Reply To: Patisandhi Citta – How the Next Life is Determined According to Gathi

#16549
Lal
Keymaster

“Do I understand it right, that in order to attain magga phala one needs a tihetuka cuti-patisandhi to the new human or deva bhava?”

Yes. This is correct.

“How can a being in the apayas have tihetuka or dvihetuka patisandhi?”

  1. Dvihetuka and tihetuka normally mean one born with two or three of the three “good roots”: alobha, adosa, amoha. One with a tihetuka birth can attain magga phala, but one with a dvihetuka birth can only work towards getting a tihetuka birth and attaining magga phala in a future life.
  2. – One born with only one “good root” is called ahetuka, not because there are no roots, but it expresses the fact that they are “unfortunate”. They cannot understand Dhamma at all.
    – While it is not possible to distinguish between tihetuka and dvihetuka persons, it is fairly easy to identify an “ahetuka” human. He/she is mentally (not physically) handicapped, and would have a very low IQ.

  3. A being in the apayas (four lowest realms) would not have ANY of the three “good roots”. I think they are also called “ahetuka patisandhi“.
  4. – Again, ahetuka here does not means “without causes”. Rather it means they have “bad hetu” (usually two of the three “bad hetu“: lobha, dosa, moha). So, the term “ahetuka patisandhi” for those in the apayas just means “no good hetu“.