Reply To: A confusion related to attaining the fourth path in a pure abode:

#32513
Lal
Keymaster

TripleGemStudent wrote:
“For rupa Brahma’s since they are missing the faculties of “touch” and “taste”. Without taste, that means they don’t have a mouth. How do they communicate with Lord Buddha?”

Yes. The answers by y not and Sharma27 are close.

The succinct way to say that is the following.

It is the sota pasada rupa that makes it possible to communicate with others.
Rupavcara Brahmas (as well as human gandhabbas) communicate directly (without words) via that sota pasada rupa.
– It is only when the gandhabba is trapped in a physical body that mouths and ears (and air vibrations for sound propagation) are needed to communicate.
Arupavacara Brahmas (and those in the asanna realm) do not have the sota pasada rupa. That is why they cannot communicate with others.

I have discussed some of this in the section, “Origin of Life“. See, for example, “Mystical Phenomena in Buddhism?“.
– Also, see, “Brain and the Gandhabba