Chapter 16 - Āsevana paccaya (or repeatition condition)

Āsevana paccayoti

purimā purimā kusalā dhammā pacchimānam pacchimānam kusalānam dhammānam asevana paccayena paccayo.

purima purima akusalā dhammā pacchimānam pacchimānam akusalānam dhammānam asevana paccayena paccayo.

purimā purimā kiriyābyākatā dhamā pacchimānam pacchimānam kiriyābyākatānam dhammānam asevana paccayena paccayo.

In asevana paccayo or repeatition condition_

When foregoing (purimā) dhamm are kusala dhamma (wholesome dhamma) the following dhamma (pacchimānam) are also kusala dhamma. The foregoing dhamma serve as conditioning dhamma or paccaya dhamma or supporting dhamma or causal dhamma and the following dhamma are pacayuppanna dhamma or resultant dhamma or supported dhamma or conditioned dhamma.

The relationship between the foregoing dhamma and next following dhamma is called āsevana paccaya or repeatition condition. Because both dhamma are exactly the same. But the former supports the later and so the later dhamma are much much more potent than their foregoing dhamma.

The same happen to when the foregoing dhamma are akusala the following dhamma will be akusala dhamma and the relationship is asevana paccayo and when the foregoing dhamma are kiriyābyākata dhamma the following dhamma will also be kiriyābyākata dhamma.

The examples can be seen in vithi vara javana cittas. But there are some exception that not all javana cittas have asevana paccaya relationship.

Non inclusive dhamma in asevana paccaya are

A. not for conditioning dhamma are

1. the last javana citta;

This is because the last javana citta cannot condition to the next citta, which is no more javana citta with repeatition condition.

2. magga javana citta ;

This is because magga citta and its following citta are not the same. Magga citta is lokuttara kusala citta and this is always followed by lokuttara phala citta. So this is not repeatition condition.

3. phala javana citta ;

There may be series of phala cittas in case of fruition attainment or phala samapatti. But this succession is not āsevana paccayo or repeatition condition but other condition called vipāka paccayo.

Therefore 4 magga cittas, 4 phala cittas and the last javana citta altogether 9 javana cittas do not serve as asevana paccaya. So among 55 javana cittas when 9 are excluded 46 javana cittas left and they can serve the following javana cittas with repeatition condition. The conditioning dhamma also include the accompanying cetasikas 52 of these 46 cittas.

B. not conditioned dhamma of asevana paccaya or repeatition condition

1. the first javana citta

This is because cittas will be different and repeatition condition cannot serve here.

2. phala javana cittas

This is because magga cittas do not condition with asevana paccaya to phala javana cittas.

So among 55 javana cittas 4 phala cittas are excluded and only 51 javana cittas and their accompanying 52 cetasikas are conditioned dhamma in asevana paccaya.