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Yes. Even though Devas could be reborn directly in an apaya (lowest four realms including niraya), Brahmas cannot be reborn directly in an apaya. They are first reborn in the human realm, and the subsequent rebirths take place depending on what happens there.
- Devas are in the kama loka. To get a Brahama birth (and to transcend the kama loka), one must cultivate jhana and that takes a special effort. Brahma births are “mahaggata” or “higher quality” births.
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It is good to keep in mind the “three main lokas” of kama loka (four apayas, human realm, six Deva realms), rupa loka (16 rupavacara Brahma realms) and arupa loka (the four arupavacara Brahma realms).
- Kama loka is the bottom tier, with the apayas at the bottom and the six Deva realms at the top.
- Rupa loka is better, with minds at the jhanic levels. Humans can get to those better mental states by cultivating jhana and then be born in one of those realms that match the jhanic state they cultivated.
- Aupa loka (with the four arupavacara Brahma realms) is at the top, with minimal mental stress. Humans can go beyond jhana and cultivate those arupavacara samapatti states and be subsequently born in such a realm.
But the problem is that none of those states are permanent. They have finite lifetimes. Those who get even to the highest arupavacara Brahma realm will die there and be reborn in the human realm first, and then rebirth in any realm is possible.
- That is what we all have been doing in this “beginningless” rebirth process. Each of us has been born in most of the 31 realms (except those where only Anagamis can be reborn) many times over.
A human has the best chance of getting to the Sotapanna stage. Furthermore, human birth is extremely rare. That is why we must make our best effort to get to the Sotapanna stage: “Why a Sotāpanna is Better off than any King, Emperor, or a Billionaire.”
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It is extremely difficult to cultivate jhanas, and jhanas are necessary to cultivate abhiññā powers like going through walls, traveling with one’s manomaya kaya (gandhabba kaya), etc.
- One must abstain from akusala kamma and give up sensual pleasures, including sex.
- This is a nearly impossible task unless one becomes a Sotapanna and cultivates the correct versions of Anapanasati/Satipatthana. Then, one can give up all those with understanding.
- But there were yogis before the Buddha who saw the benefits of overcoming kama raga and cultivating jhana. The jhanic experience (to experience a stress-free mind) is highly appealing. So, they were determined to spend their whole lives in deep jungles to avoid women and other sensory attractions.
- That is why we must respect anyone who has attained even anariya jhanas. Since they were highly moral, they always advised others to stay away from akusala kamma and to live moral lives.
But of course, spending time cultivating anariya jhana is a waste of time since they do not help end the rebirth process (or even rebirths in the apayas.) One can be born a Brahma when one dies, but at the end of that life, one will be reborn in the human realm and subsequently can be reborn in the apayas.
- P.S. It is better to spend the time to attain the Sotapanna stage even without attaining any jhanas since they will be free of rebirths in the apayas forever. Ariya jhanas can be attained only by those Sotapannas who also must avoid sensory pleasures. But that becomes easier to do with understanding the “anicca nature” to a higher level. Living in a modern society with so many sensory attractions, cultivating Ariya jhanas (i.e., getting to the Anagami stage) is still difficult. It will be easier for a “bhikkhu Sotapanna” since bhikkhus are exposed to much less sensual pleasures.
Yes. When Ven. Ananda asked whether the cultivation of the spiritual path (Noble Path) for an average person (puthijjana) depends 50% on having “kalyāṇa mittatās,” the Buddha told Ven. Ananda that it TOTALLY depends on “kalyāṇa mittatās.”
- Note that these are not just “friends” but “Noble friends,” those who have understood Dhamma and thus can teach the correct Dhamma. We need to try to maintain that “chain of Noble friends” so that a future generation will take over when we die.
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Thank you for highlighting “all brahmas have purisa bhāva dasaka.”
- I forgot to highlight that key point.
Yes, angwllm. You probably refer to the post, “Sexual Orientation – Effects of Kamma and Gati (Saṅkhāra).”
The word “purisa” does not necessarily mean “male” in the sense of male/female biological bodies.
- The word “purisa” can also mean “higher status” or “distinguished,” and there can be females in that category too.
- For example, the eight types of Noble Persons are referred to as ” Aṭṭha Purisa Puggalā.” As we know, females are included in that category. There have been many female Arahants, too.
Even though it is not necessary to know the details, the eight types of Noble Persons are discussed in detail in “Aṭṭha Purisa Puggalā- Eight Noble Persons.”
Therefore, Brahmas can be said to have “purisa gati” in the sense of “better gati” compared to average humans. However, most Brahmas are not Noble Persons; thus, they DO NOT belong in the ” Aṭṭha Purisa Puggalā” category.
P.S. The Search Box on the top right is useful for finding relevant posts with a keyword or multiple keywords. For example, I entered “attha purisa” and got the following results: “Search Results for: attha purisa.”
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Yes. You are absolutely right.
- Brahmas are asexual, i.e., they don’t have different sexes since they have given kama raga. Thus, Brahmas do not participate in sexual intercourse (or other sensory pleasures with “close contact” of taste and smell).
- That is why anyone needing to cultivate jhanas must give up kama raga.
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Yes. You are right, Gad.
- It is incorrect to say that a Sotapanna abstains (will never do) those five deeds.
- The correct way to say it is: “A Sotapanna would not do those five things with a liking for doing them. But there may be instances where they may become unavoidable for a Sotapanna.”
- Only an Arahant is capable of abstaining from those five deeds, i.e., will NEVER DO those deeds.
The Sutta Central translation of the sutta “Pañcaverabhaya Sutta (SN 12. 41)” also gives that wrong idea.
- The problem is with the translation of.”pāṇātipātā paṭiviratassa,” for example, as “refrains from killing” or “abstains from killing.”
- The word “paṭivirata” means “will not do with liking for it,” but there could be instances where it may become unavoidable.
The deeds a Sotapanna WILL NEVER DO are listed here: “A Sōtapanna is incapable of doing only six “bad kamma“: Killing mother, killing father, killing an Arahant, injuring a Buddha, Saṅgha Bheda (teaching adhamma as Buddha Dhamma), having niyata micchā diṭṭhi; see, “Bahudhātuka sutta (MN 115)“.
- The above quote is from the post “Myths about the Sotāpanna Stage.”
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It is a very simple analogy, Gad.
However, the process is much more complicated. Basic ideas are discussed in “Buddhism and Evolution – Aggañña Sutta (DN 27).”
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Wishing by itself is not enough to achieve anything. One must make an effort. Even when one makes the effort, we do not know when we will get there. It depends on the effort one has made over the past lives (pāramitā), too.
- Very few people (like Bāhiyadārucīriya) could get there very quickly since they had completed most of the Path in past lives. Others could be making slow progress.
- We just don’t know. All we can do is to make our best effort. One thing is a certainty. That effort will not go to waste, as I mentioned above.
- The following post could be helpful to clarify some issues: “Pāramitā and Niyata Vivarana – Myths or Realities?“
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Unlike in the days of the Buddha, it is not easy to become a Sotapanna, let alone an Arahant.
- We are not aware of any living Arahants. Of course, there can be one or two.
- I hope (and believe) that there are many Sotapannas (probably hundreds or thousands, spread worldwide). Of course, we can only guess.
- I don’t think many people living today will be in the human realm when Buddha Maitreya is born in several (or many) million years. The lifetime in the human bhava is less than a million years for sure, and as the Buddha pointed out, rebirth again in the human realm is close to zero for most humans. See “Manussacutiniraya Sutta (SN 56.102).”
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Only a few people can get to Nibbana by hearing a single verse like that. Furthermore, such people are born only at the time of a Buddha. Even during Buddha Gotama’s life, only a few people like Bāhiyadārucīriya could grasp the teachings with a single verse.-
- Even for such people, learning did not come with that single verse. They had spent much time learning/practicing Budha Dhamma in their previous lives.
- The point is that even if someone cannot get to a magga phala in this life, their efforts will NOT go to waste.
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It is in a Dhammapada verse; see #4 of “Why a Sotāpanna is Better off than any King, Emperor, or a Billionaire.”
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1. I believe you are referring to only vedana due to physical touch.
- This is where sukha, dukkha, and adukkhamasukha vedana arise. Examples are sleeping on a soft bed, an injury, and touching the body. In the first case, one may get attached via sukha vedana, and in the second case, via dukkha vedana.
- Getting attached to an adukkhamasukha vedana with that definition is subtle. One example could be the following: You are sleeping and are awakened by the whole house being shaken by an Earthquake. You get scared.
2. In the strict sense, the sensory inputs via the other four physical senses (sights, sounds, tastes, smells) only cause adukkhamasukha vedana.
- Based on them, somanassa or domanassa vedana (“mind-made vedana”) can arise via saññā. See #7 of “Contamination of the Human Mind Based on a Sensory Input.”
- Therefore, the initial sensory contact with sights, sounds, tastes, and smells only leads to adukkhamasukha vedana in the strict sense. They are the common cases of getting attached to adukkhamasukha vedana.
- But in many cases (in the suttas), somanassa may be included in sukha vedana, and domanassa may be included in dukkha vedana. That is because “mind-made vedana” also lead to attachment, and no distinction is made. But it is good to clarify and understand the usage.
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