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Rewritten Post:
What Does “Paccayā” Mean in Paṭicca Samuppāda?
Revised:
Mind ‘Starts’ At The Kāma Dhātu Stage With Kāma Saññā | Pure Dhamma was revised also with a revised title: Mind ‘Starts’ At The Kāma Dhātu Stage With Kāma Loka Saññā | Pure DhammaI have rearranged the Buddha Dhamma section. I have included posts from November 2023 up to now in this section. That means these posts are mostly up to date. It may take me some time to bring some of the old posts in a few other sections up to date. It is amazing how corrupt the original teachings have become. However, I feel fairly confident about the posts since November 2023.
The following suttas can help you get a good idea of a ‘Noble Friend‘ or ‘Kalyāṇamitta.’ Here, ‘mitta‘ is a friend, and ‘Kalyāṇa‘ means to ‘help with getting rid of defilements.’
1. “Kalyāṇamitta Sutta (SN 45.63)” states that the only way for a puthujjana to follow that Noble Path is with the help of a Kalyāṇamitta.
- That is because one must learn the ‘previously unheard worldview of a Buddha’ to start on the Path as a Sotapanna. After that, a Sotapanna can do the rest even by himself.
- Of course, the best Kalyāṇamitta is the Buddha himself. However, anyone who has comprehended the ‘previously unheard worldview of a Buddha’ (i.e., anyone above the Sotapanna stage) can be a Kalyāṇamitta.
- In the English translation, @1.4 says that a Kalyāṇamitta is a ‘good friend.’ Obviously, that is wrong. That also gives the false impression that one must be ‘good friends’ with that person on a personal level. That is not the case. One only needs to hear the ‘worldview of a Buddha’ from someone who has comprehended it and can explain it.
2. In the “Upaḍḍha Sutta (SN 45.2)” the Ven. Ananda asked the Buddha whether a Kalyāṇamitta is responsible for ‘half the spiritual life’ of a puthujjana. The Buddha replied that a Kalyāṇamitta is fully responsible.
- That is because one cannot attain the Sotapanna stage (to start on the Noble Path) without a Kalyāṇamitta, as explained above.
- Also see “Sāriputta Sutta (SN 45.3),” which states the same.
- Also see “Kalyāṇamitta Sutta (SN 3.18)” for more details.
3. Furthermore, even the Buddha cannot be a Kalyāṇamitta if the person is not capable of comprehending the teachings.
- For example, Ven. Ananda and bhikkhu Devadatta both became bhikkhus at the same time. They both lived close to the Buddha for many years, listening to almost identical suttas by the Buddha. However, while Ven. Ananda attained the Sotapanna stage quickly and later attained Arahantship, bhikkhu Devadatta never attained the Sotapanna stage. Not only that, but he was reborn in an apaya for injuring the Buddha.
- Thus, even the Buddha could not become a Kalyāṇamitta for bhikkhu Devadatta.
4. I hope you can get a good idea of a Kalyāṇamitta from the above.
- The critical point is that one must not only learn the ‘previously unheard worldview of a Buddha’ but also fully comprehend it.
- The Kalyāṇamitta does not need to be a ‘personal friend’ or even live close by. What is important is: (i) to receive a correct explanation of the ‘worldview of the Buddha’ AND (ii) to comprehend it.
New:
Sotāpanna Stage – Essential and Unnecessary Concepts
Revised:
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In addition to the above website, there is a new Vietnamese Pure Dhamma website: https://puredhamma.vn
- I added a link to both websites in the secondary menu at the end of each page on puredhamma.net: Pure Dhamma Essays in Vietnamese
- Also note that puredhamma content in several languages (German, Korean, Portuguese, Vietnamese) are available, and the links are in the secondary menu (at the end of each page) on the puredhamma.net website.
Yes. That is correct.
1. However, there should be a slight adjustment to the following paragraph: “Both Arahants and puthujjanas experience kāma saññā, or distorted perception. But the PS process begins only when there are remaining fetters. Therefore, avijjā is the minimum requirement for the start of Paṭicca Samuppāda. And the PS process applies to all sentient beings in samsara.”
It can be re-stated as follows: “Both Arahants and puthujjanas experience kāma saññā, or distorted perception. But the PS process begins only when there are remaining fetters relevant to the loka one is in. The PS process for the three lokās is triggered by the corresponding ‘rāga saṁyojana,’ i.e., kāma rāga saṁyojana for the kāma loka, rupa rāga saṁyojana for the rupa loka, and arupa rāga saṁyojana for the arupa loka.
- For example, even an anariya arupa loka Brahma would have all three types of ‘rāga saṁyojana.‘ However, as long as he is an anariya arupa loka Brahma, avijjā can be triggered only with the arupa rāga saṁyojana.
- In another example, the Paṭicca Samuppāda process for an anariya human without jhāna can be triggered only via the kāma rāga saṁyojana. However, if that anariya human cultivates an anariya jhāna, avijjā cannot be triggered in him via the kāma rāga saṁyojana, but only with the rupa rāga saṁyojana, while he is in a jhāna.
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2. The main point is that having root causes (represented by the three types of saṁyojana in the case above) is not enough to trigger avijjā or initiate a PS process. The relevant conditions must be there too. That is why avijjā cannot be triggered in any Brahma via the kāma rāga saṁyojana as long as they remain in a Brahma realm.
- Of course, if the root causes are not there, then a PS process cannot be triggered by any condition. That holds for an Arahant.
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3. The critical impact of the above discussion is the following. Even if one has all ten saṁyojana intact, generating avijjā requires the triggering of one of the three ‘rāga saṁyojana‘ via one of the three main types of saññā: kāma saññā, rupa loka saññā, or arupa loka saññā.
- That is because a ‘thought process’ or, more correctly, a ‘citta vithi‘ starts at the ‘kāma dhātu,’ rupa dhātu,’ or ‘arupa dhātu‘ stage.
- Consider a human for whom the above process starts at the ‘kāma dhātu‘ stage. If the ‘kāma saññā‘ were not automatically triggered, there would be no condition to cause avijjā and start a PS process.
- For further details, see “What Does ‘Paccayā’ Mean in Paṭicca Samuppāda?,” “Mind ‘Starts’ at the Kāma Dhātu Stage With Kāma Saññā,” and “Critical Role of Saññā in Mind Contamination.”
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Yes. Those are excellent ideas.
1. One cannot get into a university without first completing primary, secondary, and high school, in that order. For you, your decision makes very good sense, to start at “Moral Living and Fundamentals.”
- After that, you can skim through other sections to decide on the next level. The “Living Dhamma” section is a possibility. Since you have a science background, the “Dhamma and Science” section is another possibility.
- Even once one understands the basics, it does not make sense to jump into deep suttas. This is what I have emphasized, especially over the past month or two, and I have started a new series of posts on such a systematic approach: “Buddha Dhamma – Systematic.” You should get there once you have a good idea about the basics.
2. Keeping notes is also an excellent idea.
- That way, you can see how you progress over time. Furthermore, you can keep revising earlier notes as you broaden your knowledge base.
- When I was in school, making notes was part of my learning process. Rather than just reading, concepts sink in better once one starts taking notes.
- P.S. In a way, I am continuing that practice with my study of Buddha Dhamma by writing posts on this website. It takes a lot of effort and study of suttas to write a post. I need to make sure what I write is consistent with the Tipitaka, so I try to cite the relevant suttas. There are many old posts on the website that need revision, but I am driven by trying to extend my understanding. So I keep postponing the rewrite of some old posts.
3. Another thing that could be helpful is to get familiar with the Pali language.
- Some Pali words do not have exact English translations. Many words have different meanings based on the context. See, for example, “Atta – Two Very Different Meanings.”
- It is good to learn to pronounce Pali words, too. In the late 1800s, European scholars adopted a convention to write Pali words in the English alphabet to avoid the words becoming too long. For example, anicca is pronounced ‘anichcha.’ Thus, the ‘ch’ sound is represented by only ‘c.’ Many people are not aware of this. Another example is ‘th’ is represented by only “t.’ Thus, the Pali word ‘gathi’ is written as ‘gati.’ See “‘Tipiṭaka English’ Convention Adopted by Early European Scholars – Part 1.”
- That last post is in the “Historical Background” section. That could be another section of interest.
The easiest way to see the difference between an ‘external rupa‘ and the corresponding ‘mind-made rupa‘ is as follows, with a sight of an external object.
1. In the above, I wrote: “However, the leaves are not green, and the apples are not red. The colors are added by the mind!”
- It goes even further. Without the mind adding the light and colors, we would not see anything at all. Not even black and white, because those are also colors. It would be as if we were all are born blind.
- However, the sun would still be emitting sunlight. It is just that sunlight is electromagnetic radiation, and there are colors in it. The leaves or the apples do not have colors either, even though the tree with the apples exists too. Everyone should confirm this using their favorite AI bot, such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini.
- The ‘illusion of light and colors’ is added by the mind. This is an amazing fact that is even hard to fathom, as I explained in “Colors Are Mind-Made (Due to Kāma Saññā).”
2. As I have stated many times, even a living Arahant (living the daily life) receives the ‘kama sanna‘ and thus can see the apple tree and the red apples.
- However, when they are in Arahant-phala samapatti (which is equivalent to the time when they attained the Arahant-phala), the mind is free of the ‘kama sanna‘ or any type of sanna associated with the world, i.e., any ‘lokiya sanna.‘ During Arahant-phala samapatti, an Arahant would not see, hear, or otherwise experience anything at all. It would be as if they did not experience the external world at all.
- Once the Buddha was in Arahant-phala samapatti in a hut when there was heavy rain and lightning was flashing, and two people and four oxen were killed nearby. When the Buddha came out of the hut, a large crowd had gathered to see the destruction. They were astonished to hear the Buddha say that he had neither seen nor heard any of it. See “Mahāparinibbāna Sutta (DN 15).”
Yes. It is a great analogy.
- Jaro wrote: “Ultimately, we are craving our own suffering.”
- That is the bottom line.
Here is another way to say that. The Buddha repeatedly stated that our cravings are for things that are not real. The ‘rupa‘ that arises in the mind is unlike anything that exists in the external world.
- For example, there is an apple tree with apples that exists in the world.
- However, the leaves are not green, and the apples are not red. The colors are added by the mind! Of course, the taste is added by the mind, too.
- Honey appears brown and tasty to us. It may not be brown and definitely not tasty for a lion. The lion experiences a world that is totally different from ours. Such illusions are generated through Paticca Samuppada to match the gati (pronounced ‘gathi’) of a human versus that of a lion.
- The unfortunate fact is that the ‘illusion’ of color, taste, smell, etc., are built into us via Paticca Samuppada. That is why it feels so real. Even after attaining Arahanthood, one would feel a watered-down, initial stage of that ‘kama sanna.’ That sanna grows in steps if one has all ten samyojana unbroken.
- Unfortunately, a puthujjana gets the ‘full brunt of it’ with joyful sense arising in the mind! That effect is big enough even for a Sotapanna (who has eliminated only three samyojana), and it takes a real effort to overcome that ‘kama sanna‘ for even a Sotapanna.
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Thank you, Saurabh!
- It could be helpful to read the other thread, where Jaro provided an analogy: “Post on Kāma Is a Pit of Glowing Coals – Dukkhadhamma Sutta.”
- Related post: “Kāma Is a Pit of Glowing Coals – Dukkhadhamma Sutta“
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Thanks, Jaro, for bringing up the Māgandiya Sutta. As you correctly pointed out, it discusses the same two-strong-men analogy as in the Dukkhadhamma Sutta, but embedded within the ‘leper analogy.’
1. The following link points to the verse Jaro referred to: Māgaṇḍiya Sutta (MN 75): ‘Seyyathāpi, māgaṇḍiya, kuṭṭhī puriso arugatto pakkagatto kimīhi khajjamāno nakhehi vaṇamukhāni vippatacchamāno aṅgārakāsuyā kāyaṁ paritāpeyya.’
- The English translation there is, “Suppose there was a person affected by leprosy, with sores and blisters on their limbs. Being devoured by worms, scratching with their nails at the opening of their wounds, they’d cauterize their body over a pit of glowing coals.”
- Thus, ‘kuṭṭhī puriso‘ is translated as ‘a person affected by leprosy.’
- However, I think the word ‘kuṭṭhī‘ refers to something like eczema rash, but much worse; there could be tiny worms inside those sores. That disease kuṭṭhī may no longer exist, and the closest match today could be an ‘eczema rash,‘ where the person would get relief by scratching it. A person with ‘kuṭṭhī‘ would also feel relief by getting the wounds close to a fire/heat.
- I spent some time searching for symptoms of the disease ‘leprosy,‘ and that seems different.
2. The relevant point, as emphasized by Jaro, can be better understood by examining the sutta starting with that verse @marker 13.1.
- A better translation of the above verse is: “Suppose there was a person affected by kuṭṭhī, with sores and blisters on their limbs. Being devoured by worms, they would seek relief by scratching with their nails at the opening of their wounds, and by getting close to a pit of glowing coals.” (In other words, scratching with their nails and getting close to a pit of glowing coals is a ‘pleasure’ for him.)
3. Now, let me provide a better translation for the subsequent verses starting @marker 13.2:
“Their friends and relatives would get a physician to treat the patient. The physician would cure the patient, and the patient would be healthy and happy again.
Then the cured person (X) would see another person (Y) affected by ‘kuṭṭhī, with sores and blisters on their limbs. Being devoured by worms, Y would also seek relief by scratching with their nails at the opening of their wounds, and by getting close to a pit of glowing coals (Y also gets ‘pleasure’ doing those things).
What do you think, Māgaṇḍiya? Would that person X envy that other person Y getting ‘pleasure’ that way?”
“No, worthy Gotama.
Why is that?
Because while X experienced that ‘temporary relief’ only when he had the disease. When there’s no disease, there’s no need to seek relief.”
- The point is that X or Y would have the urge to scratch their sores and seek the heat of a fire only when they are affected by that disease. With the pain they constantly feel, the scratching and heat seem to provide a ‘pleasure.’
4. Then @marker 14.1, the Buddha explained to Māgaṇḍiya: “In the same way, Māgaṇḍiya, when I was still a layperson, I used to entertain myself with sights … sounds …”
- Thus, the Buddha was saying that he had also sought ‘sensual pleasures’ while living the ‘householder life’ before attaining Buddhahood.
5. Thus, the Māgandiya Sutta provides an analogy to illustrate the ‘true nature’ of sensual pleasures.
- When the mind of a puthujjana is burdened with raga, dosa, and moha (i.e., panca nivarana), it is under constant stress (even though a puthujjana does not feel it that way).
- That is why a puthujjana‘s mind is always seeking remedies (sensual pleasures) to ‘calm down’ the stressed mind.
- In other words, a puthujjana is like person Y and the Buddha is like person X (after being cured). There is no need for the Buddha to seek sensual pleasures!
6. I think that is, in essence, what Jaro also tried to explain. I wanted to provide a better translation of the Māgandiya Sutta than the one in the link in #1 above.
- I am glad to see Jaro getting the point!
- P.S. Related post: “Kāma Is a Pit of Glowing Coals – Dukkhadhamma Sutta“
Thank you, DhammaSponge.
- I will wait to hear from others.
I also suggest rereading my comment above from May 23, 2026, at 5:42 pm. The account of Channa discussed there is relevant to the following comment by DhammaSponge:
- “Less people, but still a good amount, will append to that, “However, despite me employing this knowledge and Dhamma, despite the fact that I in real time am doing my best to recognize that this sanna is false, that this experience is simply something that my mind is laminating over to try to make it to my satisfaction, I keep giving in and falling for it.”
Thank you, Saurabh, for your comment.
May be I should formulate a question as follows: If our thoughts, speech, and actions are based on ‘false assumptions about the world,’ can that approach ever lead to a satisfactory outcome?
- Is there anyone who does not believe the following statement? All living beings (except Noble Persons) have false assumptions about the world. One false assumption is to believe there are colorful things in the world; another would be to believe there are tasty foods, and so on.
- I hope more people will make their thoughts known. I promise to take every comment seriously. I have come to realize that I used to take many things as ‘obvious,’ which may not be obvious to others.
1. The requirement to attain the Sotapanna stage is the following:
- One must clearly ‘see with wisdom’ that attachment to sensory inputs in the ‘kama loka‘ (that means attaching to sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and touches) prolongs the rebirth process. Not only that, but such attachment extends the rebirth process within the ‘kama loka‘ (which includes the human realm and also the apayas).
- However, it does not require one to stop attaching to sensory inputs in the ‘kama loka.‘ That happens at the Anagami stage.
- Still, ‘seeing with wisdom’ the dangers of attaching to sensory inputs is enough to avoid engaging in the worst types of akualsa kamma that can lead to rebirths in the apayas (because of the elimination of the three ditthi samyojana).
2. The problem is that it is very hard to pin down how that ‘seeing with wisdom’ happens.
- Some people in the days of the Buddha were able to ‘see with wisdom’ the futility (and dangers, because it can lead to strong akusala kamma leading to rebirths in the apayas) of attachment to sensory inputs in the ‘kama loka,‘ even by listening to a one or two discourses from the Buddha.
- However, these days it has become hard. One reason is that the true teachings are hard to find, and most people are confused by seeing various versions.
- Furthermore, even in the days of the Buddha, there were people who spent many years close to the Buddha, but were unable to attain even the Sotapanna stage. A good example was Devadatta, Princess Yasodhara’s brother, who became a bhikkhu at the same time as Ven. Ananda. He could not grasp the teachings, tried to take the life of the Buddha, and was born in an apaya. That means he never attained the Sotapanna stage.
- Another example was Channa, who accompanied the Buddha (or rather the Bodhisatta, Prince Siddhatta) when Prince Siddhatta left the palace. He became a bhikkhu soon after the Prince attained Buddhahood, but could not attain even the Sotapanna stage until after the Buddha’s Parinibbana. Later on, when he sought advice from Arahants, they told him to contemplate the anicca, dukkha, and anatta nature of attaching to sensory inputs. But he said to himself, “I know all that by heart, but I also know that I have not grasped the Dhamma.” Finally, he sought help from Ven. Ananda. After hearing a discourse from Ven. Ananda, he attained Sotapanna phala. This account is in the “Channa Sutta (SN 22.90)“; The translation there is not great, but one can get the idea.
3. So, it is hard to pin down how that ‘seeing with wisdom’ happens.
- One just has to keep trying to get there.
- I will do my best to answer questions. I will also write more posts to clarify any issues based on forum questions.
- In the next post, I plan to provide some guidelines that could be helpful. One problem we have today is that people don’t know which suttas (or concepts) to study first.
- For example, there is very little benefit in trying to practice Satipatthana before attaining the Sotapanna stage, as I have explained: “Ānāpāna – Adopting Buddha’s Worldview and Discarding ‘Mundane Views’.” However, many people study the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta (DN 22) and even try to practice the content before attaining the Sotapanna stage. That is a waste of time, as they should spend that time learning concepts that can help them reach the Sotapanna stage!
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