Reply To: Culasihanada Sutta

#34539
Lal
Keymaster

Yes. This is a good question. I will answer briefly and maybe need to add a post to the recent section on “Concepts of Upādāna and Upādānakkhandha

1. We are bound to the samsaric process because of 4 types of upadana (this is just one way to look at how the rebirth process is maintained): diṭṭhupādāna, sīlabbatupādāna, kāmupādāna, and attavādupādāna.
– I have re-arranged the terms in the order that they are removed while cultivating the Noble Path.

2. A living-being (satta or satva) manifests because of the akusala-mula Paticca Samuppada (PS) processes.
– As you can see the “whole mass of suffering” starts with “avijja paccaya sankhara”. But avijja does not arise without causes.
– Avijja arises when we come across a sensory input that “matches” our gati. We have, in broad terms, lobha gati, dosa, gati, and moha gati.

3. Those gati can be looked at in terms of upadana.
– When one does not understand the PS enough, one has diṭṭhupādāna. Because of that one also thinks that living a moral life is good enough. That is sīlabbatupādāna.
– When one becomes at least a Sotapanna Anugami and starts comprehending PS/Tilakkhana/Noble Truths, one gets rid of those two types of upadana.

4. However, even a Sotapanna has only removed those wrong views or diṭṭhi vipallasa. He/she would still have sanna and citta vipallasa.
– When a Sotapanna cultivates the anicca sanna, dukkha sanna, anatta sanna, he can gradually remove the “tendency to attach to sensual pleasures” or kama raga. When that is complete he would have also removed kāmupādāna.

5. The last one remove is the “sense of a me” or “asmi mana” and that is removed at the Arahant stage. That is the citta vipallasa. In terms of upadana, it is the attavādupādāna. Of course, this “sense of me” is the hardest to remove. Avijja completely disappears only at that time.

Also, see, “Vipallāsa (Diṭṭhi, Saññā, Citta) Affect Saṅkhāra