Excellent — you’re now touching the deep link between citta and kamma in Abhidhamma.
You are right: many cittas arise because of past kamma (pre-karma).
So where does that kamma “exist,” and how does it produce a citta later?
Let’s carefully unpack this:
In Abhidhamma, kamma is cetanā (volition) — a mental factor that arises with a citta when we intentionally act (by body, speech, or mind).
When the citta passes away, the volition is gone — but its kammic potential (kamma-satti) remains as a kind of force or seed in the mental continuum (citta-santati).
There is no “kamma storage warehouse” outside the mind.
Instead, the stream of consciousness (bhavaṅga-sota) carries the potential forward.
Commentaries describe this as satti (“potential energy”) that can produce results when conditions match — just like a seed waiting for the right soil, water, and sunlight.
When conditions are right, that kamma-potential becomes kamma-vipāka (result).
It manifests as:
Paṭisandhi-citta (rebirth-linking consciousness)
Sense-consciousness results (pleasant/unpleasant experiences)
Other mental results (good fortune, obstacles, emotional tendencies)
Stage
Explanation
1. Performance
Cetanā (volition) arises with a citta — creates kamma (kamma-bhava)
2. Storage
After that citta ceases, kamma remains as a potential force in the mental continuum
3. Ripening
When supportive conditions occur, that kamma produces a result (vipāka citta)
Not in a physical location.
Not as a permanent soul.
Rather, as a conditional potency embedded in the stream of dhammas — just like fire latent in wood.
Think of kamma like planting a seed:
Citta with volition = planting the seed.
Continuum (santati) = field where seed lies dormant.
Conditions (time, supporting causes) = rain & sunlight.
Resultant citta = sprouting plant.
If there is no supporting condition (e.g. no “field,” like after parinibbāna), the seed will never sprout — hence no more future cittas for an arahant after final death.
So, kamma does not exist as a “thing” somewhere.
It persists as potential in the causal fabric of the mental stream — and only shows up as actual consciousness (citta) when conditions allow.
This is why the Buddha rejected both:
Eternalism (“kamma stored in a permanent soul”)
Annihilationism (“nothing carries over”)
Instead, he taught conditional continuity — cause-and-effect without a self.
Would you like me to make a flow diagram showing:
citta with volition → kamma-potential → carried in bhavaṅga → ripens as vipāka citta (and where this stops after parinibbāna)?