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I have not read Atthasālinī, Buddhaghosa’s commentary on the Dhammasangaṇī.
- But, in general, I do not trust Buddhaghosa’s Commentaries based on my reading of his “Visuddhimagga.” See “Buddhaghosa and Visuddhimagga – Historical Background“and “Buddhaghosa’s Visuddhimagga – A Focused Analysis.”
The sequence of events on Abhidhamma‘s development (listed in the comment) is generally correct.
- There is nothing more than those steps mentioned in the comment above.
- I don’t think discussing any of his Commentaries would be beneficial.
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Yes. Any of the key suttas would do.
- The main point is realizing the unfruitfulness and danger of being trapped in the rebirth process.
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Yes. It is a vital sutta, and I plan to write a post after further clarifying the “purāna kamma” stage.
- Understanding the “purāna kamma” stage means understanding how one’s mind initially attaches to a sensory input automatically (i.e., without conscious thinking) due to “distorted sanna.” Here, avijja does not need to be “active”; it plays a role via “upanisa paccaya” as long as the relevant anusaya/samyojana has not been removed from the mind.
- Thus, it happens via “upanisa paccaya.”
I have explained the essential aspects in my comment on January 6, 2024 at 2:20 pm above.
- However, a clearer explanation of the sutta will be possible after a few more posts.
- Please remind me in several weeks in case I forget.
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That is correct.
- Further details in “Sōtapanna Anugāmi – No More Births in the Apāyā.” See #4.
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Thank you, Dosakkhayo.
- It also depends on the specific people in question. I guess that Taryal’s grandparents would have some ideas about kamma/kamma vipaka, but their ideas/understanding could be improved.
- It is best to start from a level of understanding they have and build up on that.
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I realize I had not missed the point in y not’s Taryal’s question.
- Let me restate the question. Consider a Brahma exhausting its lifetime and born a human. Since Brahmas do not have sex organs, how is the sexual identity of the human is determined?
Sexual identity is loosely related to bhāva dasaka. Usually, a human born with purisa bhāva dasaka has male sex organs, but that is not necessary; see #2 of the post below. Also, All Brahma realms are “unisex.” They all have the purisa bhāva dasaka. See #8 of the post below.
- See the post “Sexual Orientation – Effects of Kamma and Gati (Saṅkhāra).”
Therefore, whether a Brahma exhausting its lifetime and born a human would have male or female sex organs is a complex issue. I guess that most will have male sex organs and even those born with female sex organs will have “purisa gati.”
- My apologies for not understanding the question. Strangely, our minds can latch onto one aspect of an issue and proceed in the wrong direction.
- Please read the above post to get a better idea of the issue. I only pointed out the main points.
“Say, a brahma dies and grasps a human bhava. Brahmas are sexless, so the prominent gender from the past, or the one of the two that ‘needs addressing ‘ the more would take precedence.”
I thought I addressed that in my comment.
- Grasping a new existence (bhava) is independent of the existence (bhava) that just ended.
Maybe I do not understand the issue/question.
Each of us has many “kamma bija” waiting to bear fruit. They could bring rebirths in different realms. Some bring rebirths in lower realms, and some in higher realms. At the moment of cuti-patisandhi (grasping a new existence), the strongest one (called “garuka kamma“) will usually be chosen automatically. If no exceptionally strong kamma bija exists, the closest one (asanna kamma) will take over.
- However, some types of kamma bija bring rebirth without exception (anantariya kamma). For example, if a human cultivates a jhana, he/she will be born in the corresponding Brahma realm (first jhana in the lowest Brahma realm, etc.) at the death of the physical body, even if there is more kammic energy left in the human bhava. Of course, anantariya kamma on the “bad side,” such as killing a parent, will bring rebirth in an apaya.
- Some kamma bija become ineffective (i.e., cannot bring rebirth) if one attains magga phala. For example, a Sotapanna will not be reborn in an apaya, even if he/she has many kamma bija capable of bringing such rebirths.
“If a sperm cell with the X chromosome wins the race, the resulting chromosome pair would be XX which would lead to female body.”
- Yes. In that specific case, only a female gandhabba will be pulled into the womb by kammic energy.
- In the other case, only a male gandhabba will be pulled into the womb by kammic energy.
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Thank you, Taryal.
- Yes. There are many such examples of “built-in” saññā, which helps those species in many cases.
- On the other hand, the built-in “distorted saññā” providing a “false sense of pleasure” is common to all living beings, which traps them in the rebirth process. Living beings in “kāma loka” receive a false/distorted kāma saññā for sensory inputs. Rupa loka Brahmās receive a false/distorted jhānic saññā and Arupa loka Brahmās receive a false/distorted arupa samāpatti saññā.
- It is essential to distinguish between the two categories.
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Excellent, Taryal!
- I am happy that our community is becoming knowledgeable in the deeper aspects of Buddha’s teachings.
Taryal wrote: “Saññā (perception) is one of the mental aggregates and is a kamma vipaka, i.e. a result of past action (kamma). According to Tipitaka, the precise details of how a kammic energy can ripen into its corresponding vipaka is only discernible to a Sammasambuddha. What we can do is get the general idea. A sentient being can’t recognize anything without having perception. A human has “manussa saññā“, deva has “deva saññā”, dog has “dog saññā” and so on..”
- That summarizes a critical aspect of our world!
1. “Saññā” (loosely translated as “perception”) is a critical concept in Buddha’s teachings. It is one of the five aggregates (or, more correctly, pancupadanakkhandha) that summarizes our sensory experience and how we respond to those experiences.
- In fact, most of our decisions are based on saññā. Only bodily contacts directly lead to feelings (vedana) of pleasure or pain/distress. All other sensory experiences (sights, sounds, tastes, smells) only lead to saññā of like/dislike, tasty/bitter, etc.; they feel the same as vedana. That is clearly distinguished in Abhidhamma.
- As I have pointed out many times, the taste of honey or the smell of a rose is a saññā and not a vedana in a strict sense. However, that difference is not emphasized in the suttas because Abhidhamma was fully developed after the Buddha’s Parinibbana.
2. The critical role of saññā becomes clear when we compare the sensory experiences of humans (manussa) with those of animals.
- Humans and animals feel the pain and pleasure in physical contact in the same way. They all feel pain if hit with a stick or injured.
- However, “manussa saññā“ is different from “animal saññā.“ Furthermore, different animals generate different types of saññā. While humans and bears like the taste of honey (they seem to give a sukha vedana), cows get a sukha vedana from eating grass. Lions get a sukha vedana when they eat the flesh of other animals, etc.. All those are examples of saññā!
3. Saññā is built into the physical and mental bodies of humans and animals, so it arises automatically. Even after attaining magga phala or even the Arahant stage, those built-in saññās remain. Thus, an Arahant would also taste honey as sweet.
- The following short video is about migrating birds, which helps explain the concept of “built-in saññā.” There are many other examples, like how ants build “mega colonies” or how dogs can find their way home if released hundreds of miles away.
- Migrating birds have a built-in saññā to trigger them to start migrating and also to provide navigation! Their bodies have built-in mechanisms (via kammic energy/Paticca Samuppada) to provide navigation. I asked Grok AI about it and it gave the following description.
Migrating birds possess a natural compass mechanism that is believed to be magnetically sensitive. Here’s a bit more detail:-
Magnetoreception: Many species of birds can detect the Earth’s magnetic field, which helps them navigate during migration. This ability is known as magnetoreception.
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Cryptochrome Theory: One leading theory suggests that birds use proteins called cryptochromes, located in their eyes, which might be sensitive to magnetic fields. When these proteins absorb light, they could become involved in chemical reactions that are influenced by the Earth’s magnetic field, thus providing directional information.
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Iron Particles: Another theory involves magnetite, a naturally magnetic form of iron oxide. Some studies have found tiny particles of magnetite in the beaks of homing pigeons and other birds. These particles might act like a microscopic compass needle, helping birds sense direction.
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Other Navigation Tools: Besides magnetism, birds also use visual landmarks, the position of the sun, star patterns, and possibly even smell to navigate.
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Therefore, migrating birds have biological systems that detect magnetic fields, aiding their remarkable navigational abilities during migration.
P.S. Another example is how ants build sophisticated “cities.” Watch the video in #10 of the post “How Character (Gati) Leads to Bhava and Jāti.” It is informative to read that post, too.
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Excellent, Yash!
In a comment above, I asked Lagrade the following to point out a similar issue regarding one of his questions:
Lagrade’s question: “If each existence represents different “person”, why should one worry about future suffering?”
- Future lives are not that different from present lives. Were you the “exact same person” when you were five, ten, or twenty years old? Did you look the same at those stages, have the same ambitions/goals or outlook on life, etc., as now?
- Whether you are worried about suffering in the coming years or not, suffering will increase as you get older (it applies to all of us). In the same way, at least according to the Buddha, suffering in future lives cannot be avoided until one cleanses one’s mind of greed, anger, and ignorance (about the true nature of the world.)
- P.S. What aspect of “Lagrade” has remained unchanged over the years to make it a specific and same exact “Lagrade”?
I have tried to explain it as simply as possible. Those are concepts that require a sufficient background.
- Hopefully, you will be able to understand it someday (or maybe even now by reading through the above discussion, including the suggested posts). I hope you will not lose interest in Buddha’s teachings.
- If you are interested in learning the fundamentals, I recommend reading from the following two sections: “Moral Living and Fundamentals” and “Living Dhamma.”
Of course, if someone else is willing to continue the discussion, please do. I don’t have the time necessary to explain this material in detail, as it is covered in posts throughout this website.
This is discussed in the following post: “Taṇhā Paccayā Upādāna – Critical Step in Paṭicca Samuppāda.”
- I have often commented that the Paticca Samuppada process starts with attachment to a sensory input (arammana) with tanha.
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“My issue with that idea is that how can there be perception of anything along with conscious ability to think and do bodily actions if there is no self in reality?”
- The innate sense of a “me” will be there (at different levels) until one attains the Arahant stage.
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“Furthermore, when an arahant realizes that there is no “me”, do they suddenly become talking corpses?”
- No. Their mind would be free of even a trace of greed, anger, and ignorance (about the true nature of the world.)
- Instead of becoming corpses, they will have the best clarity of mind.
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“By “goal”, I wasn’t referring to the ultimate goal of ending rebirth process but the understanding one needs to have in this context.”
- Without believing in the process, one cannot understand the “true nature of the world.”
- It is up to each person to believe or not believe in the rebirth process. However, Buddha’s teachings (at least the more profound aspects, like the absence of a soul) cannot be understood without a rebirth process. The laws of kamma (explained via Paticca Samuppada) operate not only in this life but also in future lives. For example, person X may kill another and be able not to get caught by law enforcement. But he will not be able to escape the consequence of that immoral deed (kamma vipaka) and being born as an animal or worse.
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“If each existence represents different “person”, why should one worry about future suffering?”
- Future lives are not that different from present lives. Were you the “exact same person” when you were five, ten, or twenty years old? Did you look the same at those stages, have the same ambitions/goals or outlook on life, etc., as now?
- Whether you are worried about suffering in the coming years or not, suffering will increase as you get older (it applies to all of us). In the same way, at least according to the Buddha, suffering in future lives cannot be avoided until one cleanses one’s mind of greed, anger, and ignorance (about the true nature of the world.)
- P.S. What aspect of “Lagrade” has remained unchanged over the years to make it a specific and same exact “Lagrade”?
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