Yes. Tobias’s clarification is good but can be explained in more detail.
1. “Mūlapariyāya” means something like “genesis” or the “origins.” Here “mūla” means “origin/roots” and “pariyāya” is related to “dhammatā” or the “nature of this world.”
- This is an important sutta that needs to be discussed with MANY posts. A direct translation is useless and misleading.
2. For example, the verse LDF quoted first, “pathaviṁ pathavito sañjānāti” itself requires a lot of explanation, especially for someone not familiar with a bit deeper fundamentals.
- “sañjānāti” (knowing with “sañ” or “defilements”) is how an average person (anariya/puthujjano) sees/understands a concept.
- “pajānāti” is how an Ariya or a Noble Person (at lower stages) sees/understands a concept.
- “sampajānāti” (higher level of comprehending “sañ” ).
- “sati sampajānna” is another related term, and it is optimum for a Buddha.
3. In the above verse, “pathavi” must be understood in a different context than “earth,” which is the most “dense state” of pathavi.
- As mentioned above, the “Mūlapariyāya Sutta” is about the “origins.”
- The verse, “pathaviṁ pathavito sañjānāti” says an average person would interpret pathavi as solid (earth.) They perceive their physical bodies made of pathavi (and apo, tejo, vayo) as their own.
- However, pathavi, apo, tejo, vayo in their bodies are the same as that on Earth.
4. What is different is that their manomaya kaya (made of hadaya vatthu/pasāda rupa) have much finer levels of pathavi, apo, tejo, vayo. Not only that, but those are “energized” by kammic energy, i.e., those suddhātthakas are NOT inert. They are a form of “nāmarupa,” i.e., they are more than “inert rupa.” That is why cittas can arise in hadaya vatthu (with the help of pasāda rupa.)
P.S. Added to #2 and #4 above.
