Overview
The thirteenth triad of the Abhidhamma Mātikā classifies consciousness not by its own nature, but exclusively by the nature of the object (ārammaṇa) it is currently cognizing or focusing upon.
The List
- Parittārammaṇā dhammā - States having limited objects: Any consciousness that is currently cognizing a sense-sphere object (e.g., seeing a color, thinking about a physical sensation).
- Mahaggatārammaṇā dhammā - States having exalted objects: Any consciousness that is currently cognizing a fine-material or immaterial object (e.g., a meditator in the Base of Infinite Consciousness focusing on the previous state of Infinite Space).
- Appamāṇārammaṇā dhammā - States having immeasurable objects: The supramundane paths and fruits, which take exclusively Nibbāna as their object.
Textual References
- Abhidhamma: Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Mātikā 13) – Demonstrates the Abhidhammic principle that consciousness is entirely defined by that which it cognizes.