The ‘upādāna paccayā bhava’ step in Paṭicca Samuppāda plays a critical role in accumulating kamma and also in grasping a new rebirth. All rebirths occur in one of the three types of bhava, which correspond to kāma loka, rūpa loka, and arūpa loka.
November 7, 2026
Three Types of Bhava
1. The “Bhava Sutta (SN 45.164)” states the three types of bhava (existence) as “Kāma bhava, rūpa bhava, arūpa bhava“.
- A living being must be in one of these three existences, or bhava. We know that the Buddha also categorized the world (loka) into 31 realms. What is the need for another categorization?
- The main reason is that the sensory experiences in the three bhava are vastly different. All five physical sensory faculties, i.e., eyes (cakkhu), ears (sōta), nose (ghāna), tongue (jivhā), and physical body (kāya), are missing in the arūpa bhava; only the mind (manō) is present.
- In the ‘rūpa bhava‘, eyes (cakkhu) and ears (sōta) are present in addition to the mind (manō).
- All five physical sensory faculties and the mind are present in the ‘kāma bhava‘.
- The Buddha divided our world (loka) into three ‘sub-worlds’ according to those three types of bhava: kāma loka, rūpa loka, and arūpa loka.
2. Strictly speaking, ‘bhava‘ refers to the ‘kammic energy‘ generated in the ‘upādāna paccayā bhava‘ step in Paṭicca Samuppāda.
- Rebirths in one of the three lokās (kāma, rūpa, and arūpa) occur as a consequence of those kammic energies.
- For example, a living being is born in the ‘rūpa loka‘ based on ‘rūpa bhava‘ (kammic energy) generated in a Paṭicca Samuppāda process. That kammic energy generation happens after the ‘upādāna paccayā bhava’ step.
31 Realms in Three Lokās
3. As we know, all rebirths occur in one of the 31 realms. The kāma loka (resulting from kāma bhava) has 11 realms; rūpa loka (resulting from rūpa bhava) has 16, and the arūpa loka (resulting from arūpa bhava) has 4. See “31 Realms of Existence“.
- Living beings in kāma loka have the highest possible sense faculties of six: eyes (cakkhu), ears (sōta), nose (ghāna), tongue (jivhā), physical body (kāya), and mind (manō). Therefore, they experience the full range of six sensory experiences: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dhammā (memories and accumulated kammic energy).
- Living beings (Brahmās) in rūpa loka have only three sense faculties: eyes (cakkhu), ears (sōta), and mind (manō).
- Living beings (Brahmās) in arūpa loka have only one sense faculty: mind (manō).
- I will alternatively use the terms ‘bhava‘ and ‘loka‘ to refer to the ‘three states of existence’. For example, ‘kāma loka‘ is the result of ‘kāma bhava‘ generated in a Paṭicca Samuppāda process.
The Physical Body Is Absent in Rūpa and Arūpa Loka
4. The use of the additional three sensory faculties of nose (ghāna), tongue (jivhā), and physical body (kāya) requires that there must be a physical body associated with the beings in the ‘kāma loka‘.
- The functioning of the eyes (cakkhu), ears (sōta), and the mind (manō) can happen without a physical body and only with the ‘mental body’ or the ‘manomaya kāya‘. We discussed that in the previous post, “Mind – Thoughts Arise in the ‘Mental Body’“.
- Therefore, in 20 of the 31 realms (belonging to the rūpa loka and arūpa loka), living beings only have the ‘mental body’ and no physical body.
- Living beings in the ‘kāma loka‘ are the ones who have a dense physical body; that is because taste, smell, and touch cannot be experienced without having a dense, physical body.
A Human Is Special
5. Therefore, the living beings in the three types of loka have quite different features, while within a given loka, they have some common features.
- The main reason why we need to understand the features of all three types of lokās is that a human can be ‘temporarily born’ in any one of the three bhava during a lifetime (which can lead to rebirth in the corresponding loka).
- Thus, a human puthujjana can be ‘temporarily born’ in any one of the 26 realms out of 31 realms (only Anāgāmis can be reborn in the 5 realms ‘reserved’ for them).
- Understanding that helps us understand the basic features of the Idappacayatā Paṭicca Samuppāda.
6. As we know, a human can cultivate jhāna. The four types of jhāna (first through the fourth) correspond to the mental states of Brahmās in the rūpa loka or ‘rūpa bhava‘. Thus, they will be reborn in the corresponding rūpa loka Brahma realm upon their death.
- A human can also cultivate the four types of arūpa samāpatti (Ākāsānancāyatana through Nevasaññānāsaññāyatana), which correspond to the mental states of Brahmās in the arūpa loka based on ‘arūpa bhava‘ generated via Idappacayatā Paṭicca Samuppāda. Thus, they will be reborn in the corresponding arūpa loka Brahma realm upon their death; #28-#31 in “31 Realms of Existence“.
- We also know that a human can be reborn in one of the six Deva realms within the kāma loka as a result of ‘kāma bhava‘ generated by cultivating puñña abhisaṅkhāra, i.e., by engaging in meritorious/moral deeds.
- In the same way, a human can be reborn in any one of the four apāyās (the four lowest realms) in the ‘kāma loka‘ by cultivating apuñña abhisaṅkhāra, i.e., by engaging in immoral deeds.
- This is why all future rebirths depend on the accumulation of bhava (kammic energy) via Idappacayatā Paṭicca Samuppāda(in the ‘upādāna paccayā bhava‘ step), mostly while in the human realm. I say, ‘mostly’ because I cannot provide a Tipiṭaka reference for such a specific statement.
‘Temporary Birth’ in Idappacayatā Paṭicca Samuppāda
7. Before a human is actually reborn in any of the other realms in the three types of bhava/loka, they are ‘temporarily reborn’ in the corresponding mental state during the human life.
- That is the basis of the Idappacayatā Paṭicca Samuppāda. See “Idappaccayatā Paṭicca Samuppāda – Bhava and Jāti Within a Lifetime“.
- Consider a human who cultivates the first jhāna during the human lifetime. He can enter that jhāna at will and stay in it for as long as he wants, and during that time he lives ‘temporarily in the corresponding Brahma realm’.
- During that time, his mindset is the same as that of a Brahma living in the corresponding Brahma realm in the ‘rūpa loka‘. Thus, only three sense faculties will be operational while he is in the jhāna (i.e., he will not be aware of the physical body), mimicking a rūpa loka Brahma.
Connection to Rebirth
8. Furthermore, he will be reborn in that specific Brahma realm upon his death.
- Thus, the standard ‘uppatti Paṭicca Samuppāda‘ (described only in the Commentaries) depends on first activating the Idappacayatā Paṭicca Samuppāda. Therefore, the latter is the important version and the only one discussed in the Sutta Piṭaka.
- Without first entering that specific jhāna during a human life, one cannot be reborn in that rūpa loka Brahma realm.
- The same holds true for rebirths in an arūpa loka Brahma realm. For example, Uddaka Ramaputta (who taught how to attain anariya arūpa samāpatti to our Bodhisatta), cultivated the highest arūpa samāpatti, and was reborn in that arūpa realm upon his death.
9. The same holds true for rebirth in an apāya. A human is ‘temporarily reborn’ as an animal during the human life itself.
- Consider a man who rapes a woman or stabs another human to death. During that rape or the killing, he is ‘temporarily reborn’ as an animal or a being in the lowest apāya (niraya or hell). His mindset matches that of an animal or that hell being.
- In another example, consider a human who engages in taking a bribe to make money with the intention of ‘enjoying sensual pleasures with that money. His mindset is that of a peta/preta (‘hungry ghost’) in the peta realm.
- Thus, before any birth in any realm of any bhava is realized, a human must go through the corresponding ‘temporary existence’ while living in the human realm!
- That is why the Idappacayatā Paṭicca Samuppāda is the basis of Buddha’s teachings!
Rebirth in the Asañña Realm
10. The above explanation also explains the rebirths in the asañña realm, where cittās do not arise, i.e., saññā also does not arise.
- To be reborn in that realm, one must cultivate ‘asañña bhāvanā‘ while born a human.
- During that process, he will stop generating thoughts (cittās); of course, saññā is part of a citta, and thus saññā does not arise either. This means he would be totally unaware of the external world. But his physical body will be alive.
- Then, immediately upon the death of the physical body, he will be reborn in the asañña realm.
Seeds for Rebirths in Other Realms Generated in the Human Realm
11. Therefore, the human realm is where seeds for rebirths in other realms are generated. This is a critical fact in Buddha’s teachings.
- This realization helps one to understand the critical role of ‘distorted saññā‘ in the Idappacayatā Paṭicca Samuppāda. The first steps of ‘avijjā paccayā saṅkhāra‘ cannot be initiated if avijjā is not induced in the mind by ‘distorted saññā‘ associated with that realm.
- Life in almost all realms is maintained via different types of saññā associated with that specific realm (the only exception is the asañña realm, where cittās do not arise, i.e., saññā also does not arise).
- See “Saññā In Kāma, Rupa, and Arupa Loka“.
Critical Role of the ‘Distorted Saññā‘
12. This is why it is critical to understand that the root cause of avijjā is the ‘distorted saññā‘.
- To attain the Sotapanna stage, one must get to yoniso manasikara, i.e., the ‘birth of avijjā‘ (with triggering of the dormant ‘avijjā anusaya‘) via the ‘distorted saññā‘.
- See “Yoniso Manasikāra – Connection to Saññā”.
- That critical step of generating avijjā to initiate ‘avijjā paccayā saṅkhāra‘ launches the Idappacayatā Paṭicca Samuppāda process that generates kammic energy for various rebirths within the three types of bhava.
13. When asked to exaplin avijjā, the Buddha in the “Avijjā Sutta (SN 22.113)” stated, “Idha, bhikkhu, assutavā puthujjano rūpaṁ nappajānāti, rūpa samudayaṁ nappajānāti, rūpa nirodhaṁ nappajānāti, rūpa nirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadaṁ nappajānāti” OR “Bhikkhu, it’s when an unlearned ordinary person (puthujjana) doesn’t understand the ‘mind-made rūpa‘, how that rūpa arises in the mind, its cessation, and the practice that leads to its cessation”.
- Note that the Sutta Central translation does not convey the true meaning of the verse.
- The ‘mind-made rūpa‘ is generated by ‘distorted saññā‘. That is what a puthujjana does not understand (or is not willing to believe)!
- In the “Saññā Sutta (SN 26.6)“, the Buddha stated that the manifestation of old age and death is due to the six types of saññā (discussed in #13 below), and the cessation of them leads to the cessation of old age and death. The reason why the Buddha did not include saññā as the first step in Paṭicca Samuppāda is explained in “What Does ‘Paccayā’ Mean in Paṭicca Samuppāda?“
- I have tried to explain that in many posts. See, for example, “Sotapanna Stage via Understanding Perception (Saññā).” I will keep providing more evidence as I can, since this is the way to the Sotapanna stage. I hope at least a few will get there; it may not be easy, but that is the only way. I will do my best to answer questions. That is all I can do.
Primary Categorization of Saññā – According to Sense Faculty
14. The possible types of saññā are primarily categorized by the number of sense faculties. As stated in the “Upādānaparipavatta Sutta (SN 22.56)“, they are: rūpa saññā, sadda saññā, gandha saññā, rasa saññā, phoṭṭhabba saññā, dhamma saññā.
- As we can see, all six of those types of saññā are associated with the six sense faculties in the kāma loka. These are collectively called ‘kāma saññā‘ because they are all present in the kāma loka. Thus, the term ‘kāma saññā‘ includes all six types of saññā mentioned above; of course, they can branch out into further minor categories. Thus, the ‘kāma loka‘ is said to have ‘nānatta saññā‘ or a wide variety of saññā.
- Only the dhamma saññā is present in the arūpa loka/bhava. They are detected by the mind (manō), and that is the only sense faculty available in the arūpa loka (see #1 above). Here, the term ‘arūpa‘ indicates that ‘dense rūpa‘ (rūpa, sadda, gandha, rasa, phoṭṭhabba) are absent. Note that the ‘dhamma rūpa’ (giving rise to dhamma saññā) is a subtle rūpa below the suddhāṭṭhaka stage. Don’t worry about it if you are unaware of suddhāṭṭhaka; ‘dhamma rūpa‘ refers to kammic energies that can bring vipāka.
- The third type of loka/bhava is called the ‘rūpa loka‘ because, unlike in the arūpa loka, dense rūpa are present. Of course, only two ‘dense rūpa‘ (rūpa and sadda) are present in the ‘rūpa loka‘. Brahmās in the ‘rūpa loka‘ don’t have dense physical bodies, and thus the three dense types of rūpa (gandha, rasa, phoṭṭhabba) are not available in the ‘rūpa loka‘.
Rupa – Different Meanings Depending on the Situation
15. As we know, ‘rūpa‘ in many suttās refers to sights. However, in some contexts, ‘rūpa‘ may also refer to all six types; in this case, ‘rūpa‘ refers to any of the six types of sensory inputs listed above. If one needs to make the distinction absolutely clear, the sights can be termed ‘rūpa rūpa‘ or ‘vanna rūpa‘.
- As explained above, ‘rūpa loka‘ or ‘rūpa bhava‘ does not mean that only vision is present. It distinguishes realms in the ‘rūpa loka‘ from those in the ‘arūpa loka‘, where only the mind (which can only detect rūpa below the suddhāṭṭhaka stage) is present.
- The Buddha had to work with the human vocabulary, which is imperfect. The same word can have different meanings in different contexts. That is also true to some extent in any language; in addition, the pronunciation of Pāli words must be understood. See “Pāli Words – Writing and Pronunciation“.
- Thus, keep in mind these subtleties associated with the Pāli word ‘rūpa‘.
- For those who like to dig deeper, see “What are Rūpa? – Dhammā are Rūpa too!“
16. To summarize:
- All types of saññā associated with the ‘kāma loka‘ are collectively called ‘kāma saññā’.
- All types of saññā associated with the ‘rūpa loka‘ are collectively called ‘rūpa saññā’. This must be understood as ‘rūpa loka saññā’ or any saññā associated with the ‘rūpa loka‘.
- However, note that ‘rūpa saññā’ could also mean the specific saññā associated with ‘rūpa rūpa‘ available in ‘kāma loka‘ and ‘rūpa loka‘.
- Only ‘dhamma saññā’ (perceived by the mind itself) is available in the four realms in the ‘arūpa loka‘.
Mind Stress Decreases from ‘Kāma Loka‘ to ‘Arūpa Loka‘
17. It must be clear now that the types or variety of saññā decreases as we go from the ‘kāma loka‘ through the ‘rūpa loka‘ to the ‘arūpa loka‘.
- This is why the sensory experience in the ‘rūpa loka‘ is better and longer-lasting than the sensual pleasures in the ‘kāma loka‘. The sensory experience in the ‘arūpa loka‘ is the best among the three lokās, because there is only one type of ‘distorted saññā‘ present in any realm in the ‘arūpa loka‘.
- As the variety of saññā decreases, the mind becomes less burdened.
- Furthermore, the experience itself lasts longer in the rūpa loka and arūpa loka. One could stay in a jhāna or arūpa samāpatti for hours, whereas sensory pleasures in the ‘kāma loka‘ are short-lived. For example, one would get bored with even the most delicious meal or the most enticing sight relatively quickly.
Anariya Brahmās Are Not Released From the Apāyās
18. However, the mind of any anariya Brahma would still have all ten saṁyojana (equivalently, the seven types of anusaya) intact. None of them are ‘released’ from future rebirths in the apāyās.
- Thus, experience of ‘jhānic/samāpatti pleasure’ lasts only during existence in that realm. After that, they return to the human realm and can be subsequently reborn in the apāyās.
- Almost all sentient beings in 26 realms are anariya/puthujjana (because 5 realms are ‘reserved’ for Anāgāmis). Only a relatively few Noble Persons (Ariya) live in 27 realms (since they are not reborn in the lowest 4 realms or the apāyās).
Human Realm Is Unique
19. It is worth noting one more time the uniqueness of the human realm.
- A human must generate new kammic energy to switch from the kāma loka to the rūpa loka via the ‘upādāna paccayā bhava’ step. That kammic energy propels one from the kāma loka to the rūpa loka during human life (while cultivating that jhāna). That is a puñña abhisaṅkhāra that leads to rebirth in that Brahma realm.
- In contrast, a Brahma born in that realm does not generate new kammic energy. They just ‘enjoy’ the ‘jhānic pleasure’ generated by the kammic energy created in the previous human life (until that kammic energy runs out). After that, they return to the human realm and can be subsequently reborn in the apāyās.
- Most beings that enter an apāya stay there until the end of the eon, unless they have accrued ‘exceptionally good kammic energy to be born in a ‘good realm’ before entering that apāya realm. This is because it is impossible to generate new ‘good kammic energy’ while in such a realm.
- As a result, most of them spend the rest of the eon in an apāya. As explained in the posts, “Aggañña Sutta Discussion – Introduction” and “Buddhism and Evolution – Aggañña Sutta (DN 27)”, all living beings in the lower realms are reborn as humans at the beginning of a new eon. So, they will not be trapped in an apāya forever.
For further details on bhava, see “Upādāna Paccayā Bhava – Two Types of Bhava“.
