Life as a Condition for Birth (Bhavapaccayā Jāti)

Yesterday, regarding the statement that existence (bhava) arises due to clinging (upādāna), we explained that there are two types: kammabhava (active process of kamma) and upapattibhava (state of renewed existence). Kammabhava refers to the aggregate of volitional actions (kamma) occurring in this present life. Upapattibhava refers to the initial arising of the aggregates in the next life. Therefore, upapattibhava is included in the fourth Section of the Dependent Origination cycle. In terms of how it occurs, it means that unwholesome kamma leads to the aggregates in the lower realms (apāya), and wholesome kamma leads to the aggregates in the sensuous blissful realms (kāmasugati), the fine-material brahma realms (rūpabrahmā), and the immaterial brahma realms (arūpabrahmā). The connection between the present life and the future life occurs due to clinging (upādāna). Therefore, based on the principle "upādānapaccayā bhavo" - with clinging as condition, existence arises - the Buddha taught by including upapattibhava as well. Upapattibhava refers precisely to the aggregates produced by kamma. In Abhidhamma terms, these are the resultant consciousness (vipāka citta), associated mental factors (cetasika), and kamma-originated materiality (kammaja rūpa). These are called upapattibhava. Upapattibhava is birth (jāti). The beginning of a life in any realm is called jāti. For instance, due to unwholesome kamma, when rebirth-linking (paṭisandhi) occurs in a lower realm, the rebirth-linking consciousness, its mental factors, and materiality arise. This is upapattibhava. Similarly, the rebirth-linking consciousness, mental factors, and materiality arising in other realms should be understood as upapattibhava. Ignorance (avijjā) obscures the truth, so one craves (taṇhā) and lusts, clings (upādāna) and grasps. When one performs actions deemed good or bad, if one practices good conduct, it becomes wholesome kammabhava; if one practices bad conduct, it becomes unwholesome kammabhava. It is this kammabhava that causes its result, upapattibhava, to arise. Therefore, the meaning is that due to clinging, both kammabhava and upapattibhava come to be. One could also say that it is due to clinging that wholesome and unwholesome kammas occur, and it is due to clinging that one arrives in various lives. Ultimately, one can say that upapattibhava arises due to kammabhava. That is, due to kamma, future aggregates arise. The initial arising nature of upapattibhava is called jāti (birth). Therefore, the Buddha taught "bhavapaccayā jāti" - with existence as condition, birth arises. In the link "bhavapaccayā jāti", only kammabhava is taken as the condition; upapattibhava cannot be taken. This is because upapattibhava and jāti are essentially the same. The state of being in rebirth-linking (paṭisandhi) within an existence can be called upapattibhava or jāti. The phrase means that kammabhava causes jāti. If we said upapattibhava causes jāti, it would be like saying jāti causes jāti. Therefore, the intended meaning is that kammabhava causes upapattibhava, or jāti, to arise. Because jāti and upapattibhava are concurrent, please note that in the diagram (circle Section 4), upapattibhava is written below jāti. Due to birth (jāti), aging and death (jarāmaraṇa), sorrow (soka), lamentation (parideva), physical pain (dukkha), mental grief (domanassa), and despair (upāyāsa) come to be. Here, we should understand it divided into two parts: 1) Due to jāti, jarāmaraṇa arises. 2) Due to jāti, soka, parideva, dukkha, domanassa, and upāyāsa arise. The result "due to jāti, jarāmaraṇa arises" refers to inevitable results. From the moment rebirth-linking (paṭisandhi) occurs, aging (jarā) is bound to come. As soon as the rebirth-linking consciousness ceases, the subsequent moments, the fleeting instants of life, are themselves aging. Aging is not just grey hair and broken teeth. As soon as the rebirth-linking consciousness ceases, the following life-continuum (bhavaṅga) consciousnesses mark the beginning of the aging process. Therefore, after birth, aging cannot be avoided. Jāti is the arising, maraṇa is the passing away. Where there is arising, passing away is inevitable. So understand that death must come. "Due to jāti, jarāmaraṇa arises" refers to unavoidable, certain resultants. Understand these as the primary, inevitable fruits. The five - soka, parideva, dukkha, domanassa, upāyāsa - for the most part arise, but it is also possible for them not to arise in some cases. They are not direct effects but secondary consequences. They are not the primary fruit but the ancillary branches. In any existence, jāti must occur. When jāti occurs, jarāmaraṇa will definitely occur; it is inescapable. Typically, due to this jāti, phenomena like soka and parideva also tend to arise. However, these may or may not occur. So, the suffering of being consumed by the fires of soka, parideva, etc., is due to the birth-aggregates (jāti-khandhā). If there were no birth-aggregates, there would be no fuel for these fires of suffering to blaze. The aggregates are the fuel, the firewood. Soka and similar states are the fires. It's the combination of fuel and fire that causes burning. If fuel and fire don't meet, there is nothing to burn. For example, soka is worry/anxiety. This soka burns clinging to one's own aggregates. Soka arises when a relative perishes, when wealth is lost, when morality is broken, etc. There are many causes for soka. From an Abhidhamma perspective, when soka occurs, domanassa vedanā (unpleasant mental feeling) is present. Domanassa belongs to the class of consciousness rooted in hatred (dosa), meaning it's unwholesome. Lamentation is parideva. Essentially, it's a sound produced by mental distortion, called 'cittaja sadda' (voice produced by mental aberration). Dukkha here refers to physical suffering, kayika dukkha - bodily affliction, associated with body-consciousness. Domanassa refers to mental suffering, cetasika dukkha - the unpleasant mental feeling itself. When intense grief (soka) leads to sighing, moaning, and fainting, it is called upāyāsa (despair), classified under the mental factor of dosa (aversion). These phenomena (soka, etc.) generally arise when there is birth, but there are types of existences where they are unlikely (e.g., in brahma realms). Therefore, because they are not primary, inevitable fruits but rather ancillary branches, they are not included among the twelve links of Dependent Origination (Paṭiccasamuppāda). This great cycle of existence, revolving with these twelve links, is nothing but a mass of suffering, devoid of happiness. As the Buddha declared: "Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti" - "Thus is the origin of this whole mass of suffering." Although there are various types of existence, they all revolve according to this wheel. Since this wheel revolves only with birth, aging, and death - being born and dying, arising and passing away - not even a trace of genuine happiness can be found; it is merely a heap, a mass of suffering. The Buddha taught that as long as the aggregates exist, the fires of jāti, jarā, maraṇa, etc., will keep burning. The aggregates are the fuel, the defilements (kilesā) are the fire. As long as fuel and fire are combined, there is no escape from these fires of suffering. Therefore, only by undertaking the work of the Path (Magga) - which gathers the fuel and extinguishes the fire - can one reach Nibbāna, the true extinguishing of the eleven fires. Ven. Dr. Ashin Pāramī