Regarding rrkk01’s question above:
It is correct that gandhabba is also made of matter. In fact, a gandhabba is made of the smallest elements of matter called “suddhatthaka.”
- Contrary to mundane thinking, sometimes “lighter things” are more stable than heavy things. For example, anything dense, like rocks and even metal, can be burned at high enough temperatures. However, even at such high temperatures, air molecules are not burned.
- In another example, dense things like metal sheets can be cut by saws or laser light. However, air molecules cannot be cut like that.
A gandhabba can be created ONLY by kammic energy and destroyed ONLY by the mechanisms I mentioned earlier.
- The essence of a gandhabba is the hadaya vatthu (seat of the mind) and five pasada rupa. Those are very special entities because it is not that bit of matter, but they also have the following unique capabilities:
- A hadaya vatthu is the ONLY entity in this world that can generate thoughts (citta). Five pasada rupa are the only things in this world that can detect sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and touch sensations.
- Our eyes, ears, etc., only bring signals from the external world into the physical body, and the brain only processes such information. Then, those signals are transmitted by the brain to the gandhabba. Hadaya vatthu of the gandhabba receives those signals via the five pasada rupa and, in turn, generates citta (thoughts) in response. See “Brain – Interface between Mind and Body“
P.S. All existences (lives) start with a manomaya kaya (“mind-made body”) with a hadaya vatthu and up to five pasada rupa.
- There is no “gap”, i.e, a lifestream ALWAYS has a manomaya kaya. For example, if a human existence ends with the death of a human gandhabba, and if the next existence is in the animal realm, then an animal gandhabba is born at the moment that human gandhabba dies.
- The manomaya kaya is called a gandhabba only in the human and animal realms. That is because only in those two realms that dense physical bodies arise subsequently based on that gandhabba.
- In the Deva realms, the gandhabba kaya arises together with the physical body. Devas have less dense physical bodies compared to humans. They also have five pasada rupas like humans.
- The rupa loka Brahmas have a hadaya vatthu and two pasada rupa. Thus the structure is similar to that of a human gandhabba, but only with two pasada rupa. They are not called gandhabbas because they don’t make subsequent physical bodies based on that manomaya kaya.
- The arupa loka Brahmas have a hadaya vatthu but no pasada rupa. Thus, it has only the mind.
- The hadaya vatthu is also present in the asanna realm. But it is entirely trapped in a physical body with no “doors” to the external world, i.e., no eyes, ears, mouth, tongue, or nervous system to sense the touch. Also, there is no brain to bring in memories.
Make sure to understand this basic picture. Keep asking questions if anything is unclear.
