Date: 20th July 2006, Thursday

According to this explanation act of vibbana and its origination are very clear.
It is a voluntary action. The contact between sense organs and their respective objects
intensively makes the pave to merge vibbana. For that, 2 factors are necessary, that
is external sense object or stimulus and internal sense organ. All the perceived things
are creations (savkhara). The objective world is savkhara. Thus vibbana arises
depending on savkharas; that is, both objective and subjective world.
Mahatanhasavkhaya sutta shows how the vibbana gets different connotation:
Monks! As a fire burns this or that appropriate condition by that it is known, if
fire burns because of sticks it is known as a stick fire and if a fire burns because of
grass it is known as a grass fire; and if a fire burns because of cow-dung it is known
as cow-dung fire. Even so monks! When because of a condition appropriate to is
consciousness arises. It is known by this or that name. When consciousness arises
because of eye and form it is known as visual consciousness.
Cognition is a complex process. Its first stage is the vibbana. It is not a full
cognition. It is the initial stage leading to full cognition. That is why, at initial stage
vibbana is named a condition appropriate to it. At this stage, vibbana is neither
good nor bad, but neutral. Therefore, vibbana at this stage cannot be ethically
evaluated in the instruction given to monks. In Udana Pali it is clear that they are
advised to cultivate regarding development of mind to begin at this stage.
Then, Bhahiya, thus must you train yourself. In the seen there will be just the
seen. In the heard just the heard. In the imagine just the imagine. In the cognized just
the cognized. Thus you will have knowledge thereby.
At the moment of just seeing one never makes thoughts on objectivity deeper. He
is unable to describe the particularity of the object; because at this stage he does not
make any intentional thoughts. Therefore, this anoetic stage does not produce
complete knowledge. The early Buddhist view of vibbana also signifies the
cognitive consciousness. This includes all residual mental functions. Mental function
which produces full cognition at the first stage vibbana is something functionally
generated by the interaction of the animated organism with external matters. But the
process of full cognition does not arrest here. This is not the final stage in the process
of sense cognition; because here the object is not completely apprehended for the
perception of material object. There should be other conditions.

ajjhattikamaca avuso mano aparibhinno hoti, bahira ca dhamma apatam

agacchanti, no ca tajjusamannaharo hoti, neva tava tajjassa vinnanabhagassa
patibhavo hoti (MN, Vol. I, 119)
( Mind that is internal is intact but external dhammas do come within its range
and there is no appropriate impact. There is no appearance of the appropriate section
of vibbana)
This quotation describes necessary 3 conditions which give full cognition:
1. The mind as the organ of Dhamma must be unimpaired,
2. External object coming within the field of mental stage,
3. An act of attention or an appropriate impact
The sutta says that when these factors are positive that the emergence of the
section of consciousness (vibbanabhaga) takes place. Vibbanabhaga means the
section of consciousness. It means vibbana has several sections. It is important here
again to study the word tajjosamannahara. Samanna-ahara means attention,
concentration, or bringing together. According to commentarial explanation,
samannahara means attention (uppajjamana-manasikaro). Thus this condition, hat is
act of attention, should be there to have full cognitive consciousness (vibbana). This
act of attention is a deliberate action.