Volume 33, 2026<\/p>\n
Indrajith P. Karunanayaka
\nIndependent Researcher<\/p>\n
The act of compassionate lying, or causing harm to save a life, poses a deep ethical question. Although many Buddhists accept breaking a precept out of care, the Therav\u0101da Abhidhamma<\/em> is widely seen as a rigid system that denies this possibility. Previous scholarly debates on this issue have overlooked the crucial role of momentariness. This article examines the psychological mechanics of moral habituation to show how such acts are structurally possible. Drawing on the Dhammasa\u1e45ga\u1e47\u012b<\/em>, the Atthas\u0101lin\u012b<\/em>, and the Abhidhammattha Sa\u1e45gah<\/em>a, the study demonstrates that compassion and the intention to deceive cannot blend into a single mixed state. Instead, they arise in a rapid, alternating karmically active phase of cognitive impulsion (javana<\/em>) sequence. I argue that this process is driven by the strict rules governing mental factors (cetasikas<\/em>) and the repetition condition (\u0101sevana paccaya<\/em>) that reinforce the ethical character of each moment. By highlighting the threshold of determining consciousness (vo\u1e6d\u1e6dhapana<\/em>), this momentary analysis resolves long-standing debates about mixed motives. The analysis clarifies how compassionate deception functions moment by moment and explains why training in moral conduct (s\u012bla<\/em>) must doctrinally precede concentration (sam\u0101dhi<\/em>) and wisdom (pa\u00f1\u00f1\u0101<\/em>).<\/p>\n Read article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Volume 33, 2026 Beyond \u201cMixed Motives\u201d: Cetasika Micro-Dynamics and Therav\u0101da Moral Dilemmas Indrajith P. Karunanayaka Independent Researcher The act of compassionate lying, or causing harm to save a life, poses a deep ethical question. Although many Buddhists accept breaking a precept out of care, the Therav\u0101da Abhidhamma is widely seen as a rigid system that … Continue reading Therav\u0101da Moral Dilemmas and the Micro-Dynamics of Mental Factors<\/span>