不生亦不滅 不常亦不斷 (불생역불멸 불상역부단) Neither arising nor ceasing; neither eternal nor impermanent.
不一亦不異 不來亦不出 (불일역불이 불래역불출) Neither identical nor different; neither coming nor going.
수행승들이여, 태어나고 생겨나지않고 만들어지지않고 형성되지않은것이있다.
수행승들이여, 태어나지않고 생겨나지않고 만들어지지 않고 형성되지않은것이 없다면, 세상에서 태어나고 생겨나고 만들어지고 형성되는것으로부터의 여윔이 알려질수없다.
그러나 수행승들이여, 태어나지않고 생겨나지않고 만들어지지않고 형성되지 않은것이있으므로 세상에서 태어나고 만들어지고 형성되는것으로부터의 여윔이 알려진다.
Bhikkhus, there is that which is unborn, unoriginated, unmade, and unformed.
https://puredhamma.net/key-dhamma-concepts/sankhara-kamma-kamma-vipaka/
Kamma (Actions to Prolong Sansāra)
"Kammic energy is generated when one turns saṅkhāra to abhisaṅkhāra by the “wheeling process”; see above. For example, when one sees an object that is just saṅkhāra due to a kamma vipāka. However, if one then starts thinking about how good it is, or thinks about how to acquire it, then it becomes abhisaṅkhāra; here, one now has INTENTIONS about that object, one is hoping to get something.
That is why the Buddha said, “cētana ham Bhikkhave kammaṃ vadami,” i.e., “I say that intention is kamma.”
So it is important to remember that kamma is the intention, and even though it can be done by the mind, speech, or the body, all those have their root in mind. We cannot say or do anything without a thought to do so (see the Abhidhamma section for details).
For example, the intention to go for a walk is a kamma that does not have any power to generate a good or bad vipāka in the future. That kamma will only get that task done.
Kamma Bīja (Kamma Seeds) or Kamma Bhava
When a kamma (abhisaṅkhāra) is committed, the kammic potential of that kamma is deposited in a kamma bīja (kamma seed); kamma seed is NOT a physical entity; it is an “energy” or “potential” to bring about an effect in the future. It can also be called a “kamma bhava.”
A kamma seed can be compared to a regular seed, for example, a seed of an apple tree. The potential to bring about a fully grown apple tree is in the apple seed. However, if the seed is kept in a dry place with no contact with soil, it does not get to germinate. It will germinate if placed under the soil and fed with water and nutrients. Then it can grow into an apple tree, yielding a thousand more seeds.
Similarly, a kamma seed has the POTENTIAL to germinate or come to fruition if suitable conditions appear; but a kamma seed is an energy lying below the suddhashtaka stage. It can then yield results with an impact corresponding to the original deed (this holds for both good and bad.) Results are the kamma vipāka; see, “What is Kamma? – Does Kamma determine Everything?“.
It is also possible to remove many of one’s bad kamma seeds. When we acquire a “bad kamma seed,” we get indebted to another being. Just like one can be debt-free by paying off existing loans, one can “payback” old debts that have been accumulated in the cycle of rebirths by “transferring merits” when one does good deeds and also by doing the Ariya Metta Bhavana; see, “Transfer of Merits (Pattidāna)- How Does that Happen?” and “5. Ariya Metta Bhavana (Loving Kindness Meditation)“."
The following are all from the above link.
"9. We can get an idea of the fineness of the manōmaya kāya from the following comparison. The average human weighs about 70 kg (70,000g) and has a body volume of about 70 L; the Density of a typical fog (that we can barely see) is approximately 0.1 g per cubic meter. Thus the weight “of the fog of volume equivalent of a human body” is about 0.01g.
Thus a “human body made of fog” weighs only a tiny fraction of the average human weight.
For another comparison, the weight of a mustard seed is about 0.002g.
A gandhabba would have a “misty body” like a human figure made of fog but will be MUCH SMALLER in weight; it is immeasurably small. Sexual intercourse between a man and woman creates a zygote (a human cell) in the womb. Then a gandhabba descends to the uterus and takes hold of the zygote; see, “What does Buddha Dhamma (Buddhism) say about Birth Control?“.
My late Noble teacher, Waharaka Thero, has seen how a gandhabba enters a womb. When approaching the mother’s womb, gandhabba rotates rapidly and loses all its body besides the hadaya vatthu, jivitindriya, and bhava dasaka. So, it becomes much smaller than an atom in modern science (at the suddhāṭṭhaka level). That tiny body (which would not be seen even by the most powerful microscope) is pulled into the womb through the mother’s body and gets attached to the zygote in the womb. I heard him describe this in a desana.
So, a human body starts with two cells from the mother and father (which make the zygote) and an even smaller gandhabba. Thus, virtually all the weight of a human comes from nutrients. First from the mother’s body, and once comes out of the womb by eating food.
10. We can easily see the role of the manōmaya kāya with the actions by its three components:
Kammaja kāya is the most important. It is the blueprint for that existence (bhava). It has the blueprint of the physical body, too.
Cittaja kāya is what we EXPERIENCE moment-to-moment. We see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and think about concepts with thoughts: cakkhu, sota, gandha, rasa, pottabba, and mano viññāṇa.
Those thoughts NORMALLY depend on our habits (gati), asava (cravings), and kamma vipāka, all in the kammaja kāya; see, “What is Mind? How Do We Experience the Outside World?“.
If thoughts arise ONLY DUE TO our past kamma and the habits and cravings acquired through them, then kamma would be deterministic. And we will be like robots (which is the case for many beings, like animals). LUCKILY, we can THINK on our own (unlike animals) and change our destinies.
11. That last sentence summarizes the message of the Buddha. Please do not lose this opportunity to get out of this Saṃsāric suffering when we have this precious human life, which will last only about 100 years.
Even if we are reborn humans, what guarantees will we have to listen or read about Buddha Dhamma?
12. If anything is “transferred” from one existence (bhava) to another, those would be the “gati” and “āsavā” of that lifestream. But they also keep evolving. If we do not act mindfully, we let our minds “go with the flow.” Then, our actions will be determined by our Saṃsāric habits. That would only further strengthen such habits. That is why it is essential to identify bad habits, eliminate them, and cultivate good ones.
That is the process of mind purification called Bhavana (meditation) detailed in Satipaṭṭhāna (see, “Maha Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta“), Anapana sati (“6. Anäpänasati Bhävanä (Introduction)“). I have also written about the Sabbāsava sutta: “Habits and Goals,” and a bit more in-depth analysis in “Key Points in the Sabbāsava Sutta” at the end of the post, “The Sotāpanna Stage.”"
"Reincarnation is not a Buddhist concept but a Hindu one, referring to a permanent ‘ātman‘ (like a ‘soul’ in Abrahamic religions). In Buddhism, there is a rebirth process (a lifestream) that can be ended."
"Reincarnation is a Hindu concept where the “ātma” (“ātman”) or the soul remains the same but takes a different form. The Rigveda likens it to a person discarding an old suit and putting on a new one."
"In Buddha Dhamma, it is a rebirth since there is no soul to reincarnate. We have accumulated many “kamma seeds” (kamma bīja), which contain various “habits” and “character qualities” (called “gati”) In our long journey through saṃsāra. Those lead to different types of rebirths."
"Beings whose minds are covered by ignorance and are bound to this rebirth process with bonds of craving.“
"Thus, the Buddha compared the behavior of any living being in the “satta state” to children enjoying building sandcastles on a beach. Due to their ignorance (avijjā), they don’t realize the futility of building sandcastles for enjoyment."
“Suppose some boys or girls were playing with sandcastles. As long as they’re not rid of greed, desire, fondness, thirst, passion, and craving for those sandcastles, they cherish them, fancy them, treasure them, and treat them as their own. But when they grow up, they get rid of greed, desire, fondness, thirst, passion, and craving for those useless sandcastles. Then they scatter, destroy, and demolish them with their hands and feet, making them unplayable.
In the same way, you should scatter, destroy, and demolish the desire for mind-pleasing things in this world and reject them. And you should practice for the ending of craving. You should scatter, destroy, and demolish the desire for feeling … perception … saṅkhāre … Viññāṇaṃ, making them unplayable. Taṇhākkhayo hi, rādha, nibbānan” ti (Rādha, Nibbāna is the elimination of taṇhā).”
"This subtle body with three kāya (kammaja, cittaja, utuja) is a gandhabba. Since all three types of kāya have their origin in mind, the gandhabba is a “mind-made body” or a manōmaya kāya. But soon, it will acquire a faint physical body by inhaling aroma (gandha + abba), thus the name gandhabba. Therefore, a gandhabba would have all four “bodies” (kammaja, cittaja, utuja, karaja)."
"The physical body (karaja kāya) results from that single cell (zygote). It grows first by extracting food from the mother’s womb and then consuming regular food once born as a baby."
"The physical body grows according to the “blueprint” in the subtle body of the gandhabba. The subtle body of the gandhabba expands with it so that it overlaps the physical body. For example, there is a nervous system in the gandhabba that overlays the physical nervous system."
"If anything is “transferred” from one existence (bhava) to another, those would be the “gati” and “āsavā” of that lifestream. But they also keep evolving. If we do not act mindfully, we let our minds “go with the flow.” Then, our actions will be determined by our Saṃsāric habits. That would only further strengthen such habits. That is why it is essential to identify bad habits, eliminate them, and cultivate good ones."
無爲眞我
An authentic self after letting go of four samjna.
我相
atman samjna
"idea of a self" or the perception of an ego/soul; the illusionary, ingrained mental habit of viewing an unchanging, permanent "I" or "self" in things that are actually impermanent and conditional.
人相
pudgala samjna
"A mind fixated on the notion of distinction based on being human," or "a mindset that differentiates others from oneself and remains captive to the stereotype of what it means to be human."
衆生相
sattva samjna
It is a mindset that divides and distinguishes between Buddhas and sentient beings. It is a mindset of self-limitation and giving up on spiritual practice, thinking, "I am a lowly sentient being, so I cannot become a Buddha," or "How could I possibly attain great enlightenment?"
壽者相
jiva samjna
The erroneous notion—or attachment—that one's finite lifespan of life, or the years, age, and status one possesses, are eternal or special.
無我
It is the truth that there is no fixed, independent, and eternal entity known as the "self." This does not imply nihilism—the idea that the self does not exist at all—but rather means that because all beings arise through interdependent conditions and are in a state of constant flux, there is no essential core to which one can cling as the "self."
