Yes. Some of those posts are old and need a bit of revision.
1. I just revised the first post quote as follows:
- “The baseline state of mind, i.e., when it is not looking at an external object or thinking about it, is called “bhavaṅga.” Here we do not “feel” anything, for example, when we are in a deep sleep. The mind falls back to the bhavaṅga state even in between pancadvāra citta vithi.”
2. The second was also revised as follows:
- Of course, a citta does not arise by itself. It is in a citta vīthi involved in “sensing the outside world.” That can occur via one of the six senses. Such a citta vīthi has either 17 cittā (for those sensing events involving the five physical senses) or about ten cittā in citta vīthi involving only the mind. In between those, the mind is in the “bhavaṅga” state.
- There is a “bhavaṅga” state associated with each “bhava.” Upon transitioning to a new bhava, a new “bhavaṅga state” will be associated with that new bhava. That is because the “seat of the mind” (hadaya vatthu) is unique to each bhava.
- However, we do not “feel” the “bhavaṅga state.” For details, see “State of Mind in the Absence of Citta Vithi – Bhavaṅga.”
3. It is correct. The phassa cetasika (one of the seven universal cetasika in a citta) makes it possible for the seat of the mind (hadaya vatthu) to make contact with the “rupa” coming to one of the five pasada rupa.
- For example, “cakkhuñca paṭicca rūpe ca uppajjāti cakkhuviññāṇaṃ” would not take place without the phassa cetasika arising. However, it is just a technicality. One could say that cakkhu pasada rupa makes contact with the hadaya vatthu and transfers the “rupa rupa” (or “vanna rupa“) that came in. But the resulting cakkhu vinnana will not arise without the phassa cetasika.
P.S. “Bhvanga citta” arise arise only WITHIN a citta vithi. In between citta vithi, the mind is in a “bhavanga state” – there are no bhavanga citta arising outside citta vithi. See “State of Mind in the Absence of Citta Vithi – Bhavaṅga.”
