Abstract

                   The study entitled ‘An Analytical Study of The Working Process of the Mind in Atthasâlinî’ was a qualitative research comprising 3 objectives: (1) to study the mind (Citta), mental factors (Cetasika), matter (Rūpa) and the unconditioned state (Nibbâna) in Atthasâlinî; (2) to study of the working process of the mind in Atthasâlinî; and (3) to analyze the working process of the mind in Atthasâlinî. The data were collected from the text of Atthasâlinî, books, commentaries and related researches. The content analysis was used to analyze data.

                   Results of the study were as follows.

1.     From a study of the mind (Citta), mental factors (Cetasika), matter (Rūpa) and the unconditioned state (Nibbâna) in Atthasâlinî it found that the mind was the nature perceiving emotions or the nature of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, feeling upon tangible things through a body and being conscious through a mind which was really apparent because of many factors. The Cetasika was an element of mind and its characteristics was intangible making mind know emotions. The relationship between a mind and Cetasika was characterized that Cetasika depended on, compounded, arose along with, occurred with, ended with, had the same object with and had the same emotion with the mind. Moreover, all a number of minds always worked together with the Cetasika. The matter (Rūpa) was the nature of non-stillness, comprising 4 Mahâbhūta-rupa, a great essential one including Patฺhavî, Āpo, Tejo and Vâyo and 23 Upâdâ-rūpa, being dependent upon Mahâbhūta-rūpa. Nibbâna was the nature of the extinction of defilements and the Five Aggregates.

2.     In respect of the procedure of mind or in Atthasâlinî it found that it happened because of the conditions: the eye-door process has arisen when a visible datum as an object coming into the eye’s focus, the last three bhavanga-cittas including Atîtabhavanga, bhavanga-calana and bhavangupaccheda happened before cakkhu-dvârâ-avajjana-citta, after the end of un consciousness the eye-door-adverting consciousness began arising respectively, and after the end of the eye-door-adverting consciousness two kinds of consciousness as the bhavanga-calana (vibrating-bhavanga) and the bhavangupaccheda (arrest-bhavanga) happened between the five-door process and the mind-door process, and after their end the mind-door process in turned occurred with the five-door Process.

3.     Regarding the analysis of the working process of the mind in Atthasâlinî it found that the kamma process and the working process of mind were the same. The current of kamma and the current of mind were also the same. The principle of kamma were essential both in the cause and effect. Its being cause was clearer than its effect. For each bodily action, verbal action and mental action was supposed to be the main cause of following effect. The mind state of a worldly person was different from the mind of a Buddhist saint (Arahanta) whose mind did not cumulate the kamma because of a proper attention (Yonisomanasikâra), a systematic contemplation by 7 saññâ as the important strategy in the development process of mind to bring about the mindful-awareness to eradicate desire and not to be compounded by greed, hatred and delusion in a sense-impression.

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