Overview
In Theravāda Abhidhamma, consciousness (citta) is never idle. Every single moment of consciousness performs one of fourteen highly specific psychological functions (kicca). This mechanical breakdown proves the doctrine of non-self (anattā) by showing that cognition is an automated, causal process, not the work of a soul.
The List
- Paṭisandhi - Rebirth-linking: Connecting the past life to the new life at the moment of conception.
- Bhavaṅga - Life-continuum: The passive, resting state of mind that maintains the existence of the being when no active cognition is occurring (e.g., in deep sleep).
- Āvajjana - Adverting: Turning the mind’s attention toward an object that has struck a sense door.
- Dassana - Seeing: The bare function of eye-consciousness.
- Savana - Hearing: The bare function of ear-consciousness.
- Ghāyana - Smelling: The bare function of nose-consciousness.
- Sāyana - Tasting: The bare function of tongue-consciousness.
- Phusana - Touching: The bare function of body-consciousness.
- Sampaṭicchana - Receiving: Accepting the raw data from the five sense doors.
- Santīraṇa - Investigating: Briefly examining the received sensory data.
- Voṭṭhapana - Determining: Identifying the object and preparing the mind to react to it.
- Javana - Impulsion / Running: The crucial, active phase where the mind reacts to the object (with greed, hate, or wisdom), generating new kamma. This usually lasts for 7 mind-moments.
- Tadārammaṇa - Registration: Briefly lingering on the object after the javana phase finishes.
- Cuti - Death: The final function, the absolute last mind-moment of the current life.
Textual References
- Commentary: Abhidhammattha Saṅgaha (Chapter III) – The definitive text outlining the cognitive series (cittavīthi) and how these 14 functions operate in a millisecond.