Lokāmisa: what it exactly means?

In the Upanīya-sutta and Accenti-sutta there is the compound lokāmisaṃ (lokāmisaṃ pajahe santipekkho), translated as “world’s bait” by Bhikkhu Sujato and Bhikkhu Bodhi. My question is: in this context, what exactly means lokāmisa? Does it means material pleasures?

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Hello. Definitions for āmisa are here: SuttaCentral

Other suttas where ‘āmisa’ is used are here: SuttaCentral

āmisa is a prominent word in the sutta commentary Paṭisambhidāmagga, where many dhammas are distinguished as ‘sāmisaṁ’ (with āmisa) vs ‘nirāmisa’ (without āmisa), which Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli translated as ‘materialistic’ vs ‘unmaterialistic’, here: SuttaCentral.

I suppose the above from the Paṭisambhidāmagga is interesting because many, I guess primarily Western, Buddhists introduce the Western word ‘materialism’ (which the Buddha never used) into Buddhist discourse yet the Paṭisambhidāmagga uses the word ‘materialistic’ in the opposite way than they do. For example, the Paṭisambhidāmagga says uppādo sāmisaṁ, paṭisandhi sāmisaṁ, upapatti sāmisaṁ, jāti sāmisaṁ, in short, ‘rebirth is materialistic’. :dizzy:

It means samsara has a momentum since its characteristic is cyclical, and wherever that is manifest for the individual is termed a bait.

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Yes, I think it means the sensual pleasures of the world.
The compound is made up of loka (world) + āmisa, which has the basic sense of meat or flesh, but takes on the meaning of something enjoyable in a sensual way.

Considering the different meanings of the term āmisa, could you tell me which, in your opinion, is the most appropriate translation in the context of the Suttas I mentioned? Furthermore, if you are able to read Pāli language, could you please tell me what the Upanīyasuttavaṇṇanā and Accentisuttavaṇṇanā commentaries say about lokāmisa? Thank you.

Thank you Betelgeuse. Personally, I have no inherent expertise about the above however for me the translations of “world’s bait” or “world’s allurement” sound fine. “Bait” is a particularly strong term and I always found it strongly pertinent; providing a very strong message of something dangerously & beguilingly entrapping due to ignorance. For me, “bait” is the most excellent.

Unfortunately, I am not able to. Regards :pray:t2: :slightly_smiling_face: