[Podborodok]

thanks Abhaya

in Buddha-Dhamma, reliance is placed on both the teachings and our own experience. Buddha taught one of the salient characteristics of his dhamma was it is to be "verified/experienced by the wise for themselves: paccattaṃ veditabbo viññūhi".

Yo so svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo,

The Dhamma well-expounded by the Blessed One,

Sandiṭṭhiko akāliko ehipassiko,

to be seen here & now, timeless, inviting all to come & see,

Opanayiko paccattaṃ veditabbo viññūhi:

leading inward, to be seen by the wise for themselves: as the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta was the 1st sermon, and thus an introductory & gradual teaching, i find it helpful to regard 'birth' here as exclusively physical birth, as follows:

'Good man did you not see the first divine messenger among humans?' He says `Sir I did not see,' Then the king of the under world would ask him. 'Good man didn't you see a todler who stands and lies with difficulty, mingled in his own urine and excreta while lying?'

MN 130 Then for nine or ten months the mother shelters the embryo in her womb with great anxiety, as a heavy burden. Then, at the end of nine or ten months, she gives birth with great anxiety, as a heavy burden.

MN 38 as a gradual & introductory teaching, i think it is prudent to consider that if we ask the ordinary man or woman in the street the question: "What is suffering?", they are likely to reply with a range of answers in the sphere of: "Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair are suffering; association with the unbeloved is suffering, separation from the loved is suffering, not getting what is wanted is suffering."

however, at the end of the 1st Noble Truth, it is stated, unambiguously: "saṃkhittena pañcupādānakkhandhā dukkhā: In short, clinging to the five aggregates is suffering". For me, this means, in short, physical birth in itself is not suffering but, instead, clinging to physical birth as "my birth" is suffering, as follows:

'I am' is a construing. 'I am this' is a construing. 'I shall be' is a construing. 'I shall not be'... 'I shall be possessed of form'... 'I shall not be possessed of form'... 'I shall be percipient'... 'I shall not be percipient'... 'I shall be neither percipient nor non-percipient' is a construing.

Construing is a disease, construing is a cancer, construing is an arrow. By going beyond all construing, he is said to be a sage at peace.

Furthermore, a sage at peace is not born, does not age, does not die, is unagitated, and is free from longing. He has nothing whereby he would be born. Not being born, will he age? Not aging, will he die? Not dying, will he be agitated? Not being agitated, for what will he long?

It was in reference to this that it was said, 'He has been stilled where the currents of construing do not flow. And when the currents of construing do not flow, he is said to be a sage at peace.'

MN 140 so, as the teachings became established, the definition of 'jati' was expounded in the Dependent Origination, as occuring with attachment & becoming as its condition, and then reapplied to the Four Noble Truths, as follows:

And what is birth? Whatever birth, taking birth, descent, coming-to-be, coming-forth, appearance of aggregates & acquisition of [sense] media of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called birth.

Paticca-samuppada-vibhanga Sutta: Analysis of Dependent Co-arising And what is birth? Whatever birth, taking birth, descent, coming-to-be, coming-forth, appearance of aggregates & acquisition of [sense] spheres of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called birth.

Saccavibhanga Sutta: An Analysis of the Truths for me, these above translations by Thanissaro Bhikkhu are not clear and i would recommend reading my essay, at this link. Instead of "appearance", Bhikkhu Bodhi uses the translation: "manifestion". In brief, to me, this definition of jati describes the "acquisition" or "taking possession" of the relevent aggregrates & sense spheres, including objects of sense, which lead to the coming-to-be or "entering" (not "descent") of the various orders of beings, namely, human, ghost, animal, hell, godly, mother, father, wife, doctor, lawyer, plumber, merchant, John, Nick, Sally, Jane, etc. in short, self-identification

please note, the salient meaning of 'jati' in India has always been as follows, as explained in my essay:

Jāti (in Devanagari: जाति Tamil:சாதி) (the word literally means 'thus born') is the term used to denote the thousands of clans, tribes, communities and sub-communities in India. It is a term used across religions. Each jāti typically has an association with a traditional job function or tribe, although religious beliefs (e.g. Sri Vaishnavism or Veera Shaivism) or linguistic groupings may define some jatis. A person's surname typically reflects a community (jati) association: thus Gandhi = perfume seller, Dhobi = washerman, Srivastava = military scribe, etc. In any given location in India 500 or more jatis may co-exist, although the exact composition will differ from district to district.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia as to clarify what the term jāti means in the Bhaya-bherava Sutta (MN 4), we can simply refer to Achariya Buddhaghosa's explanation found in his Visuddhimagga. Achariya Buddhaghosa believed in rebirth but seemed to explain 'jati' here as 'becoming'.

Now, this word birth (játi) has many meanings.

For in the passage “[He recollects … ] one birth (játi), two births” (D I 81) it is becoming.

In the passage, “Visákhá, there is a kind (játi) of ascetics called Nigaóþhas (Jains)” (A I 206) it is a monastic order.

In the passage, “Birth (játi) is included in two aggregates” (Dhátuk 15) it is the characteristic of whatever is formed.

In the passage, “His birth is due to the first consciousness arisen, the first cognition manifested, in the mother’s womb” (Vin I 93) it is rebirth-linking.

In the passage “As soon as he was born (sampatijáta), Ánanda, the Bodhisatta …” (M III 123) it is parturition.

In the passage “One who is not rejected and despised on account of birth” (A III 152) it is clan.

In the passage “Sister, since I was born with the noble birth” (M II 103) it is the Noble One’s virtue.

Visuddhimagga Becoming, as we know, is defined in the suttas as one of three mental asava (outflows).


Regards