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.”"
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