reserve kamma
3. With respect to time of taking effect :
a) Immediately effective kamma
b) Subsequently kamma
c) Indefinitely effective kamma
d) Defunct kamma
4. With respect to place of taking effect
a) Apaya bhumi
b) Kamasugati bhumi
c) Rupa bhumi
d) Arupa bhumi
Fourfold advent of death / 4 causes of death
– Maranuppatti catukka
1. Expiration of life-span
Exhaustion of the oil in an oil lamp causing the flame to go out.
2. Cessation of kammic force
The burning up of the wick so that the flame goes out.
3. Combination of the above 2 factors
When both the life span and cessation of kammic force occur at the same time.
4. Untimely death due to the intervention of a destructive kammic force
The flame being extinguished by an external cause such as a sudden gust of wind or
intentional blowing out by someone (upacchedaka kamma).
Process freed cittas (vithimuta cittas)
There are 14 types of functions performed by 89 cittas. These can be divided into 2 types,
those connected to the cognitive process (citta vithi) and those not connected to the cognitive
process (vithimutta cittas).
In other words, the flow of consciousness of a being can be “active” when occurring in the
cognitive, or thought process during the course of a lifetime, ie. citta vithi.
Therefore, this flow of consciousness can also be “passive” when it occurs during the
bhavanga state or during the course of death and rebirth. In these cases, it becomes known as
a “process freed” consciousness or “vithimutta cittas”.
Citta vithi
There are 11 functions under this category which are the 5 sense-door adverting, seeing,
hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, receiving, investigating, determining, impulsion and
registering.
A total of 80 types of cittas perform these 11 functions and these are known as vithi cittas.
Vithimutta cittas
There are 3 functions not connected to the cognitive process being rebirth linking
(patisandhi), life continuum (bhavanga) and death (cuti).
The vithimutta cittas consist of 19 types as follows :
1 : Rootless unwholesome resultant investigating consciousness accompanied by
indifference.
1 : Rootless wholesome resultant investigating consciousness accompanied by indifference.
8 : Wholesome resultants.
5 : Rupa wholesome resultants.
4 : Arupa wholesome resultants.
The 5 rupa wholesome resultants and the 4 arupa wholesome resultants are known as
the 9 mahagattas.
These 19 cittas can be further divided into 2 groups comprising those which are “totally”
process freed and those which are not.
The 9 mahagattas perform the 3 functions of rebirth linking, life continuum and death. These
are not part of the cognitive process and they are therefore known as totally process freed
cittas.
The other 10 are not totally process freed as they also perform functions related to the
cognition process.
For example, the 8 wholesome resultants perform 4 types of functions. When they perform
the functions of rebirth linking, life continuum and death, they are known as vithimutta cittas.
When they perform the function of registering, they are known as vithi cittas.
The two rootless resultant investigating cittas perform 5 functions. When they perform the
functions of rebirth linking, life continuum and death, they are known as vithimutta cittas.
When they perform the function of investigating or registering, they are known as vithi cittas.
Therefore, there are 19 vithimutta cittas and 80 vithi cittas because there are 10 vithi cittas
performing functions within the cognitive process as well as outside of it.
Compiled by T Y Lee
www.justbegood.net
Process freed cittas (vithimuta cittas)
Vithi cittas
44 kamavacara cittas :
16 rootless :
6 unwholesome rootless
resultants
7 wholesome rootless
resultants
3 rootless functionals
12 unwholesome
16 wholesome kusala and kriya
Vithi / Vithimutta cittas
Vithimutta cittas
1 rootless unwholesome resultant
investigating consciousness
accompanied by indifference
9 mahagatta cittas :
1 rootless wholesome resultant
investigating consciousness
accompanied by indifference
4 arupavacara vipaka
5 rupavacara vipaka
8 wholesome resultants
10 rupavacara kusala and kriya
8 arupavacara kusala and kriya
8 lokuttara magga and phala
cittas
70
Total of vithi cittas = 80 (70 plus 10)
Total of vithimutta cittas = 19 (9 plus 10)
10
9