For Westerners citta is often a tough nut to crack. It can mean “thinking,” “reflecting,” “intuition,” “mind,” “intellect,” etc. Mind is not a bad rendering of citta which is the past participle of cit which roughly means observe, perceive, understand, know, etc. Translating citta with Mind doesn’t close off Mind from being taken to be closer to the German word, Geist, i.e., spirit. If I said, “There is basically only the Mind (citta-mâtra),” which is the cardinal notion of the Lankavatara Sutra, it would be written in German: “Es gibt im Grunde nur den Geist (citta-mâtra).” Clearly, Geist is much closer to citta than Mind.
Confusion attends citta when some translators render it consciousness. But clearly citta is not consciousness or vijñâna—at least it shouldn’t be. Consciousness is only an attribute of citta or Mind/Geist or maybe a particular mode of spirit which takes the form of sensory space.
There is no real positive determination of Mind or spirit without altering Mind, itself, making it into something that it is not. The substance of Mind is so pure such that it is not identical with anything, or the same, is not identical with its phenomenalizations. Mind’s detection only occurs with the cessation of its self-obscuring activity like the waves of the ocean ceasing.
Mind’s almost incomprehensible mystery doesn’t make for happy Western Buddhists. It is my impression that they tend to equate Mind with awareness or the same, mindfulness (S., smriti). But the Buddha never taught that awareness is ultimate. In Mahayana Buddhism, Mind is the alpha and omega of Buddhism.
“Whatever is in the three realms, all that is the construction of mind (citta). How is it so? It is in accordance with one’s thought that one realizes all things. By mind does one see the Buddha, and by mind does one become a Buddha. The mind itself is the Buddha, the mind itself is my body. (Under ignorance) the mind does not know itself; does not see itself, it is due to ignorance that one seizes the determinate nature of mind. (In this state), the mind (that is thus seized) is also false.” (Mahâ-prajñâpâramitâ-shâstra).
citta is consciousness, but only differs in said state as a coordinate modality or attributive reflection thereof.
Vinnana in pali is meant literally vi+nana(citta/nous), or reflection/modality/coordinate/temporal/miragesque
In technical metaphore, citta is the hertzian wavefront (incoherrent), and vinnana is the modulated coordinate (as meant radio reciever modulated/receptical).
...in same fashion, the vimuttacitta is the non-hertzian unmodulated principle of the former wavefront.
....in taking said metaphor further, an unmodulated 'wavefront' cannot be measured or coordinated or observed by any means.... to which the ancient pali which goes "for him so liberated of citta, mara cannot find him hither or thither"....the metaphysics and quanta symbolism are syncronicitous.
Posted by: Java Junkie | December 06, 2011 at 01:09 AM
Western Buddhism = hippie 'religion' of Niceness:
http://meaningness.wordpress.com/2011/06/10/nice-buddhism/
Posted by: Jure | December 05, 2011 at 02:05 PM