Explain word citta with according to Abhidhamma pitaka

Citta is a generic term in Buddhist Psychology, ethics, epistemology and

metaphysics denoting the active element in mind and the conscious element in ultimate
reality. It occurs in all strata of Buddhist literature ranging from the earliest Pali texts
down to the latest Tantric works on Buddhist Mysticism. Scholars, both modern and
medieval, have rendered it variously to mean mind, thought, heart, conception,
consciousness, mood, emotion, spirit, idea and attitude. Citta is basically referred to
the center and focus of mans emotional nature as well as to the organ of thought in its
active, dynamic asect.
!he term citta, however, has been by the Buddha euated to two other cognate
terms namely mano and vibbana. "lthough citta, mano and vibbana are here
considered to be euivalent in meaning, actual usage in secific contexts tends to
confirm the view that these terms convey ! distinct asects of mentation.
Citta also described as a art of vibbanakkhandha and it is accomanied by the
other mental aggregates namely#$
%. &edanakkhandha
'. Sabbakkhandha
(. Sajkharakkhandha
!he Abhidhammikas recogni)e citta as a sychic order in the five"fold cosmic
order, namely#$
%. the germinal *bi+a$niyama,
'. the caloric *utu$niyama,
(. the moral *kamma$niyama,
-. the sychic *citta$niyama,
.. the natural$henomenal *dhamma$niyama,
Buddhaghosa exlains the sychic order as such# when an ob+ect strikes the sentient
organism, each according to its own nature, this related sychic functioning starts to
work such as
$ seeing
$ receiving
$ examining *or investigating,
$ determining
$ cogni)ing etc.
!he Abhidhammikas who sought to formulate an all$encomassing theory of
citta divided it under # broad classes which corresond to the # sheres
%. sensuous *kamavacara,
'. form *ruavacara,
(. formless *aruavacara,
-. transcendental *lokuttara,
!he !heravada "bhiddhamma contains a comprehensive classification of citta
based on the above considerations. !his may be given in the brief and systemaic form
in the Abhidhammatthasvgaha. !here are $# distinct tyes of citta in the sensuous
shere, %$ in the form shere, %& in the formless, and ' in the transcendental.
In later eriod, Abhidhammikas introduce a new theory called as /!heory of
moment *(hanavada,. " thought$rocess is said to consist of several thought
moments, each of which is again said to consist of ! oint$instants, namely#$
0ascence *uppada,
1ersistence *thiti,
Cessation *bhavga,
!he duration of a thought moment is so brief, and the rapidity of succession of
such thought moments is so great, that they cannot be imagined, let alone described. But
the rate of change in thought has been determined secifically relative to the rate of
change in matter for it is claimed, that there is as many as %) thought$moments arise and
perish during the eriod that matter endures.