Yes Mat, the articles are based on Ven Waharaka Abayarathanalankara thero’s deshana.
Theruwan saranai
From vedanā how taṇha arise
Let’s investigate what’s meant by the word taṇha, and how it’s a special word with a large scope.
Before understanding dhamma, we know of the word taṇha to be used as “he’s is a very stingy person, he’s a person with a lot of taṇha”. This is how we are used to using this word. It’s used to describe a person who is ungenerous and cling on to his possessions. However when one grasp the deeper meaning of taṇha, one will deviate a bit from this notion.
If we take the break down of the word taṇha with dhamma insight, it can be described as ṭhānhi ṭhānhi hāvīma (locale to locale caused to adhere). Which means getting fused or agglutinating from place to place. What do we mean by caused to adhere (hāvīma)? expanding, it can be taken as getting connected, liking, entering, attracted…etc in many ways. If we say we are bonding with someone, it means connecting with that person or getting attached to that person. It’s in this context hāvīma have been used.
So one should be able to grasp what’s meant by ṭhānhi ṭhānhi hāvīma. In the environment we exist, to what things are we caused to adhere? This is described in the paṭiccasamuppāda vibhaṅga vb6 as follows:
Tattha katamā vedanāpaccayā taṇha? rūpataṇha, saddataṇha, gandhataṇha, rasataṇha, phoṭṭhabbataṇha, dhammataṇha—ayaṃ vuccati “vedanāpaccayā taṇha”.
This is how vedanā paccayā taṇha have been described.
Which means we adhere (hāvīma) to rūpa (sights), adhere to sadda(sound), adhere to gandha(smell), adhere to rasa(taste), adhere to sparśa(touch), adhere to dhamma (thoughts).
Why do we get attached to rūpa (sights)? to get pleasure out of rūpa. We get attached to gandha(smell), to get pleasure from gandha. We have liking(icca) or desire to continue having these pleasures. All beings like to acquire pleasures again and again. Our icca-ness (desire) is that. However when one sees the anicca-ness of it, we cannot maintain pleasures as we desire, we cannot keep having it again and again as we desire, pleasure will fade away even if we like it or not… this way when one observe the suffering that follows or associated with pleasure, the desire to bond with them or get attached to them starts reducing.
So to be freed from this agglutinating process what should we do? The reverberations of pleasure sensations needs to be investigated again and again. It has been said in dhamma grasping pleasures only as pleasures repeatedly, getting continuously illuded by it, and by carrying on to exist in that way, taṇha develops in a person SN12.60. However when one contemplates ādīnava (repercussions) of pleasures again and again, chanda rāga gets nirodha. So let’s inquire how to contemplate ādīnava of pleasures.
Pleasures and ādīnava of pleasures have two types; pleasures and ādīnava experienced in the current existence, pleasures and ādīnava experienced in future existences. When analysing pleasure and ādīnava in current existence, we can observe it as follows: to create pleasures we need to exert effort. Sometimes working hard for days we only experience pleasure for a moment. After getting tired for months and weeks we might experience significantly less amount of time with pleasure. On top of that after experiencing the pleasure, we might have to pay off more debt to compensate for that pleasure. This we say paying one’s dues to gain the pleasures.
When we are trying to do something, we know we will have to pay certain something to get it done. Let’s explore this with an example. Let say a man noticed a woman that takes his bus to work and he’s trying to form a connection with her. Why is he trying to form this connection? In order to try and get some pleasure from it. Maybe one day might not be enough for this. Maybe he will have to try and miss out a few times. Neglecting his work and responsibilities, spending money, he could try to form this connection for weeks. During this time, he wouldn’t experience any pleasures. Let’s say he finally managed to get her attention and got the chance to spend sometime with her. How long did he enjoy this pleasure? Maybe it can be quantified in terms of minutes. For this pleasure he experienced for a short period of time, how much did he have to sacrifice? Due to been illuded by the pleasure, for weeks what he has been doing is wasteful behaviour( sleeping in kilesa).
During this time he might have suffered from fear. He might have been secretive. He might have had to keep things hidden from other people and act with fear. He might have been exposed to a lot of suffering. In the end he would have experienced a bit of pleasure. But for that small amount of pleasure he would have had to go through significantly greater amount of suffering. This is the ādīnava of pleasures in this existence. After experiencing the pleasure how much of an entangled state would he be in? He could end up having to take care of that person and when he’s trying to meet her again and again, he might experience many other difficulties. He might have to spend money on her. Might even end up getting a bad reputation because of it. Like this he will have to payback for the pleasures he had. This is also the ādīnava of pleasures in this lifetime. There could be many other difficulties associated with this pleasure. However one should be able extrapolate from this.
Now let’s see the reverberations of this in future existences. For this pleasure, how many things that’s part of dasa akusalā he might have done? He might have lied. He might have taken part in slandering. He might have spoken frivolously. If there were greater obstacles, he could even end up stealing or killing for the pleasure. Like this he would have done things that are part of dasa akusalā. So he would have accumulated akusalā. More importantly he’s developing rāga, dveṣa and moha. These will expose him to future sansara dukhā. In this way these pleasures will have reverberations in future existences. It will obstruct the path to nivana.
When one starts observing the cause->effects of pleasures, the quality of separating from taṇha manifests in them. Systematically contemplating the repercussion of pleasures the agglutinating nature will get removed.
So contemplating repercussions of rūpa taṇha, gandha taṇha, rasa taṇha, sparśa or phoṭṭhabba taṇha and dhamma taṇha, thinking about the effects of getting attached to them, one can stop being caused to attach to them.
When describing vedanā paccayā taṇha, what we take as vedanā is samphassajā vedanā. So what gives us pleasure is samphassajā vedanā. Understanding what’s samphassajā vedanā, by grasping the anicca, dukhā and unproductive or anatta nature of it, one can stop being caused to adhere from locale to locale, or taṇha can be nirodha.
In Saccavibhaṅga vb4, there is a deep analysis about where taṇha gets manifested. Where taṇha is born, where it remains and where it’s ceased is described as follows:
Yaṃ loke piyarūpaṃ sātarūpaṃ, etthesā taṇha uppajjamānā uppajjati, ettha nivisamānā nivisati
What’s said here is, if there exist a rūpa which is desirable, pleasurable, taṇha is born there, it remains there and it’s ceased there.
Kiñca loke piyarūpaṃ sātarūpaṃ? cakkhuṃ loke piyarūpaṃ sātarūpaṃ. Etthesā taṇha uppajjamānā uppajjati, ettha nivisamānā nivisati. Sotaṃ loke … pe … ghānaṃ loke … jivhā loke … kāyo loke … mano loke piyarūpaṃ sātarūpaṃ, etthesā taṇha uppajjamānā uppajjati, ettha nivisamānā nivisati…
The six cakkhu, sotā, ghāna, jivha, kāya and mano gets described as the first part of where taṇha gets created. The second part is rūpa, sadda, gandha, rasa, sparśa and dhamma. Third part is cakkhu viññāṇa, sotā viññāṇa, ghāna viññāṇa, jivha viññāṇa, kāya viññāṇa and mano viññāṇa six places.
The fourth part is cakkhu samphassa, sotā samphassa, ghāna samphassa, jivha samphassa, kāya samphassa and mano samphassa six places. The fifth part is cakkhu samphassajā vedanā, sotā samphassajā vedanā, ghāna samphassajā vedanā, jivha samphassajā vedanā, kāya samphassajā vedanā and mano samphassajā vedanā six places.
Sixth part is rūpa saññā, sadda saññā, gandha saññā, rasa saññā, sparśa saññā and dhamma saññā. The seventh part is rūpa sañcetanā, sadda sañcetanā, gandha sañcetanā, rasa sañcetanā, sparśa sañcetanā and dhamma sañcetanā.
Part eight is rūpa taṇha, sadda taṇha, gandha taṇha, rasa taṇha, sparśa taṇha and dhamma taṇha six places. Part nine is rūpa vitakko, sadda vitakko, gandha vitakko, rasa vitakko, sparśa vitakko and dhamma vitakko. (Remaining in rūpa ārammaṇe is vitakko)
The tenth part is rūpa vicāro, sadda vicāro, gandha vicāro, rasa vicāro, sparśa vicāro and dhamma vicāro six. ( Remaining in rūpa ārammaṇe and acting on it is vicāro)
In this way desirable and pleasurable rūpa are described in sixty types(6 x 10). These sixty stages of piyarūpa and sātarūpa fall under rūpa category. When saying piyarūpaṃ and sātarūpaṃ, what’s the meaning of the word rūpaṃ in this context? Piyarūpaṃ and sātarūpaṃ could be described as desirable nature or pleasurable nature. Also the word rūpaṃ can be taken as image or form made more prominent. In order to develop pleasure, form or a rūpa must be created. It can be a rūpa seen from the eye, sound rūpa heard from the ear, smell rūpa smelled by the nose, taste rūpa tasted by the tongue, contact rūpa felt from the body or a dhamma rūpa taken from mana.
In order to have pleasures, small bits of rūpa must be accumulated together to develop a rūpa that can be recognised. Only to a rūpa such as that adhesion or taṇha occurs. Same for sound. Pleasure cannot be created with sound bits. Pleasure can be experienced only when many of these sound bits come together and a sound rūpa is created. As an example if you take individual words of a song it might not bring you pleasure, but if you combine these words in a harmonious way, you could create a song that can bring pleasure.
In this way one should understand piyarūpaṃ and sātarūpaṃ described in all its stages and also why they were identified as rūpaṃ.
What’s delineated with all of the aforementioned piyarūpaṃ and sātarūpaṃ is the pañcakkhandhā. Let’s investigate how.
Cakkhu, sotā, ghāna, jivha, kāya, mano, rūpa, sadda, gandha, rasa, sparśa and dhamma twelve delineates the rūpakkhandhā. Cakkhu viññāṇa, sotā viññāṇa, ghānaa viññāṇa, jivha viññāṇa, kāya viññāṇa and mano viññāṇa six delineates the viññāṇakkhandhā.
Cakkhu samphassa, sotā samphassa, ghāna samphassa, jivha samphassa, kāya samphassa, mano samphassa six and cakkhu samphassajā vedanā, sotā samphassajā vedanā, ghāna samphassajā vedanā, jivha samphassajā vedanā, kāya samphassajā vedanā, mano samphassajā vedanā six delineates the vedanākkhandhā.
Rūpa saññā, sadda saññā, gandha saññā, rasa saññā, sparśa saññā and dhamma saññā six delineates the saññākkhandhā.
Rūpa sañcetanā, sadda sañcetanā, gandha sañcetanā, rasa sañcetanā, sparśa sañcetanā, dhamma sañcetanā six; rūpa taṇha, sadda taṇha… six; rūpa vitakko, sadda vitakko… six and rūpa vicāro, sadda vicāro… six, as such twenty four delineates the saṅkhārakkhandhā.
When one observes the 60 variations that was described as piyarūpaṃ and sātarūpaṃ, closely and carefully, what’s shown is the khandhā pañcaka. So it’s clear that taṇha comes to exist on top of rūpakkhandhā, vedanākkhandhā, saññākkhandhā, saṅkhārakkhandhā and viññāṇakkhandhā. When taṇha coalesce with these five, they are identified as pañcaupadānakkhandhā.
We experience pleasure by getting attached to pañcakkhandhā. Only by grasping anicca, dukhā and anatta nature of pleasures, one can stop being caused to adhere to pañcakkhandhā or avoid taṇha.
In this way for pleasure, getting fused with pañcakkhandhā and experiencing pleasures, a chanda rāga about the pañcakkhandhā gets created. Sees the pañcakkhandhā as valuable. Hopes for it again and again. This hope for wanting it again and again is pañcakkhandhā upadana or identified as pañcaupadānakkhandhā.
Arhat who has correctly grasped the anicca nature of pleasures, the dukhā that gets created because of it, recognises clearly the ādīnava of pleasures associated with the pañcakkhandhā. Because of that an arahat does not create chanda rāga about pleasures. Which means an Arhat do not have pañcaupadānakkhandhā.
What is Upādāna?
In the last article discussed taṇhā as locale to locale caused to adhere. When investigating these, explained it should be grasped as adhesion to khandhā pañcaka; rūpa, vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra and viññāṇa. The objective of this article is discussing taṇhā paccayā upādāna, the upādāna that gets manifested due this adhesion process.
First one needs to grasp the meaning of the word upādāna. This word can be shown as upa + ādāna in two parts. You will find the word upa to be used frequently in sinhala, in the context of vice (e.g. vice principal). It’s used to mean the closest stage prior to a certain stage. One is identified as vice principal to show that person could be the next principle. By being made vice principal it shows the person has the ability to be the principle.
The meaning of the word upa should be clear from these examples. Ādāna must be taken as being attracted to the proximity. Attracted to proximity means being attracted to the vicinity of the next stage. As upādāna paccayā bhavo, next stage is the bhava state. So closest to bhava state, in the vicinity of it, state immediately prior to it is upādāna. To develop this idea let’s take a couple of examples from Tripiṭaka.
In Aggivaccha sutta MN72 :
‘yo te ayaṃ purato aggi jalati ayaṃ aggi kiṃ paṭicca jalatī’ti, evaṃ puṭṭho ahaṃ, bho gotama, evaṃ byākareyyaṃ: ‘yo me ayaṃ purato aggi jalati ayaṃ aggi tiṇakaṭṭhupādānaṃ paṭicca jalatī’”ti
And suppose someone were to ask ‘This fire burning in front of you, dependent on what is it burning?’ …I would reply, ‘This fire burning in front of me is burning dependent on grass & timber as its sustenance.’
So for the fire to start with flames illuminating, closets condition (upa + ādāna) was dry grass and timber. When the fire that’s burning with conditions of dry grass and timber runs out of what upādāna for it to start, dry grass and timber, the fire will extinguish.
In another example in Kutuhalasālā Sutta SN44.9, tathāgata talks about upādāna for flames of the fire to go upwards. That’s the question Vaccha raised. Then Buddha answer this question as air upādāna for flames to rise up. What’s said here is that the air closest to the flames of the fire aids the flames to get raised upwards. Flames rise up with the air that rise up due to absorbing heat. So for flames to go upwards what conditioned it was the air that was rising up in it’s vicinity. Buddha said, air that heats up that’s attracted to its vicinity upādāna in raising the flames.
From this it becomes more clear, upa + ādāna or what’s identified as upādāna is the closest condition attracted to the vicinity of the outcome.
Now lets investigate how upādāna should be grasped in the paṭiccasamuppāda cycle. Jāti, jarā, maraṇa, soka, parideva, dukhā, domanassa, upāyāsā as such that ends with a bundle of dukhā is the avijjāpaccayā paṭiccasamuppāda. Avijjāpaccayā sankhārā, sankhārāpaccayā viññāṇa… etc avijjāpaccayā paṭiccasamuppāda cycle. Taṇhā paccayā upādāna is stated in this cycle. It was discussed taṇhā is locale to locale caused to adhere and this adhesion happens due to expectations for pleasures.
So when adhering in this way, through the repeated pleasures that’s created due to adhesion, expectation develops to keep having it again and again. Expectation that occur in this way is identified as upādāna. State identified as bhava gets developed due to these expectations.
The following is said in the Cūḷavedalla sutta MN44:
“Na kho, āvuso visākha, taññeva upādānaṃ te pañcaupādānakkhandhā, nāpi aññatra pañcaupādānakkhandhehi upādānaṃ. Yo kho, āvuso visākha, pañcasu upādānakkhandhesu chandarāgo taṃ tattha upādānan”ti.
Visākha, upādāna and pañcaupādānakkhandhā are not the same. (pañcaupādānakkhandhā discarded upādāna is not another) Visākha, if there is some chanda rāga about pañcaupādānakkhandhā that’s upādāna. The part in brackets says that upādāna is not a completely separate phenomenon from pañcaupādānakkhandhā.
Pañcakkhandhā and pañcaupādānakkhandhā are not the same. Also not something separate. That’s why it was said within pañcaupādānakkhandhā, there is some chanda rāga. If there is some chanda rāga about pañcaupādānakkhandhā, it’s upādāna of that. Which means condition for upādāna is chanda rāga about pañcakkhandhā. So one needs to grasp what’s chanda rāga. As chanda + rāga, it can be broken down into two parts.
Chanda can be taken as desire. Also it can be thought of as cha for citta + andha for blind, to show the nature that blinds the mind. If we are to break down the word rāga with dhamma insight, ra can be taken as hoping for pleasures and ga can be taken as foremost (agga). So ra + ga can be taken as pleasures made foremost expectation. So if one blinds the mind and makes expectations for pleasures one’s highest priority, that can be taken as chanda rāga. Pleasures from what? pleasures from rūpa, vedanā, saññā, sankhārā and viññāṇa.
What’s pushing us forward in this sansara existence is repeated expectation for pleasures from pañcakkhandhā; rūpa, vedanā, saññā, sankhārā and viññāṇa. Expectation to have these pleasures repeatedly or chanda rāga about pañcakkhandhā is upādāna in the avijjāpaccayā paṭiccasamuppāda. One day if one sees pleasures from pañcakkhandhā as unproductive, meaningless, see ādīnava of these pleasures, one will be removed from expecting these pleasures repeatedly. This should be understood as getting removed from chanda rāga.
Pañcaupādānakkhandhā are manifested from pañcakkhandhā coalescing with chanda rāga. If one removes chanda rāga from pañcaupādānakkhandhā what’s left is pañcakkhandhā. This is the nature of an Arhat. An Arhat have rūpa, vedanā, saññā, sankhārā and viññāṇa. An Arhat have all of the pañcakkhandhā. However in any of them, an Arhat doesn’t expect pleasures created from any of them. Doesn’t adhere to them to get pleasures.
An Arhat have grasped these pleasures to be extremely dangerous. So chanda rāga Arhat had about pañcakkhandhā have ceased. That means upādāna have ceased.
In the first desanā from the Buddha, Dhammacakkappavattana sutta SN56.11, when describing dukhā, after describing as jāti, maraṇa, at the end saṃkhittena( san+ khitta + ena - if there is some process of accumulation in relation to pañcaupādānakkhandhā, it’s tiring) pañcaupādānakkhandhā dukhā was said. So in summary Buddha said all these dukhā arise because of pañcaupādānakkhandhā.
So if one is liberated from pañcaupādānakkhandhā, one have started getting liberated from all of these dukhā. So what’s the difficulty we have in sansara? us through upādāna, creating upādāna, existing by developing a pañcaupādānakkhandhā is the reason that propagated us through sansara for this long.
Upādāna is described as follows in Paṭiccasamuppādavibhaṅga VB6 :
Tattha katamaṃ taṇhāpaccayā upādānaṃ? Kāmupādānaṃ, diṭṭhupādānaṃ, sīlabbatupādānaṃ, attavādupādānaṃ—idaṃ vuccati “taṇhāpaccayā upādānaṃ”.
What’s said by this?
This means our main expectations are broken down into four categories. What’s meant by kāma upādāna is expectations for pleasures created through abundance of pañca kāma. This is also identified as kāma rāga. The state that one is expecting these pleasures experienced is known as kāma upādāna.
Next diṭṭhi upādāna is a view created through taking the world as productive and meaningful. What’s identified as the world is eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind, sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and thoughts or rūpa; vedanā; saññā; sankhārā and viññāṇa. This is known as sabba loka. Based on pleasures experienced from rūpa, vedanā, saññā, sankhārā and viññāṇa, one grasp subba loka as valuable. Expectations are developed for them by grasping pleasures created by pañcakkhandhā as valuable. This can be identified as sakkāya diṭṭhi. Which is taking the world as sath, creating the notion that the world is good and productive. At a certain time when one reach sotāpaññā stage, if a view existed in one’s mind that the world is meaningful and productive, diṭṭhi upādāna will be broken.
Let’s see what’s sīlabbatta upādāna. There are people who expects to continue on with sila vrata they observe. During the time before Buddha, ajā-vrata and go-vrata as such many vrata existed. From those sila vrata, by being attached and agglutinated to them, one will get liberated or get freed from dukhā the avijjā diṭṭhi, by upholding this diṭṭhi there are people who expects to continue on these sila vrata. This is identified as sīlabbatta upādāna.
Attavāda upādāna is a view held of an existence of a soul, I , mine as such there is something productive or meaningful. Taking a side as mine, more and more protecting the view, safeguarding the notion of a self, acting continually expecting based on that view, is attavāda upādāna. So from these four upādāna, four types of expectations are described. From one who is sotāpaññā, kāma upādāna upto the level of conditioning birth in four apāyas gets discarded. Diṭṭhi upādāna gets completely discarded. Sīlabbatta upādāna gets completely discarded. Attavāda upādāna or myself as such there is a meaningful person, expectations for need to safeguard that person bhava, the attavāda upādāna that continues on, completely end only when one reach the stage of Arhat.
People tend to mix up upādāna and upādāna dhamma. Many people are perplexed about what are upādāna dhamma and what is upādāna. To solve this let’s look at the Upādāna sutta in Samyutta Nikaya SN12:52
Monks, I will teach you friendly dhamma for upādāna and upādāna, listen. What are friendly dhamma for upādāna? and what’s upādāna? Monks, good, desirable and pleasurable, consisting of kāma, there are rūpa taken with an eye that’s adhesive, these are upādāna friendly dhamma. If there is some chanda rāga in that, that is upādāna. Monks, there are sounds taken from the ears, there are smells taken from the nose, there are tastes taken from the tongue, there are touches taken from the body, monks, good, desirable and pleasurable, consisting of kāma, there are dhamma that’s taken with a mind that’s adhesive, these are known as upādāna friendly dhamma. If there is some chanda rāga in that, that is upādāna.
So we can clearly see upādāna dhamma is rūpa, sadda, gandha, rasa, sparśa and dhamma six. Upādāna is chanda rāga developed about rūpa, sadda, ghanda, rasa, sparśa and dhamma. Chanda rāga means getting illuded, intoxicated by desirable and pleasurable nature of them, and getting tied down to them in a way that’s not possible to let go; state of mind expecting them repeatedly.
If there was some chanda rāga developed about sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought that come in contact with eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind, that’s identified as upādāna. In order to completely grasp upādāna, one must have the ñāṇa about upādāna, ñāṇa about upādāna samudaya, ñāṇa about upādāna nirodha and ñāṇa about upādāna nirodha magga. One must develop these ñāṇa. If upādāna is not grasped correctly other ñāṇa cannot be acquired.
Upādāna samudaya ñāṇa is ñāṇa about conditions that develops upādāna. Expecting pleasures one had, in other words expectation of pleasures created in association with eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind; condition for upādāna is not seeing the ādīnava (repercussions) of these pleasures. In a person with an existence of seeing pleasures as pleasures taṇhā develops and with an existence of contemplating pleasures and ādīnava of pleasures taṇhā eradicates is said in the Nidāna sutta SN12.60.
So upādāna samudaya, or condition for upādāna manifestation is not contemplating ādīnava of pleasures. One must grasp ādīnava of pleasures. When anicca nature of pleasures created through eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind is grasped, one starts grasping dukhā associated with pleasures. It should be understood that throughout our existence in sansara, we are exposed to enormous amount of dukhā. This plentiful dukhā is hidden behind a small bit of pleasures. Buddha said one must clearly and separately grasp pleasures and ādīnava of pleasures.
Buddha said there are pleasures in the world. That’s our problem. Grasping only tiny amount of pleasures, not observing it’s ādīnava, not observing anicca, dukhā and anatta nature of it, in a person who continues to not grasp it, upādāna develops. As taṇhā develops upādāna starts to develop. So upādāna samudaya is taṇhā for pleasures. If one nirodha taṇhā for pleasures, one should understand it will nirodha upādāna.
So what should we see as magga (path) to nirodha upādāna? It’s the noble eightfold path. One day seeing ādīnava of pleasures, not developing chanda rāga about rūpa, sadda, gandha, rasa, sparśa and dhamma, upādāna dhamma, one will be free from them. That’s upādāna nirodha magga.
What must we do in practice to nirodha upādāna? Through the paṭiccasamuppāda cycle, we grasped avijjā as condition sankhārā develops. We identified sankhārā as using eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind to get tied down with desire (paṭicca) to sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought. Through this process of getting tied down with desire, it was grasped viññāṇa gets created from previous discussions.
So for people with avijjā getting discarded, vijjā being developed, people who grasp the world as anicca, starts grasping pleasures as anicca. We get tied down to the eye that come in contact with a sight to get pleasure. When we expect these pleasures repeatedly, for pleasure, we repeatedly (paṭicca) get tied down with desire. So by repeatedly developing viññāṇa, repeatedly developing nāmarūpa, saḷāyatana… etc completing the paṭiccasamuppāda cycle develop upādāna.
From the moment one grasp anicca, dukhā and anatta nature of pleasures, one gets out of the process of getting tied down (paṭicca) to rūpa, sadda, gandha, rasa, sparśa and dhamma. In other words gets out of san realisation process. This is the instance where samma diṭṭhi is practically applied. If one separates (ma) from san, eye + sight… etc, separates from the process of san realisation, development of upādāna will also stop. One must grasp upādāna nirodha happens in this way.
From upādāna bhava manifesting and how we get caught up in jāti, jarā and maraṇa
We discussed upādāna as expecting an ārammaṇe(starting stimuli) that creates pleasures repeatedly. What gives rise to pleasures is pañcakkhandhā; rūpa, vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra and viññāṇa. Accumulation of them is what brings us pleasures. So to gain pleasures, desire, chanda rāga arise in us for pañcakkhandhā; rūpa, vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra and viññāṇa. It was explained this is how pañcaupadānakkhandhā develops.
Now we will investigate upādānapaccayā bhavo. What’s expressed as bhava? Let’s explore some simple instances that we use bhava. One became a jealous person (bhavaṭa). One became a degenerate. One became an angry person. In this way bhava is used in a simple context in day to day conversations in Sinhala.
Because of how the word is written changing, the simple connection between the two words have been lost. Many believe bhava is a dimension that one is born into. But this interpretation of the word have its faults. Bhava that one is becoming or bhava (state of existence) one has become is mainly identified by it.
By entering rūpa and arūpa jhana, continuing on grasping the desireable nature of these states, getting attached to them, making these pleasures foremost, one who expects them again and again, are born in corresponding rūpa and arūpa brahma worlds. Ones who are born into rūpa and arūpa brahma worlds can be ariya or anariya.
Anariya ones, after the lifespan set to be born into these worlds expires, can be born as humans or in other realms again. However when ariya people enter these jhana, contemplating the anicca, dukhā and anatta nature of pleasures experienced through even them, by getting progressively liberated further, entering higher brahma realms will realise nivana.
We know what’s identified as kama. One experiencing these pleasures, repeatedly expecting pleasures experienced through pañca devhara (five senses) is known as kama upādāna. If there is a person who has made kama upādāna foremost, gives high priority to repeatedly experiencing these pleasures, that person is established in kama bhava. A person who is established in kama bhava constantly search for pleasures experienced through eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body. One must grasp kama bhava in this way.
Rūpa bhava is another state. People who enter rūpachara jhana through various methods, consider most pleasurable experiences as first, second, third and fourth jhana states. They desire pīti, sukha and upekkhā experienced through them. Wish for it repeatedly or upādāna it. So they have become rūpa bhava or have become a person associating with rūpa bhava.
What’s Identified as arūpa bhava is by making arūpa jhana highest priority, making pleasures experienced from them foremost, expecting them repeatedly. When rūpachara or arūpachara jhana are achieved by ariya puggala, grasping anicca, dukhā and anatta nature of them, not considering even these states as pleasurable will reject them. Even though anariya puggala can achieve these states, taking them as pleasurable and valuable wishing for them repeatedly, they stay attached to these states.
In bhava sutta following is said AN 6.105:
Katame tayo bhavā pahātabbā? Kāmabhavo, rūpabhavo, arūpabhavo—ime tayo bhavā pahātabbā.
From this we can understand bhava as a state that can be submerged in (pahātabba). So it’s a nature of one’s mind. Or else if we consider bhava as a dimension one is born into, how can we pahātabbā? Or how do we pahīnā bhava? So bhava state should be grasped as a state that can be pahātabbā, or a state that can be pahīnā or nirodha. Bhava is a stage that occur in the mind or a state of mind.
So now one should grasp a person who has got into kama bhava, has become that in one’s mind. Also people who have become rūpa bhava and arūpa bhava, by making them foremost have got into these bhava states through their minds.
The world that people who have developed kama bhava are born into is identified as kama loka. By making rūpa bhava foremost, people who have made rūpacara pleasures top priority are born into rūpacara brahma loka. By making arūpa bhava foremost, people who have made arūpacara pleasures top priority are born into arūpacara brahma loka. So one should grasp the worlds that one is born into because of kama bhava, rūpa bhava and arūpa bhava separately, and should identify kama bhava, rūpa bhava and arūpa bhava as states that occur in one’s mind.
The following is also stated in the Aṅguttara Nikāya:
bhava nirodho nibbanam
So if the states identified as bhava is not manifested that’s nivana. This shows that bhava is a state that occur in one’s own mind. By nirodha of bhava, one will realise nivana.
Bhava is described as follows in the paṭiccasamuppāda vibhaṅga VB6:
Tattha katamo upādānapaccayā bhavo? Bhavo duvidhena—atthi kammabhavo, atthi uppattibhavo.
This states that there are two types of bhava. As kamma bhava and uppatti bhava is separated into two parts. It further describes as follows:
Tattha katamo kammabhavo?
Puññābhisaṅkhāro, apuññābhisaṅkhāro, āneñjābhisaṅkhāro—ayaṃ vuccati “kammabhavo”.
What’s described from this is the saṅkhāra one does. These saṅkhāra are broken down into three parts as puññābhisaṅkhāra, apuññābhisaṅkhāra and āneñjābhisaṅkhāra. They are also saṅkhāra that occur conditioned by avijjā. If we expect some pleasure, getting paticca due to these expectations, the saṅkhāra that gets created is what turns into this bhava stage.
They are broken down into puññābhi saṅkhāra, apuññābhi saṅkhāra and āneñjābhi saṅkhāra.
Sabbampi bhavagāmikammaṃ kammabhava
What’s said by this is all bhavagāmi ( travellers through bhava), if kamma conditions to continue on in a bhava state exists, it’s identified as kamma bhava.
These puññābhi saṅkhāra, apuññābhi saṅkhāra and āneñjābhi saṅkhāra that develop kamma bhava, are saṅkhāra that manifest in each individual moment in the mind. So what happens to these saṅkhāra afterwards? They get added to nāma loka. How are they added? As saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇaṃ, through viññāṇa, the sketches that contains puññābhi saṅkhāra, apuññābhi saṅkhāra and āneñjābhi saṅkhāra or nāma gotra that one creates, gets established in nāma loka.
So one should understand nāma gotra that aid development of kamma bhava, gets added to kamma bhava as nāmakhandha or dhamma. Kamma bhava is located in nāma loka. If one is expecting a lot of animalistic pleasures, more kamma inline with animal gati (characteristics) gets added to kamma bhava. If one is expecting a lot of humanistic pleasures, more kamma inline with human gati (characteristics) gets added to kamma bhava. If one enjoys pleasures that can be associated with deva like qualities, more kamma inline with gati(characteristics) of devas gets added to kamma bhava.
If one created more kamma inline with gati(characteristics) of devas in his kamma bhava, deva kamma takes prominence. Based on the type of kamma that is prominent, in each individual moment one’s characteristic (gatiya) gets created. Based on these characteristics, in each of those individual moments, in that person a deva jāti or human jāti gets created. So one will experience dukhā in those individual moments that’s associated with the corresponding jāti. This is the principle of idappaccayatāpaṭiccasamuppāda. Even though it was said one will experience, actually all sensations (vedanā) comes from contact (sparśa).
Idappaccayatāpaṭiccasamuppāda is something that we must all grasp. We discussed idappaccayatāpaṭiccasamuppāda in previous articles. What’s identified as idappaccayatā is from moment to moment, paṭiccasamuppāda principle of how one becomes different jāti. What type of pleasures did one get paṭicca with in this moment? pleasures inline with deva gati, pleasure inline with human gati, or pleasures inline animal gati; based on that in each of these moments jāti gets created. From moment to moment when jāti gets developed, what describes this process is idappaccayatāpaṭiccasamuppāda. Explaining it further; jarā, maraṇa occurs jāti as condition, jāti occurs bhava as condition, bhava occurs upādāna as condition, upādāna occurs taṇhā as condition, taṇhā occurs vedanā as condition, vedanā occurs sparśa as condition… etc
When considering jāti, we are commonly use to only grasping current existence coming to an end and going into another existence. In idappaccayatāpaṭiccasamuppāda, from moment to moment jāti manifesting, experiencing dukhā corresponding to these jāti is something one fundamentally needs to grasp.
Let’s think of a person with a peaceful mind adding kamma to his kamma bhava that have deva and human gati as prominent, creating deva and human gati, spent the morning as deva jāti or human jāti. In the evening due to some reason experiencing some mental trauma, having drunk alcohol, developing kamma bhava with prominence to animalistic gati, developed characteristics of an animal. So in the evening he became an animal jāti. So the person who was a human or deva jāti in the morning, in the evening have become an animal jāti. This is identified as pavutti paṭiccasamuppāda. They are identified as pavutti jāti. At the moment of paṭisandhi, belongs to paṭisandhi jāti.
What we considered here were large time periods as morning and evening. However actually with pavutti paṭiccasamuppāda, in each individual moment different jāti gets created. People who are happy in one moment are angry in the next. So a person who was a rāga jātika in one moment, becomes a devesha jātika in the next moment. This is decided by bhava that person becomes in each of those individual moments. Person who develops devesha bhava ends up as a devesha jātika, experience dukhā associated with devesha jātika. Experienced through sparśa. Person who was established in rāga bhava, creating rāga kamma bhava, becoming a rāga jātika, experience vedanā inherited by a rāga jātika. These experiences are manifested through sparśa. So this is how throughout our entire life we experience jāti dukhā.
It must be understood based on the nature of this existence, when thousands of sparśa come about that conditions dukhā, experiencing thousands of dukhā bits, when a sparśa come about that conditions pleasure, experiencing bit of pleasure vedanā and when a sparśa that conditions upekkhā vedanā comes about, experiencing upekkhā vedanā, as such this bhava journey is composed of endless dukhā. All of them end in jarā, maraṇa. So due to avijjā, constantly developing jāti getting caught up in jarā, maraṇa, one goes through endless dukhā.
We must grasp jāti according to two methods. First should grasp according to pavutti paṭiccasamuppāda, in individual moments how we become different jāti. Secondly should grasp how according to paṭisandhi paṭiccasamuppāda, at the moment of going from one existence to the next existence, how a new form of existence, jāti gets manifested. From these two, in many instances we discussed how according to pavutti paṭiccasamuppāda, moment to moment different jāti gets created. Due to some avijjā in this moment, saṅkhāra getting developed, through viññāṇa, nāma rūpa, saḷāyatana, phassa, vedanā, taṇhā, upādāna cycle, bhava getting developed, due to bhava in that moment jāti develops. This can be a rāga jātika or devesha jātika. If it’s a rāga jātika, one must experience all dukhā associated with rāga jātika. If it’s a devesha jātika, one must go through the plethora of dukhā associated with a devesha jātika. One will experience is stated based on common terminology. According to principle of idappaccayatā, every sensation(vedanā) is manifested conditioned through contact (sparśa). Although as rāga jātika and devesha jātika, it was explained here based on two categories, infinite amount of jāti gets developed from moment to moment. One moment acting as a human, in the next moment strong anger arising acts as a yakkha. In another moment being very peaceful and calm, helping others could become a deva jātika.
Here based on characteristics (gati) of the mind changing, these jāti gets developed but the body remains as a human body. Even though the body will go through some small changes during these moments, the entire body doesn’t transform. Which means the person who was a yakkha, have gone through jarā maraṇa in that moment and next person is born in the next moment. So going through jarā and maraṇa is common between jāti that gets created from moment to moment. This process happens in a very small time scale. Yakkha that got created in this moment, after acting out for few moments, going through jarā will end in maraṇa. In these moments soka, parideva, dukhā, domanassa, upāyāsā as such, one will experience all dukhā associated with the yakkha jāti. Yakkha jāti ending in maraṇa in that moment, in the next moment a deva jātika can get manifested. Avijjā that conditioned yakkha jātika getting removed momentarily could get into a state that’s acting as a deva jātika. That state continuing on for a moment will experience dukhā associated with that jātika. Deva jātika ending in that moment, another jātika could get created in the next moment. These are not conventional jarā, maraṇa and should be grasped as pavutti jarā maraṇa. In this way if one is mindful, one should be able to grasp how one becomes human, animal and deva…etc momentarily and how through this pavutti paṭiccasamuppāda; jāti, jarā, maraṇa, soka, parideva, dukhā, domanassa, upāyāsā as such all dukhā are attracted to one self. Now let’s see how in the next existence jāti gets manifested and one will go through jarā and end in maraṇa dukhā. Earlier explained how through kamma bhava one’s gati gets developed. During the last citta vīthi these gati determines the birth into the next existence. In other words cuti and uppatti occurs.
In this way maraṇa taking place from a kāya (body), a person who gets born (uppatti) into a new kāya will have to go through the special dukhā, domanassa, soka, parideva associated with that entire existence.
This new existence is developed based on the paṭisandhi paṭiccasamuppāda. What’s established in kamma bhava, ārammaṇe that conditions a future birth based on avijjā developed in that moment taken as condition, as saṅkhāra the process involved, prevailing kamma energy will operate in that moment. This ārammaṇe (starting-stimuli) occurring through kamma, kamma nimitta and gati nimitta three principles is a nature that’s developed at the moment of maraṇa(passing away). This ārammaṇe by repeated avarjana, āsevanā as condition or ārammaṇe arising repeatedly, a citta vīthi that got stronger will occur as the last cuti citta vīthi.
With the ārammaṇe of this last citta vīthi, according to the saṅkhāra that got developed due to avijjā as condition, in the javana citta line viññāṇa manifesting inline with the future paṭisandhi, with the energy that became strong for paṭisandhi at the fifth javana cittaksana, in kamma bhava, as closest kamma javana with the cetanā will get established.
The next cittaksana being cuti cittaksana, as soon as it ends, according to above mentioned kamma javana, vipāka viññāṇa that got developed based on saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇa principle, becomes the paṭisandhi viññāṇa. With this paṭisandhi vipāka viññāṇa, as kāya dasaka, bhava dasaka, vatthu dasaka, three rūpa kalāpa manifesting through kamma energy in that moment, in kamma bhava paṭisandhi citta occurs.
According to later written commentaries, even though this is identified as first citta occurring in a mother’s womb, based on more detailed examination it becomes clear that this is the start of manifestation of a gandhabbā. It’s also stated, afterwards cakkhu dasaka, sotā dasaka, ghāna dasaka, jivha dasaka forty rūpa kalāpa also gets developed through kammaja, which is also an indication that it’s not associated with utujā rūpa that’s in a mother’s womb. In this way the fully developed gandhabbā at the correct time enter (okkanti) into a mother’s womb. When viññāṇa is established inside the mother’s womb, nāma rūpa gets developed inside the womb is said in mahānidāna sutta DN15 . All of these paṭiccasamuppāda constituents are consisting of avijjā, so all of saḷāyatana that gets developed by them also contains avijjā. Now to get sparśa vedanā, suitable kāya as kamma vipāka has become uppatti bhava. In this way avijjā, saṅkhāra, taṇhā, kamma bhava and uppatti bhava from the previous existence as condition in the new existence paṭisandhi viññāṇa, nāma rūpa, saḷāyatana, sparśa and vedanā as such vipākakkandha manifesting paṭisandhi paṭiccasamuppāda takes place. Grasping closest causes that conditioned the individual constituents that occur with pavutti and paṭisandhi paṭiccasamuppāda is known as idappaccayatāpaṭiccasamuppāda. So jarā, maraṇa occurs due to jāti. Jāti occurs due to bhava. Bhava occurs due to upādāna. Upādāna occurs due to taṇhā. Taṇhā occurs due to vedanā. Vedanā occurs due sparśa…etc; grasping is idappaccayatāpaṭiccasamuppāda.
In this way one should grasp how moment to moment jāti, jarā, maraṇa, soka, parideva, dukhā, domanassa, upāyāsā gets developed and also when changing to a new existence how soka, parideva, dukhā, domanassa, upāyāsā are experienced throughout that new existence. So if jāti, jarā, maraṇa, soka, parideva, dukhā, domanassa, upāyāsā was taken as what’s experienced when being born into a new existence from a previous existence, now one should also grasp how jāti, jarā, maraṇa, soka, parideva, dukhā, domanassa, upāyāsā are experienced in current individual moments. Based on the two paṭiccasamuppāda patterns this phenomenon should be understood. Instantaneous cause and effects should be grasped based on idappaccayatāpaṭiccasamuppāda.