Buddha and the bridging relations

The chapter reviews a classical Indian model of consciousness found in the Abhidhamma, a collection of seven treatises in the Pali Canon Tipitaka. The model was based on observations made during advanced vipassana practice, a first-person method taught by the Buddha. The climax of the model consists in the elucidation of 24 'Bridging Relations' causally linking the stream of consciousness, its contents and associated physical events. Review of such a model based on a specialized first-person technique could prove to be a resource of useful ideas providing directions for further research.