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Course Code: BUPH 21012

Title: Buddhist Analysis of Mind


Date: 27th June 2006, Tuesday
[. continued]
(Maha-)Hatthippadopama Sutta clearly mentions that there should be three factors in
order to get sensation. They are:
1. Unimpaired mind which stands as a sense organ,
2. Presentation of an external object, and
3. An appropriate act of attention.
Here unimpaired mind is a necessary condition. Without internal mind (ajjhattikamano)
the receiving of a mental object is not possible. Unimpaired mind represents noetic
awakening. It is internal mind which is the neotic door (dvara) to the outside world. We
also draw our attention to some words appearing in the text. The word santana is used
with several words. But santana is never used with mano. Instead, the word is
hyphenated with citta, citta-santana that means, consciousness continuum. This would
stand for the anoetic consciousness (cinta). santana is continuum of the mind. Mano
signifies a point where noetic awakening takes place. This emergence of noetic
awakening opens to function cognitive process:
ye keci bhikkhave dhamma akusala akusalabhagiya akusalapakkhika sabbe te
manopubbavgamo . mano tesaj dhammanaj pathamaj uppajjati, anvadeva akusala
dhamma. (AN, Vol. I, 10)
the monks! Whatsoever things are evil, have part in evil, are on the side of evil. All such
have mind for their causing. First arises the mind as the forerunner of them and those evil
things follow after.
This quotation of AN shows that mano may refer to a more subtle but noticeable thing.
Mano is an independent centre which can produce thoughts or mental processes. All these
are preceded by the inner sense mano. Before emergence of thought or feeling or
sensation or wishes mano stands as a forerunner of them. It is certain that without
emergence of mano appearance of thought will never occur. In the famous statement, in
the Dhammapada, asserts this: manopubbavgama dhamma . Things are controlled
by inner senses, surpassed by inner senses, made by inner sense. Though mano here has
been interpreted in many ways but in this context it seems to indicate that mental images
(dhammas) purely caming after mano. It means mind is coming before the mental
images. Thus, mano plays an important role in the creation of manosavkharas (mental
formations). All these mental formations are created on the base of mano. Citta
indentifies, and colours, and objects, which falls into mano. Mano also has a very specific
function which is not shared by any of the other faculties. Mano consists of the ability to

survey the objects of the other sense. Its function is to assist in bringing back the
impression produced by the other sense faculties. The Buddha fingers out mano as a precondition for all knowledge and experience. Perhaps, due to this reason Buddha had
made this definition. Sometimes function of the mind may produce to think a feeling of
self. When the Buddha stated different words to signify different and subtle function of
the same general complex of mind naturally it helps to think that mano is one among the
six faculties that condition mind (manasa dhammaj vibbaya).

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