I just saw a statement on dhammawheel:
what about Bhavanga ? It is from Abhidarma. This is close to permanent consciousness, ever lasting, all pervasive.
The writer is correct that Bhavanga cittas are in the Abhidhamma:
However they are far from being ‘close to permanent’ as, like all cittas, they arise and pass away instantly. They are conditioned to arise - as are all cittas. they arise in association with other mental factors, as with all cittas.
Nina van Gorkom:
Bhavanga-cittas arise in between the different processes of cittas which experience an object through one of the six doors. For example, when there is seeing and after that thinking about what was seen, there are different processes of citta and there have to be bhavanga-cittas in between the different processes.
The process of seeing is so different from the following mind door processes which think about what was seen. It happens so quickly and yet the difference can be known . Between those sense door processes and mind door processes there has to be that time where bhavanga cittas arise and take the object from the past life. That object is unknown but the bhavanga citta itself could be known.
Robert: Each bhavanga citta arises and ceases, so in ultimate terms is different. However each of these in one conventional lifespan has the same object and arises with the same number of cetasikas (which of course also fall away instantly). Thus, because of this consistency bhavanga cittas are perfectly alike during the 100 years or less of a human life . But upon death the consequent patisandhi citta and bhavanga cittas will be radically different from the preceding life.