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Hi Siebe. In case it could help, I’d like to give examples similar to what Lal has given in the past. Lal and anyone, always feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
Tanha via greed:
You just finished listening to your favorite song. Even though that event has passed, you continue to consciously think about that song, with the thoughts: “that is such a lovely song, I could listen to it over and over again, I might listen to it again in a few minutes.”Tanha via hatred:
Someone you don’t like just said something mean to you. Even though that event has passed, you continue to consciously think about that person, with the thoughts: “I can’t tolerate that person, how can he say that to me, I need to think of a good comeback and tell him that the next time I see him.”Those thoughts in the quotes are the upadana step.
I’m not sure about what example to give for moha. Maybe something with micca ditthi? The thoughts: “if I do this particular procedure everyday, then I am guaranteed to get access to heaven forever in the afterlife, therefore I have to do this procedure diligently.”
1) So for every puthujjana, when they have tanha, attachment is unavoidable/inevitable, as in attachment can’t be separated from tanha? I ask this because I used to think that maybe it was possible for even puthujjana to crave for things without attachment-but now I’m thinking that this can only be done by the first three Ariyas(Sotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami) or maybe even yogis? Of course an Arahant has eradicated it all together.
2) So at the automatic mano sankhara stage, only tanha and attachment is there. There is no upadana at all in the mano sankhara stage?
You mentioned the connection between early stage of vaci sankhara with upadana. This early stage is sankappa right? So then every time each of start our conscious/silent/internal thoughts, this is when upadana step begins? So can it be stated in another way that sankappa/assada is synonymous with upadana? And cittanupassana involves being mindful of and controlling the upadana step?
If this is the case, controlling sankappa/assada is not a trivial matter. It is the key to gradually start reducing tanha and eventually removing it. So far I have been more focused on kammantha and vaca, and not the best at sankappa.
3) In an example of a fish who sees a pleasant object(the bait), likes what it sees, goes towards that object, takes bite out of it, gets literally hooked/attached to the shiny seemingly pleasant bait, and now vulnerable to future inevitable suffering, what here can be labeled the tanha step and what can be labeled the upadana step?
By the way, I noticed that I seem to understand concepts better when explained through the language of Abhidhamma for some reason. Maybe because it is so precise. I wonder if a particular dominant panca indriya would be more likely to gravitate towards Abhidhamma.
