citta: The citta is the mind’s essential knowing nature, the fundamental quality of knowing that underlies all sentient existence. When associated with a physical body, it is referred to as “mind” or “heart”. Being corrupted by the defiling influence of fundamental ignorance (avijjã), its currents “flow out” to manifest as feelings (vedanã), memory (saññã), thoughts (sankhãra), and consciousness (viññãna), thus embroiling the citta in a web of self-deception. It is deceived about its own true nature. The true nature of the citta is that it simply “knows”. There is no subject, no object, no duality; it simply knows. The citta does not arise or pass away; it is never born and never dies.
Normally, the “knowing nature” of the citta is timeless, boundless, and radiant, but this true nature is obscured by the defilements (kilesa) within it. Through the power of fundamental ignorance, a focal point of the “knower” is created from which that knowing nature views the world outside. The establishment of that false center creates a “self” from whose perspective consciousness flows out to perceive the duality of the “knower” and the “known”. Thus the citta becomes entangled with things that are born, become ill, grow old, and die, and therefore, deeply involved it in a whole mass of suffering.
In this book the citta is often referred to as the heart; the two are synonymous. The heart forms the core within the body. It is the center, the substance, the primary essence within the body. It is the basic foundation. Conditions that arise from the citta, such as thoughts, arise there. Goodness, evil, happiness, and suffering all come together in the heart.
Samãdhi meditation provides confirmation of the heart’s significance. When the citta gathers all of its outflowing currents into one point, the calm, still state of samãdhi arises. From the meditator’s perspective, that experience is centered in the middle of the chest. The stillness, the brightness, and the awareness of this experience appear to emanate prominently from the region of the heart. The knowing nature of the citta is pronounced right there. Thus, the true seat of consciousness is in the heart; and it is wise, therefore, to avoid thinking of the “mind” as essentially cerebral and located in the head.
There is a strong tendency to think that consciousness results purely from complex interactions within the human brain, and that when the brain dies, consciousness ceases. This mechanistic view is wholly mistaken. While there is evidence that certain parts of the brain can be identified with certain mental functions, that does not mean that the brain produces consciousness. In essence, the brain is a complex processing organ. It receives and processes incoming data impulses that inform about feelings, memory, thoughts, and consciousness, but it does not generate these mental functions; nor does it generate conscious awareness. That is entirely the province of the citta. (for a more detailed discussion see the Appendix on page 95)
心(citta)：心(或译作“质多”)是意识(mind)知道的根本特性，是一切生命知道功能的根本特征。当与身相对论时，它是指意识(mind)或一般称谓的心(heart)。由于心受到根本的无明所染污，它往外流显现成受、想、行和识，结果导致它卷入自我欺骗的圈套中。它蒙蔽了自己真正的本性。心的本性是它只是“知道”。没有能知、所知，没有二元对立；它只是知道。心不会生起或灭去，它不受生死。通常，心“知道的特性”是超越时间、无垠和光明的，可是这真正内在的特性被烦恼所覆盖。由于根本无明的力量，当观察外在世间时，一个“能知者”形成这知道特质的中心。这个错误的中心创造了“我”，在意识往外流时就产生二元对立的“能知者”与“所知者”。结果导致心纠缠于生、老、病、死中，纯大苦聚集因此而生。在本书中，心通常是指一般用法的心(heart)，两者一样。心形成身中的核心。它是身中的中心、本体、根本。它是最根本的基础。从心生起的状态，例如想，从这里生起。善、恶、快乐、悲伤皆在心中。三摩地的禅修让行者确定心的意义，当心把它所有的外流汇集在一点时，就进入三摩地的宁静和定 的境界。从禅修者的角度而言，他会在胸口中心体验到这汇集点。在这体验中的定、光明和觉知都清楚地显示在心口这部位。心知道的特质在这里显现。所以识位于心口这个部位。因此，应明智地避免认为意识在脑子里运作，主要只有思维作用。一般总是以为意识纯粹只是在人脑内复杂的运作产生出来的，所以当脑死，意识即消失。这种机械化的观念是根本上的错误。当我们能证明某些心理功能与头脑的某些部分有关，并不就表示头脑产生意识。本质上，头脑只是一具复杂的运算器官。它接受从受、想、行和识输入的讯息，然后加以处理，可是它并不产生这些心理功能，也不产生意识觉知。那些全在心的领域之内。(详细的谈论请阅读本书附录)
