Summary: The Cittayamaka is the eighth book of the Yamaka. It applies the paired-question method to the flow of consciousness (citta), analyzing its temporal properties (arising and ceasing) and its relationship to the individuals through whom it flows. It provides a rigorous logical treatment of the sub-moments of mental events. (Yam 8)
Canonical locus
The Cittayamaka provides the final analytical layer for the viññāṇakkhandha (consciousness aggregate), opening with a complex four-clause question about the precise timing of consciousness. (Yam 8)
Yam 8.1 (ya8.1.1:2.1)
Yassa cittaṁ uppajjati na nirujjhati tassa cittaṁ nirujjhissati na uppajjissati?
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"For whom consciousness arises but does not cease, will that consciousness cease but not arise?"
Analysis: The Process of Consciousness
Unlike other books that test categories (like "wholesome" vs "root"), the Cittayamaka tests the process of consciousness itself. (Yam 8)
It focuses on the "unit-nature" of consciousness and its temporal phases. It asks complex questions about the moment of arising (uppāda) and the moment of ceasing (nirodha), proving that these are distinct sub-moments within a single event of awareness. It demonstrates that consciousness is a discrete series of events, where each event arises and ceases in an incredibly rapid succession, mapping this arising in relation to different people and planes of existence. (Yam 8)
Textual notes
- This book is the primary canonical evidence for the Abhidhamma theory of "sub-moments" (khaṇa) of consciousness.
- It clarifies the necessary relationship between the arising of a mental state and its inevitable subsequent cessation.
Related concepts
Related pages
- yamaka (text)
- dhammasangani (for the types of citta being tested)