I just finished writing and revising this and was about to post it, and saw that Lal had a more recent comment. I’m going to post it anyhow since it was my thought at that time, so this was written before reply #55889, which I am about to read.
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Thank you!
Let’s take an example of a person looking at a blue sky, is it correct to think of it in this way: Ultimately it is suddhāṭṭhaka colliding with suddhāṭṭhaka — vaṇṇa rupa making contact with cakku pasada rupa (and ultimately hadaya vatthu — and from that contact citta and cetasika arise (one of which is the saññā cetasika). It is the saññā cetasika that produces the “blue sky”, and most humans looking at the same thing will see it as the “blue sky”, since we are of the same species.
I have trouble understanding the phrase “attaching to kāma saññā“, and I have read all the posts and tried to digest them to the best of my ability. I have always understood attachment (tanha) in the context of vedana, as per paticca samuppada:
… vedana paccaya tanha …
Let’s continue with a person looking at the blue sky and make some scenarios out of it:
(1) Person A looks at the blue sky, and let’s say it is a “beautiful day”: clear sky, cool temperature, gentle breeze, etc.
Seeing the blue sky on a beautiful day could lead to a good feeling (somanassa vedana), and attachment (tanha) is to that vedana. In A’s mind a scenario like this could be possible: “Last year, on a day just like this, I had a wonderful picnic with my family, and everyone was so happy; let’s see if I can get everyone to another picnic this year”.
(2) Person B looks at the same blue sky on such a beautiful day and could have a bad feeling (domanassa vedana) instead. B’s story could be something like: “Last year, on a day just like this, I lost a loved one”, and tanha in B arises dependent on that domanassa vedana.
(3) An arahant, looking at the same thing, still perceives it as a blue sky, or even a “beautiful” day. But there can be no tanha in the arahant, since no somanassa vedana nor domanassa vedana arise for an arahant.
There must be another process, something that gives the subjective reality an “evaluation”, and out of that evaluation a certain type of vedana arise, and tanha is to that vedana. My guess is that that process is the manasikāra cetasika: it takes what the saññā cetasika produces (eg the “blue sky”), and puts it in context — based on a past memory or expectation of the future.
I’ve always understood tanha in that context, and I appreciate your comments.
Best,
Lang