[Johnny_Lim]

I read that plants are not considered as living beings because they possess neither mentalities nor kamma-born-materialities. Instead, they should be categorized as living things.

To be considered as a living being, according to a dhamma book that I read, at the very least either the life faculty materiality (jivitindriya rūpa) or the life faculty mentality (jivitindriya cetasika), or both, must be present.

Based on the above, I would think that carnivorous plants, even though they kill and eat insects, are not committing any akusala deed. I look from another angle and ask a question differently: Do carnivorous plants arise in this world to become conditions for some sentient beings to meet their kamma vipaka?

[Lal]

@Johnny:
Living things have jivitindriya rūpa.

Living beings have jivitindriya rūpa AND jivitindriya cetasika; they also have 6 more universal cetasika in addition to jivitindriya cetasika: phassa, vedana, sanna, cetana, manasikara, ekaggata.

To commit an akusala kamma, the 7 universal cetasika AND a combination of asobhana cetasika must arise.

To the question: “Do carnivorous plants arise in this world to become conditions for some sentient beings to meet their kamma vipaka?”. Yes. Very likely.

[Johnny_Lim]

Hi Lal,

It appears that the asañña beings are like living things, since they only have a physical form and do not have mentalities and the accompanying mental factors. Which means they only have jivitindriya rūpa and maybe temperature-born materiality and fire element to sustain their physical form longevity. Whereas in the case of plants, they do react to external stimuli such as sunlight and movements of insects in a robotic-like manner. Not too sure whether quasi-consciousness is a good term to describe this kind of behaviour but it is very predictable. And if sentient beings behave like plants, then they are in deep trouble. Because they will always be bent towards their natural tendency to acquire ‘san’. Understand from your posts that there are some beings in certain realms who behave in this manner and it is very difficult for them to change their gathi and attain liberation. Unlike humans who can train the cittaja kaya to purify the mind and attain magga phala.

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Jittananto

[Lal]

Hi Johnny,
Yes, asañña beings are like living things. They don’t have citta arising at all until the end of that existence. The jivitindriya rūpa is maintained by kammic energy.
– When that bhava ends, then citta start arising in the new bhava.

You said: “Understand from your posts that there are some beings in certain realms who behave in this manner and it is very difficult for them to change their gathi and attain liberation.”
Yes. Basically, those beings in the four lowest realms (and of course in the asañña).

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Jittananto

[Author]

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