Out of the fourfold Sankhata Paramatthas, Paramattha Dhammas are significant. The remaining three, Uppadino Dhamma (Uppadi-Dhamma), Paramatthajatika and Anuppanna Dhamma are certain states of Paramattha Dhammas. They are vital in understanding the phenomenon of samsara and the nature and attainment of Nirvana.
Uppadino Dhammas
When someone has done either a good or a bad deed (a kamma) its karmic energy implants into the mindstream of the doer and follows the mindstream. In other words, the karmic energy follows the doer of the deed. The Buddha uttered this phenomenon in the Dhammapada.
Na hi kammam katanpapan – sajjukhiram’vamuccati
Dahantam balamanveti – bhasmcchanno’vpavako
As the milk of a cow does not turn into curd as soon as it has been milked, the evil deed done by a fool follows him or her like blazing charcoal covered with ashes.
This karmic force or karmic energy is an ultimate nature (paramattha), but not designated as a paramattha dhamma since it has not come into the stages of genesis (uppada), persisting (thiti) and vanishing (bhanga).
Any kamma that has been done needs to find an opportunity (okasa) to produce its results. A kamma that has gained the opportunity to yield its results is called laddhokasakamma – ‘a karmic energy that has gained the opportunity’. In some places, it is also addressed as okasakatakamma – ‘a karmic energy that has made the opportunity [to give its results]’.
Resultant mentalities (Vipakacittas and cetasikas) and kamma-born matter (matter produced by kamma) that would arise as results of a kamma that has gained the opportunity are not considered as non-existents. It is owing to the fact that the cause of these resultant realities has already gained the opportunity to yield its outcomes (that is to say the resultant realities). As these resultant realities are going to arise, they are considered existing prior to their arising. Such unborn realities are called uppadino dhamma [uppadidhamma].
According to this notion, when a certain kamma has given a rebirth in a particular life, all the bhavangacittas (life-continuum) and the cuticitta (death-consciousness) that are bound to arise are considered existing even before they have arisen. This is one of the fundamental notions that the Buddha used in delivering the Potthapada Sutta.
Titthate’vasayan, potthapada, arupiattasannamyo, athaimassapurisassaannasannauppajjati, anna ca sannanirujjhati.
Potthapada, while the immaterial self produced by perception exists, a different perception arises and vanishes to that person”.
The ‘immaterial self produced by perception’ referred in the sutta is the bhavangacitta of an arupa being (a being born in the immaterial realm). When another perception has arisen, the bhavangacitta has already vanished. But the Buddha considered the bhavanga existing, since when the new perception has passed away, a new bhavangacitta of similar nature will surely arise. The certainty of the arising of these new bhavangacittas is due to the fact that the kamma which produces them has already gained the opportunity. Therefore, bhavangacittas that are bound to arise are considered ‘existing.’
The existing nature of uppadino dhamma is their bounded nature to arise due to their cause (kamma) having gained the opportunity to yield the results. This nature of existing should not be mingled with the nature of having come into any of the three phases uppada (genesis), thiti (persisting) and bhanga (vanishing).
The resultant realities of a kamma that has gained the opportunity are named uppadino dhamma before their arising. However, when they have arisen, it means when they have come into the stages of genesis (uppada), persisting (thiti) and vanishing (bhanga), they are called paramattha dhammas.
These realities before their arising can be called anagata (future) realities considering their moment of arising and existing as paramattha dhammas in future. At the same time, when focusing on their nature of being a potency, that potency is not possible to be termed as atita (past), anagata (future) or paccuppanna (prezA fine example for the functioning of a laddhokasa kamma is the manifestation of threefold signs, i.e., kamma, kammanimitta and gatinimitta, at the proximity of death.
Moreover, a kamma that has gained the opportunity can sometimes be prevented from resulting. The stories of the father of Ven. Sona and King Dutthagamini Abhaya are fine examples for instances in which a laddhokasa kamma has been inhibited from giving its results.
A laddhokasa kamma can sometimes be prevented from yielding its results by being overcome by another kamma. Therefore, both these kammas and their results can be abandoned, hence fit to be designated as an ultimate nature.
Paramatthajatika
Paramatthajatika are the natures that do exist, but have not come into the stages of uppada, thiti or bhanga together with other realities. Therefore, they are not designated as paramattha dhammas.
They are potential natures that will arise as paramattha dhammas should the conditions gather. Some of these natures listed in the literature are: Anusaya (latent defilements), Vasana (potency of habits caused by defilements), Kammasatti (force of the kamma that remains after it vanishes), Kammasamangita (the karmic force which is capable of producing rebirths), Carita (force of the past kammas), Asaya (abode of the mind), and Adhimutta (inclination of the mind).
These natures exist associating the mental stream of beings. Here, associating the mindstream does not imply that they are connected with the mind like citta and cetasikas are connected with each other (nasampayuttabhavena). Moreover, while being potent, they cannot be observed as separate entities such as citta, cetasika and rupa.
According to the information found in the literature of Theravada, these potential realities cannot be directly observed by savakas. These natures are certain stages of some mentalities.
Natures mentioned above, at their stage of being a paramatthajatika do possess conspicuously different features from their stage of being paramatthadhammas, but within the tradition, they are not expressed as entirely different paramattha-realities from paramatthadhammas. In other words, paramatthajatika are certain stages of some mental paramatthadhammas. Therefore, paramatthajatikas are referred to with the same terminologies used for their respective paramatthadhammas. For example, according to the Theravadins, what arises as the mental factor called dosa is the same dosa which existed as a latent tendency.
Even a particular kammasatti is addressed with the name of the past kamma to which it belongs. It means the kammasatti of a kamma of killing (pauatipatakamma) is referred as a kamma of killing.
The existing nature of paramatthajatikas can be known by the effect they make upon the mindstream of beings. For instance, the effects of latent ignorance (anusayamoha) can be seen by the fact that they cause javanacetanas to be kammas that bear results in future. Vasanakilesa (potency of habits caused by defilements) present in arahants’ mindstream shapes some of their behaviours to be of certain manners as if done with unwholesome intentions. Kammasamangita coming forth to give rebirth influences the mind to be either wholesome or unwholesome presenting any of the three signs i.e., kamma, kammanimitta (sign of kamma) or gatinimitta (sign of the immediate destination).
Out of the group of paramatthajatikas, anusaya and vasana are considered existing as long as they are not eradicated by noble paths (vasana is eradicated by the noble path of a Sammasambuddha), whereas kammasamangita is taken as existing as long as it has the ability to produce rebirths due to the support of latent defilements.
The existing nature of latent defilements was clearly expressed in the Mahamalukyaputta Sutta in Majjhima Nikaya. There, the Buddha mentioned beings are bound to the sensual realm due to the existence of five strengthened latent unwholesome natures – self-view (sakkayaditthi), sceptical doubt (vicikiccha), adherence to wrong rights and rituals (silabbataparamasa), sensual desire (kamaraga) and anger (patigha). At the same time, he pointed out that advocating the defilements which arise in the mindstream (obsessive defilements/ pariyutthanakilesa) as the cause of bonding to the samsara would lead to the censure of adheres of other religious beliefs.
Paramatthajatikas are very similar to present (paccuppanna) realities, hence called paccuppannasamanna. Ven. Ledi Sayadaw suggests that these natures, during the stage of being a potency, depict close resemblance to paccuppanna realities, but should not be considered as exact paccupanna, because at that level they have not come into the stages of arising, persisting or vanishing. Hence are given the name paccuppannasamanna – similar to paccuppanna realities. Another reason to consider them as paccuppannasamanna should be their nature of affecting the mindstream greatly.
Most paramatthajatikas can be abandoned, hence falling into the category of ultimacy (paramattha-natures). For instance, latent defilements can be fully eradicated with noble paths and the kammasamangita (the ability of the kamma to give a rebirth) can be made infertile by eradicating its supporting causes, the latent ignorance and latent craving. However, when paramatthajatikas arise (come into the stages of uppada, thiti and bhanga) they are called paramatthadhammas. However, when paramatthajatikas arise (come into the stages of uppada, thiti and bhanga) they are called paramatthadhammas.
Anuppanna Dhamma
Anuppanna dhamma means realities that are possible to arise due to prevailing causes. These realities are not considered as not existing even before their arising, since they are bound to arise should the conditions prevail. For instance, the nama and rupa that are possible to happen in following lives due to the prevalence of uneradicated defilements and kamma in a certain mindstream are considered existing because the particular being is not freed from them. Such mind and matter that are bound to arise are called anuppanna realities within the Theravada tradition.
The existing nature of anuppanna realities of a particular living being should be understood by the fact that that being is not freed from those realities (realities that would arise). The existing nature of anuppanna realties has been clearly expressed in the NakhasikhaSutta. In the discourse, the Buddha gave a simile for the remnant and eradicated suffering of a stream-enterer (sotapanna). According to him, the suffering a sotapanna has eradicated is similar to the soil on the entire Earth while the quantity of suffering left in a stream-enterer, within the following seven lives as long as the remaining paths have not yet been attained, is like a lump of soil taken on to the Buddha’s nail. This simile clearly amounts to the idea that what the Buddha has considered as the noble truth of suffering is not only the miseries that have arisen but also the non-arisen large mass of suffering from which a being is not freed (non-arisen suffering). This non-arisen suffering is the nama and rupa that are supposed to arise if the conditions for their arising prevails. The existing nature of anuppanna realities should not be misunderstood with the existing nature of paramattha dhammas.
Anuppanna dhammas can be exhaustively classified into the following five groups.
1. Uppadinodhamma – Kamma-born realities that are supposed to arise due to their kammas have gained the opportunity to yield results.
2. Aladdhokasa-anuppanna-kammajadhamma – Non-arisen kamma-born realities of kammas that have not gained the opportunity to yield results.
3. Paccuppannabhava-appahina-akusaladhamma – Unwholesome realities of this life that are not eradicated and would arise if the conditions gather.
4. Paccuppannabhava-anupadinna-asnkilittha-anuppannadhamma – Non-kamma-born and undefiled (not akusala realities) realities that are supposed to arise in the present life; That means the wholesome (kusala) and functional(kiriya) minds and mental factors, mind-born matter (cittajarupa), heat-or-cold- born matter (utujarupa) and nutriment-born matter (aharajarupa) that can arise in the present life (but have not arisen yet).
5. Avasesa-anuppannadhamma – All non-arisen realities other than the above four groups. While attaining Nibbana by the eradication of defilements by noble paths, beings become freed from some of the above mentioned anuppanna realities.
If these realities arise, at that time, they are called paramattha dhammas. Before arising as paramattha dhammas, at the level of being a potential to arise in the future, these natures are neither called atita, nor anagata, nor did paccuppanna, since they do not fit to be designated so. But they are similar to future realities, hence called anagatasamanna.
In general, anuppanna dhamma covers all non-arisen realities. It even includes uppadino dhamma and paramatthajatika.
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