[Anonymous]

When dvihetuka or ahetuka (if it’s possible for the latter) engage in anicca sanna/ general contemplation of the three marks, is it possible for them to benefit from it and experience any cooling down?

As I understand a tihetuka doing it correctly would experience niveema and niramisa sukha, uproot tanha and avija as they comprehend the tilakkhana and make progress to higher and higher stages of magaphala after attaining the sotapanna anugami citta.

In the case of lower births, what would happen? Would they simply not get anything out of anicca sanna, or could they experience a kind of cooling down as they develop better gathi as a result of their practice?
If a dvihetuka person practices anicca sanna in hopes of attaining magga phala and never quits, would they be benefitting and attaining a lot of merit, or would they be unwittingly wasting their time when they’d be better off simply doing something like observing the five precepts and keeping sati?

[Lal]

Welcome to the forum, Paramitas!

We can get the basic idea by looking at existence in other realms. That gives a better perspective.

Everything happens due to causes and conditions. Each of us has been born due to a specific kamma vipaka.
– For example, a given animal is born due to a (bad) kamma vipaka. But a deva is born due to a good kamma vipaka.

An animal cannot even sort out moral from immoral. A deva could, but the presence of so much “pleasures” prevents a deva from thinking about the possible suffering that can come for him in future births.

An ahetuka birth is much better than an animal birth but much worse than a dvihetuka or a tihetuka birth in the human realm.
– An ahtuka person does not have the mindset to comprehend Tilakkhana.
– But he/she can sort out moral from immoral and engage in meritorious deeds. That can lead to a better birth in the future, where one would be able to comprehend Tilakkhana.

A dvihetuka person is in a better place. Even though he/she cannot comprehend Tilakkhana, he/she can make much more progress than an ahetuka person. That makes it much easier to get a Tihetuka birth in the future.

Because of the high-grade kamma that led to this birth, a tihetuka person is BORN with the necessary wisdom to comprehend Tilakkhana. Of course, one must make the effort.

On the other hand, an animal is in a very bad place. It is unable to do anything on making progress. It has to wait until a good kamma done in the past to come to the “front of the line” to get any kind of human birth. This is why births in the apayas make one helpless in the rebirth process. That is what is meant by anatta, becoming helpless.

Therefore, a human is better off with any type of birth than most living beings in other realms. We just need to do our best. Results WILL come according to the efforts.

More details at “Patisandhi Citta – How the Next Life is Determined According to Gati”
– I just revised that post.

P.S. Each of levels ahetuka, dvihetuka, and tihetuka also can be sub-divided into three categories: low, medium, and high. For example, a tihetuka birth at the highest level has a much higher level of wisdom, etc.

[Author]

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