In his critique of Rune E. A. Johansson's analysis, Arvind Sharma examines and refutes the theory that *citta* (mind) exists as a core personality factor separate from the five *skandhas* and survives death. Johansson argues that *citta* is an enduring element, distinct from *viññāna* (consciousness), which attains *nibbāna* and continues in a diluted, impersonal state after an *arahant's* death, citing as evidence the ability of *arahants* to recognize one another and scriptural accounts like the story of Vakkali. Sharma contends that this evidence is insufficient to challenge the standard Theravāda position that an *arahant's* post-mortem state is unpredictable. He counters that Johansson relies on a weak "argument from silence" and offers an alternative interpretation wherein an *arahant's* enlightenment is recognized precisely through the *non-recognizability* of their consciousness, rather than through an identifiable, surviving *citta*.
