Determining consciousness - votthappana citta

Abhidhamma
1

I just read an misinterpretation of the processes of citta that rather than showing the anattaness supposedly reveal where a proxy for self can be inserted at the moment of votthappana.

A Manual of Abhidhamma by Narada (a translation of the Abhidhammathasangaha)

Next comes the investigating faculty (Santlrana) or a momentary examination
of the object so received. After this comes that stage of
representative cognition termed the determining con¬
sciousness (Votthapana). Discrimination is exercised at
this stage. Freewill plays its part here.

Cittas. Sampa-ticchana and Santlrana are also Vipaka Cittas. The Mano-
dvaravajjana (mind-door consciousness), a Kriya Citta,
functions as the Votthapana consciousness. **One can use **
one’s freewill at this stage. The seven Javana thought-
moments constitute Kamma.

Note: this is a different Narada than Narada Mulapatthana of Myanmar. Anyway far better to consult Bhikkhu Bodhi’s translation - A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma

The cittas that arise in a process do so in a fixed order and each have their own function. This is the process:

  1. atita-bhavanga (past bhavanga)
  2. bhavanga calana (vibrating bhavanga)
  3. bhavangupaccheda (arrest bhavanga, the last bhavanga arising before the object is experienced through the sense-door)
  4. five-sense-door-adverting-consciousness (pancadvaravajjana-citta), which is a kiriyacitta
  5. sense-cognition (dvi-pancavinnana, seeing-consciousness, etc.), which is vipakacitta
  6. receiving-consciousness (sampaticchana-citta), which is vipakacitta
  7. investigating-consciousness (santirana-citta) which is vipakacitta
  8. determining-consciousness (votthapana-citta) which is kiriyacitta
  9. javana-citta (“impulsion”, kusala citta or akusala citta in the case of non-arahats)
  10. " "
  11. " "
  12. " "
  13. " "
  14. " "
  15. " "
  16. registering-consciousness (tadarammana-citta) which may or may not arise, and which is vipakacitta
  17. registering-consciousnes

Perhaps the author saw the word “determining” and decided that was a possible place to insert the imaginary self - or its proxy. Note that votthappana citta is a kiriya citta - not akusala or kusala.

Cittas arising in a process do so in a specific order - even the Buddha and arahats have the same order- while they perform their own function. In the Patthana there is proximity condition, anantara paccaya, showing that cittas are immediately succeeded by the next one. And , samanantara paccaya, meaning that cittas succeed one another in a fixed order .
Thus we see how the learning about processes of cittas shows the anattaness of each moment. Such a valuable teaching - but even that can be misinterpreted in a way that brings in a ‘manager’. So deep rooted is the view of self.

3

The Abhidhamma has one taste - that of anatta.

Thein Nyun explains so well in the forward to Dhatukatha (book of the Abhidhamma) of Pali Text Society, the “Discourse on Elements, ”

But because the functions of the energies give rise to the concepts of continuity, collection and form the ideas arise of
(1) the initial effort that has to be exerted when a deed is about to be performed and
(2) the care that has to be taken while the deed is being performed to its completion. And this leads to the subsequent ideas (3) “I can perform”
and (4) “I can feel”, …
Thus these four imaginary characteristic functions of being have bought about a deep-rooted belief in their existence. But the elements have not the time or span of duration to carry out such function

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