9.7 Of Initial Application of Mind and its Field of Operation (KV9.7)

Controverted Point: That initial mental application “falls” on all consciousness.

Theravādin: If that is true, you must also be prepared to admit in detail that other mental properties sustained application, zest, pleasure, pain, gladness, melancholy, indifference, faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, understanding, lust, hate … indiscretion fall on (or operate in) all consciousness. But you are not so prepared … .

Contrariwise, is there not concentration with sustained application only, not initial application; also concentration wherein there is neither kind of application? Were not, in fact, three kinds of concentrative exercise distinguished by the Exalted One: (1) With both modes of application; (2) with the sustained mode only; (3) with neither?

Hence your proposition is wrong.

The Points of Controversy, an English translation of the Pali Abhidhamma Kathāvatthu. Translated by Shwe Zan Aung and C.A.F. Rhys Davids. First published by Pali Text Society, 1915.

This SuttaCentral edition was prepared by Manfred Wierich and Ven. Vimala and proofread by Josephine Tobin. Some changes were introduced:

Abbreviations, i.e., those of cited works and the participants in the controversies, were expanded.

Cross-references were linked.

Some typographic changes were introduced, among others, i.e.: the phonetic symbol “ŋ” was changed to the Pāli diacritical letter “ṃ”, “ô” to “o”, single quotes to double quotes, and “:—” to “:”.

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The corrigenda were merged into the text. Some could not be resolved, though.

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