The Role of Bhavaṅga and Khaṇavāda in the Development of Citta-vīthi Theory in Theravāda Buddhism

Abstract

The cognitive process (citta-vīthi) model, as depicted in the pāli literature, emerges from the philosophical premise that the time spans of matter and mind dharma differ. According to pāli tradition, every mind and matter dharma passes through three sub-moments: arising (uppāda), endurance (ṭhiti), and Passing (bhaṅga). The time span of arising and passing of mind and matter dharmas is equal, while the stage of endurance of material dharma is seventeen times longer than the corresponding stage of mind dharma. Thus, a moment of matter dharma can exist for the seventeen mind moments when a sense object arises to the mind from any of the sense doors. This philosophical interpretation has created a ground for the theory of cognitive process (citta-vīthi) to be developed in the Theravāda tradition. The second concept, which also fosters the development of this doctrine, is the idea of life-continuum consciousness (bhavaṅga-citta). According to the Pāli Aṭṭhakathā literature, beings’ psychological experience is determined when their bhavaṅga-citta, which is a process-free consciousness (vīthi mutta-citta), is interrupted by the advent of an active process consciousness (citta-vīthi). Until the active process (citta-vīthi) starts in the flow, the consciousness remains in a state of bhavaṅga endlessly. This article contends that bhavaṅga and khaṇavāda should not be viewed simply as background concepts, but rather as essential structural preconditions for citta-vīthi. Khaṇavāda provides the distinct temporal framework that differentiates mind from matter, while bhavaṅga offers the continuity that makes any disruption by an active cognitive process understandable. Through an interpretive analysis of the Pāli commentarial and sub commentarial texts, this article highlights the interdependence of these concepts instead of assuming it to be self-evident.