Verified
Grammatical Analysis
Purejātapaccaya: [m.] Pre-nascence condition; Condition of arising beforehand. Formed by pure (before, previously) + jāta (born, arisen) + paccaya (condition).
Orthodox Definition
Purejāta-paccaya is the tenth of the 24 Conditions. It describes a situation where a material phenomenon arises before a mental phenomenon, and by persisting in existence, conditions that subsequent mental phenomenon.
In Abhidhamma physics, physical matter (rūpa) lasts 17 times longer than a single mind-moment (citta). Therefore, the physical eye-base and the physical visible object must arise before the eye-consciousness can strike them. Because the eye and the object are already born and waiting, they serve as the Purejāta-paccaya for the seeing consciousness that arises slightly later.
Quote
603. Paṭhamataraṃ uppajjitvā vattamānabhāvena upakārako dhammo purejātapaccayo.
- A phenomenon that arises first and renders assistance by existing in a present state is called pre-nascent condition (purejāta-paccaya).
So pañcadvāre vatthārammaṇahadayavatthuvasena ekādasavidho hoti.
In the five sense-doors, it is of eleven kinds, categorized by base (vatthu), object (ārammaṇa), and heart-base (hadaya-vatthu).Yathāha – ‘‘cakkhāyatanaṃ cakkhuviññāṇadhātuyā taṃsampayuttakānañca dhammānaṃ purejātapaccayena paccayo.
As it is said: “The eye-base is a condition for the eye-consciousness element and its associated phenomena by way of the pre-nascent condition.— Visuddhimagga (II, Paññābhūminiddeso, Paṭṭhānapaccayakathā)
Textual References
- Abhidhamma: Paṭṭhāna – “The eye base is related to eye-consciousness element… by pre-nascence condition.”
- Commentary: Visuddhimagga (II) – Explaining the operational scope of pre-nascence across eleven configurations of base, object, and heart-foundation (vatthārammaṇahadayavatthuvasena).