Thanks a lot, Lal, for going through it again.
Regarding your #2:
I wrote that part the way sankhara is used in that tradition. That’s why i used the quotation marks (“sankharas”) to distinguish between actual sankhara and the way they use it. I don’t know if I made that clear enough? The physical sensations are basically described as “sankharas” that are supposedly manifestations of defilements. The more you practice in line with the tradition (equanimously obeserving pysical sensations) the more these sensations become subtle, and the calmer mind and body become. As far as I know, Goenka has never used the term sankhata. That would have made more sense, though.
The theory I offered related to the gandhabba (later in that chapter) may not be easy to get unless my explanation on “sankhara” is clear. But even then, if one has never practiced according to this tradition, one may not be familiar with how these sensations behave in the same way as more advanced practitioners of that tradition are. In the end, it’s all meaningless (for Nibbana) but I thought there must be an explanation I can offer to those practitioners.
I could make a mention of sankhata specifically for that chapter. I have spoken about it in other parts but I have not used the term sankhata. I’ll go through it again and then i’ll make an appropriate reference or something of that sort. I’ll need a proper look.