[Inmanus]

Dear Friends,

I was thinking about the 10 micca ditthi and the thought occurred to me of how these 10 micca ditthi would relate to beings in other realms (specifically deva and Brahma realms).

It is wrong view to believe, there is no special people such as mother and father.

For a being born spontaneously, how do they conceptualize mother and father? Are there any equivalents to mother and father with opapatika births?

Could someone clear this up for me please?

Thanks again to Lal for sharing the Buddha Dhamma and creating this forum. Peace friends.

Frank

[Lal]

Those two types of micca ditthi are applicable only for the humans.

Even though many animals also have a mother and father, and have those two types of micca ditthi that is irrelevant anyway; they have no sense of other types of micca ditthi either.

[y not]

Immanus:

As Lal keeps on repeating, going deep into these things is not profitable in itself. It is like trying to get all the details about the destination and to not set out on the journey. If you want to attain a deva bhava or a brahma bhava or Nibbana itself, then set out on the Path, even if you have only a glimpse of the destination. That will be enough. Kamma (PS)will see to it anyway.

It is alright to have an idea of other realms (if it were otherewise the Buddha would have made no reference to them; indeed, the workings of kamma necessitate their existence).

• ‘For a being born spontaneously, how do they conceptualize mother and father? Are there any equivalents to mother and father with opapatika births?’ –

From an early age I used to think that there must be some ‘place’ or ‘world’ where offspring are ‘born’ by methods other than by such coarse and messy ones like sexual intercourse.I had this idea that the combined ‘will’ of a couple at once brings about an offspring, you could say, as if by magic, and that the ‘charachter’ of the new-arrival is in essence the combined qualities of the’couple’, who ‘attract’ the newly-‘born’ by the intensity of the harmony with one another.

So from the very start the notion of opapatika birth did not in the least stike me as an ‘alien’ one when I first came across it in Buddhadhamma. I am not saying that the conditions there are like I imagined them – not in the least. It is just that I now realize that there could be more to it than ‘just my imagination’ – which, especially in the West, stands almost always for unreality and illusion.

y not

[Inmanus]

Thank you Lal and Y Not for the responses. I will take them to heart.

Sorry I have a tendency to over analyze at times. I do need to focus on the work at hand and not let my imagination take me off. Funny how the mind works sometimes. How a thought can trigger a series of events. I’m glad to have this forum with such wise people to keep me straight and sort out little issues. Both of your responses were very helpful.

Many thanks and many blessings,
Frank

[Lal]

Don’t worry about it, Frank.

In a way, your question brings up an interesting aspect of this complex world.
Especially lower animals are more like robots, they just live “paying their kamma vipaka”, without the ability to do any strong good kamma or strong bad kamma.

This can be explained only in terms of the type of citta experienced by animals. So, I cannot provide a satisfactory answer without using Abhidhamma.

But here is a key point to remember. It is mainly humans who can generate strong kamma vipaka BOTH good and bad.
– Briefly, “ditthi sampayutta citta” generated by those humans who do immoral actions with wrong views generate the worst kamma vipaka.
– On the other hand, those who have comprehended Tilakkhana (and thus automatically generate “nana sampayutta citta” at least in some cases) generate the strong good kamma vipaka.
– When one progresses on the mundane eightfold path, the tendency to bad kamma (deeds, speech, and thoughts) will decrease. Then when one starts comprehending Tilakkhana, the tendency to do good kamma (with better understanding) will start increasing.

[y not]

Immanus:

Thank you. However, as far as my being wise goes, it is very much an overstatement, if not altogether a misconception. I was just recounting an experience of mine that may be connected to your question.

You will do well though to examine well and follow as best as you are able to what Lal says; the key points he enumerates are condensed ( as is most often the case with his other answers), but MOREOVER the primary objective is always towards the elimination of suffering, rather than merely supplying an answer to a question.

May you progress on the Path

y not

[Inmanus]

Thanks again Lal and Y not. Your replies are much appreciated.

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