207: Rootless Consciousness (Part 1) 'Ahituka Citta'

 This talk describes to how past karma patterns present experience—and how mindful attention stops old patterns from creating new ones.

  We explore the meaning of rootless consciousness (ahituka) in Buddhist teaching — the states of mind that arise without the “roots” of greed, hatred, or delusion, but also without the wholesome roots of generosity or wisdom. These moments of awareness don’t create new karma; instead, they’re the results of our past actions unfolding in the present. These moments are the ripened results of past actions—brief flashes of awareness that don’t create new karma. Think of them as memories of past deeds showing up in the present, coloring how things feel and happen.

We’ll sketch the simple map: there are 18 rootless states in three groups—unwholesome resultants, wholesome resultants, and a small set of functional states that simply do their job and leave no trace. You’ll also hear why enlightened minds (the Buddha and arahants) experience some of these functional states without creating new karma. Tune in to learn how recognizing these subtle moments can free you from repeating old patterns and support mindful practice.

Notice the moments that only echo the past—so you don’t keep replaying them.

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Sayar Myat: 0:00

Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa,Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa, Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa. Theravada Buddhism series, Dhamma talk number thirty Rootless Consciousness Ahituka Jeta Before we go into the rootless consciousness Ahituga Jeta we need to understand consciousness with root he to jekat this word he do in English is root R O O T root cause or condition So root what does it mean? How does it apply here? In general roots keeps a plant or a tree alive and grow. For a plant and three roots are key. They feed the plant or tree to grow, to stay alive. And in Dharma, root he too is mental factors, Jita Sika, that accompany consciousness to become active, giving rise to karma. There are six kinds of roots that feed consciousness. They are greed loba anger dosa delusion moha non greed a loba non anger a dosak and non delusion a moha six roots. The first three evil roots accompany unwholesome consciousness and the latter three good roots accompany wholesome consciousness of the mundane world Loki Mandane Wang Consciousness with roots always produce wholesome or unwholesome karma because the roots are feeding evil roots produce unwholesome karma. Good roots feeds into to produce wholesome karma. So that what roots mean and consciousness with roots. Now let's see rootless consciousness. Ah hetuka jigta. When he took root when you put a prefix of a automatically it negates the meaning. Ah he to ga me rootless. Ah jaita. Consciousness without the six roots is called rootless consciousness. They are divided off roots. But here there's a point to remember. If one takes the meaning of he too as cause because the meaning has a root cause condition. But if you take the word cause, for he too automatically ahitu becomes causeless. But we all know in Buddhism nothing arises without cause or causes. So don't use cause as the English translation for H2 in this case. But take root as translation in this particular case. And as it is a result, and as they don't have any mental factors that can produce new karma, they are called rootless consciousness. There are eighteen rootless consciousness and they are divided into three groups. The first group has seven rootless unwholesome resultant consciousness. One of the quality is rootless, the second quality is unwholesome, and third is resultant prefix of the consciousness. Ahituka Akusala Vipaka Chita. That's the name of the first group. Ruthless, unwholesome, resultant consciousness. And altogether seven in that group. The second group consists of eight rootless, wholesome, resultant consciousness. The difference between the first group and second group is wholesome and unwholesome. The remaining are the same. That's a second group. Seven plus eight, fifteen. And the third group consists of three rootless functional consciousness. The third root consists of three, and it is called rootless functional consciousness. In Pali Ahituka Kriya Chaitat Kriya Chaitat. So there are eighteen rootless consciousness divided into three groups based on wholesome, unwholesome, and functional. So the first two groups is wholesome and unwholesome. Resultant. The first two groups of consciousness. To understand it, one needs to understand the full meaning of the word we baka. Paliwa vibaka. What does it mean? In the past lives, one has done many good and bad actions. Not all, but some, based on the conditions, they become mature in this life. That karma of past life produce, or one can say manifest a new body in this life, and a new mind in this life. This new body and new mind are the product of past life karma. Even though there is a body and mind. Body means physicality, mind means mentality, product of karma. When we use the word we baka, in English resultant, we baka, it refers to mentality only, not physicality. Vipaka refers to mentality, which means consciousness and mental factor, not materiality. This vipaka or resultant must be identical to its cause. What other cause? It's the volitions or karma of past life. Whatever the volitions of karma of past life, this resultant in this life must be identical to it. So unwholesome karma of past life will produce the unwholesome resultant consciousness in this life. Wholesome karmas of past life will produce wholesome resultant consciousness in this life. That's what it means by identical. Apple three cannot produce orange, orange three cannot produce apple. Similarly, eight rootless, wholesome, resultant consciousness, the second group. Eight rootless, wholesome, resultant consciousness can be understood the same way as the first group. The only difference is wholesome and unwholesome. That's a difference. Here is kusala wholesome. The first group is akusala unwholesome. That's a difference. The eight rootless wholesome resultant consciousness of the current life, the present life, results from the wholesome volition or karma of past life. Again, trying to show the cause and the effect must be identical in terms of the quality, wholesome or unwholesome. As the resultant consciousness, we baka chita, resultant consciousness, we bhaka jita. For those who studies Pali is the effect of the result of past karma. It possesses no power to produce a new karma. All resultant consciousness, all we bhagaja cannot make a new karma. They don't have the power to make new karma. The arising of these resultant consciousness is dependent on a sense object of the present moment in this life. They will arise whenever you engage with a sense object. However, the mental reaction, the mental reaction towards these arising objects, will and can create new karma. That's how new karmas are being accumulated in this life. Not from the resultant consciousness. Resultant consciousness is simply the result of past life karma. And they arise in this life whenever one engages with the sense object. And then the reaction to that sense object creates new karma. Those are the sharp distinctions one needs to understand. But if one has engaged in a lot of unwholesome actions in the past life, one will experience a lot more unwholesome, unpleasant objects in this life. That's what identical means. Not only the mind, the object that pops up, that you see, that you experience, that you contact, are also identical. Pleasant object or unpleasant object. So we can say actions we have done in the past lives, programmed or rootless resultant consciousness. You engage with the sense object, pleasant object will give you the pleasant feeling, unpleasant object will give you the unpleasant feeling. And as soon as you engage with that object, the consciousness thus arises is called rootless resultant consciousness. The third group Ahituga Griya Jigdat. It consists of this third group consists of three rootless functional consciousness. This one is functional, not resultant. Functional consciousness. Here the word kriya K-R-I-Y-A. Kriya means performing its function or job. Doing its job. That is its function. Whenever there's a griachita, what is happening? It arises. Of course, when it arises there must be an object. It arises together with the object and simply disappear. That is the function of griyacha. It doesn't do anything more or anything less. Such consciousness has no craving for all actions because people, whenever they are facing with a situation, condition, and object, they do something, there's an action. Always regardless. But when there is a griat jaita, they still do the same functions, the same actions, they still engage with it. But they disappear without leaving any trace or residue behind. The reason is in such person, all kilisa, mental defilements, great anger and delusions are completely uprooted. As such person has completely uprooted the kilisa, even though they do a job with the functional consciousness. That's why it is called rootless as well. So not just simply griya jigda functional consciousness. Also put the word rootless. That's why it is called in this particular group called Ahituga Griya Jigda. So we are talking about this particular heading, rootless functional consciousness. This is the third group. But functional consciousness, just simply functional consciousness, kriya chaita. There are twenty of them. They are called one sense door adverting consciousness. Second, mind door adverting consciousness and smile producing consciousness. Those three those three fall under the rootless functional consciousness. The first three of the twenty. However, the first two of the three rootless functional consciousness arises in everybody, including the Buddha and Arahants. The first two sense door adverting and mindal adverting arises in every being. But the remaining eighteen, the remaining eighteen appears or arises only in the Buddha and Arahants. Nobody has that kind of a consciousness, eighteen functional consciousness. Only the Buddhas and Arahants. Not even the first noble person or the second noble person or the third noble person, they don't have it. The fourth noble person, Arhant. And the Buddhas. The consciousness arising in them are only those eighteen functional consciousness. So that gives you the idea of what rootless consciousness Ahiduga Jita is. Eighteen of them split into three groups. One is unwholesome group. Second is wholesome group. Third is griya group. In that kriya group there are only three under the heading of rootless. There are only three. But functional by itself has twenty. Two arises in everybody, including Buddha and Arahant. The remaining eighteen arises only in Buddhas and Arahants. So that gives you a fuller understanding of what rootless consciousness is. If you want to understand the first two rootless functional consciousness, sense door adverting and mind door adverting. If you under want to understand fully and thoroughly, listen to the dependent origination Dhamma talk. Number seven. If you listen to it, you will have a full understanding. And even if you do, go and listen again. It can bring you a better perspective. May all of you be able to understand how your minds work and see what is good and what is evil. Develop all things that are good and avoid all things that are evil. And purify the mind. That's what Buddha told us. Do good, avoid evil, and purify the mind. And to purify the mind, if you understand it in details, you will have an advantage to work through things. May all of you be able to practice Satipathana Vipassana meditation and attain Nippana as soon as possible. Thank you very much.