August 23, 2025
Kāma Saññā can be overcome in two ways. The mundane way is to willfully suppress kāma rāga. The Noble way is a combination of sense restraint coupled with insight meditation (Vipassanā), which is the basis of Satipaṭṭhāna.
Two Possible Outcomes for a Paṭisotagāmī
1. In the previous two posts, we discussed an anusotagāmī (“Growth of Pañcupādānakkhandha – ‘Anusotagāmī’”) and a paṭisotagāmī (“Paṭisotagāmī – Moving Toward Satipaṭṭhāna Bhumi and Nibbāna”).
▪By the way, anusotagāmī/paṭisotagāmī can be used to represent the corresponding process or a person following that process.
▪Knowingly or unknowingly, an “uneducated” puthujjana is an anusotagāmī trapped in not only the rebirth process, but also in kāma loka.
▪An “educated puthujjana” (meaning one learning Dhamma from a Noble Person) striving to attain a magga phala would be a paṭisotagāmī. A Sotāpanna or a Sakadāgāmi striving to get to the Anāgāmi stage, or an Anāgāmi striving to be an Arahant, would also be a paṭisotagāmī.
▪Furthermore, an anāriya yogi cultivating breath meditation or kasiṇa meditation would also be a paṭisotagāmī in the mundane sense. They are also striving to transcend kāma loka and attain a jhāna associated with the rūpa loka.
▪Those two possibilities for a paṭisotagāmī (in kāma loka) are shown in the following chart. One overcomes the kāma saññā to move up to rūpa saññā corresponding to rūpa loka (i.e., attain a jhāna) “within the world.” The other is to overcome all types of saññā to progress into the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi and attain the Sotāpanna phala moment.
Overcoming Kāma Saññā - Satipaṭṭhāna Bhumi or Jhāna
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Overcoming Kāma Saññā – Jhāna or Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi
2. If one can stop the “nava kamma” stage (i.e., stop mainly those kamma done via the body and speech), and also minimize one’s exposure to sensory inputs that can trigger a greedy or an angry mindset, it is possible to move the mind to a critical point at the beginning of the “purāṇa kamma” stage and overcome ‘kāma saññā.’
▪As the above chart shows, there can be two possible outcomes at that time of reaching the critical point: The mind can move to the ‘Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi’ or to the first jhāna.
▪Once reaching a critical point in the “purāṇa kamma” stage, the mind of a puthujjana under the guidance of a Noble Person may overcome the kāma saññā and jump over to the ‘Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi.’ In contrast, the mind of an anāriya yogi can temporarily bypass the kāma saññā and move to the ‘rūpa loka’ with rūpa loka saññā, i.e., to the first jhāna.
▪Specifically, that critical point is between Step 1 and Step 2 in the chart below. We discussed this chart in the previous two posts: “Growth of Pañcupādānakkhandha – ‘Anusotagāmī’” and “Paṭisotagāmī – Moving Toward Satipaṭṭhāna Bhumi and Nibbāna.”
Growth of Pañcupādānakkhandha
Download/Print: “WebLink: PDF file download: Growth of Pañcupādānakkhandha”
Anāriya Yogis Can Only Access Jhāna
3. As the first chart above shows, there can be only one outcome for an anāriya yogi who successfully overcomes the kāma saññā at that critical point. They will enter a jhāna.
▪Even though the kāma saññā at the kāma dhātu stage triggered subtle attachment that resulted in cakkhu viññāṇa establishing in the mind (with the mind proceeding to both the bahiddha and ajjhatta viññāṇa stages in Step 1), the level of attachment at that stage is weak enough for the mind to jump over to the ‘rūpa loka’ via the first jhāna.
▪That would be the maximum that an anāriya yogi can accomplish.
▪Reaching the ‘Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi’ is possible only by comprehending Noble Truths, as we discuss below.
Only Those With Jānato/Passato Can Access Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi
4. Now consider a puthujjana who is being instructed by a Noble Person (Ariya) whose mind also traces back to the critical point in the “purāṇa kamma” stage. If they grasp the anicca nature of attaching to pañcupādānakkhandha, they will enter the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi and attain the Sotāpanna stage; if not, they may also attain a jhāna as in the case of an anāriya yogi.
▪The above statements explain the difference between ‘jānato’ and ‘passato.’ When one learns Buddha’s teachings, one becomes a ‘jānato’; however, until the meanings of are grasped with wisdom (‘passato’), one cannot overcome the kāma saññā and access the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi. Also see “‘Jānato Passato’ and Ājāniya – Critical Words to Remember.”
▪Now, let us try to ascertain the critical point mentioned in #2 above.
Five Steps in the Growth of Pañcupādānakkhandha
5. Five Steps in the growth of the pañcupādānakkhandha were discussed in the post “Growth of Pañcupādānakkhandha – ‘Anusotagāmī’.” Those five Steps are shown in the second chart above. We can summarize those five Steps to figure out the critical steps to reach the critical point mentioned in #2 above:
Step 1: The Mind automatically attaches to the ‘kāma saññā’ at the ‘kāma dhātu’ stage. This stage is based on the five lower saṁyojana (sakkāya diṭṭhi, vicikicchā, sīlabbata parāmāsa, kāma rāga, paṭigha). This step triggers processes that lead to the generation of bahiddha and ajjhatta viññāṇa. Formation of ajjhatta viññāṇa is the same as the generation of the corresponding “āyatana” (in the case of a visual sense input, cakkhu āyatana and rūpa āyatana formed, for example).
Step 2: The Mind attaches to the ‘kāma guṇa’ perceived at the “āyatana” stage. Here, what matters is the mindset (or ‘gati’) present at that moment and what type of sensory inputs are experienced. One can live their life in a way to maintain ‘good gati’ and avoid sensory temptations to prevent the mind from attaching to ‘kāma guṇa.’ (If Step 2 happens, then automatic progression to Steps 3 through 5 cannot be stopped.)
Step 5: Once reaching the “upādāna paccayā bhava” step in Paṭicca Samuppāda (Step 4), one consciously starts accumulating “new strong kamma” (or “nava kamma”) in Step 5. We can train ourselves to minimize the “damage” at this point, i.e., resist the urge to engage in immoral deeds, speech, and thoughts (kāya, vacī, and mano kamma). This is “sīla” or ‘moral conduct’ as perceived by most people.
▪To reach the critical point mentioned in #2 above, one must overcome Step 5 first, and then Step 2. The critical point is between Step 1 and Step 2. Anyone who is striving for that is a Paṭisotagāmī. Only a Paṭisotagāmī comprehending the Noble Truths can enter the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi and attain the Sotāpanna phala.
Base Level of “Sīla” – Reversing Step 5
6. “Sīla” or ‘moral conduct’ as perceived by most people is to reverse Step 5. Even those who may not have been exposed to Buddha’s teachings have an innate (built-in) saññā (as part of ‘human gati’) to avoid immoral deeds. They are hirī (‘sense of shame’) and otappa (‘sense of fear’) for engaging in immoral deeds; see “WebLink: suttacentral: Hirīottappa Sutta (AN 7.65).”
▪However, hirī and otappa are to be cultivated and grown. One can start by making a determination to live by the five precepts. It can be extended to eight precepts for a few days a month to practice/cultivate sīla.
▪While willfully suppressing the urge to attach to sensory temptations (in Step 5) is a critical first step, “sīla” or ‘moral conduct’ can be enhanced by comprehending how the preceding Step 2 triggers the conditions for a mind to move inevitably through Steps 3 and 4 to Step 5. This is essentially to avoid “mind-pleasing sensory inputs.”
Deeper Level of “Sīla” Based on Understanding Step 2
7. Even before the Buddha, ancient yogis like Āḷāra Kālāma realized that it is easy to live a ‘moral life’ without committing the worst of kāya, vacī, and mano kamma by avoiding ‘attractive sensory inputs.’
▪For example, if one habitually watches videos or movies with ‘adult content’, one’s mind is always filled with lust and desire for sexual activities; such activities are fuel for ‘kāma saññā’. If one lives with the mindset of focusing on the next delicious meal, that helps grow the ‘kāma saññā’ for tasty foods. You can think about numerous such examples.
▪That is why ancient anāriya yogis, like Āḷāra Kālāma, lived in forests, away from sensory distractions. There were no women, tasty foods, nice fragrances, luxury houses, etc. (called ‘nimitta’ or sensory attractions) to trigger the kāma rāga.
▪However, those anāriya yogis had the wrong idea that women, tasty foods, nice fragrances, and luxurious houses possess kāma guṇa (or ‘mind-pleasing’) characteristics. Still, avoiding them helped them overcome the ‘kāma saññā’ and get into jhāna. Getting into a jhāna means temporarily dissociating from the kāma loka and moving up to ‘rūpa loka’; a jhāna is the mindset of the Brahmās who live in ‘rūpa loka.’
8. The Buddha explained that kāma guṇa (or ‘mind-pleasing’) characteristics are not in external objects like women, tasty foods, nice fragrances, luxury houses, etc.
▪Our ‘built-in’ kāma saññā makes it appear that way. Even the external physical world is tailored to provide that ‘distorted kāma saññā’. See “Paṭicca Samuppāda Creates the External World, Too!”
▪I have discussed this in the post “Kāma Guṇa – Origin of Attachment (Taṇhā).”
Getting Into a Jhāna
9. Still, if one can live the life of an anāriya yogi in an environment ‘away from sensory attractions,’ it is possible to bring the mind to an ‘early stage’ just after the ajjhatta viññāṇa. If the mind does not encounter ‘attractive sensory inputs,’ it will not go through Step 2.
▪At that point, the mind can overcome the ‘kāma saññā’ associated with ‘kāma loka’ and jump up over to the ‘rūpa loka’ and get into the first jhāna. See the first chart above.
Some Can Easily Get Into a Jhāna
10. Furthermore, the above process can occur easily in a puthujjana who has cultivated jhāna in previous lives or if they lived in a Brahma realm immediately before the present human existence.
▪Such people can attain jhāna while living in society. They just need to focus their minds on a ‘neutral sensory object’ like the breath for an extended period of time. During that time, the mind will overcome not only the ‘nava kamma’ stage but also Step 2 above and get into a jhāna.
▪Those who belong to the above category can also get into the ‘Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi’ from that jhāna. For that, one must comprehend Steps 1 through 5. Another way to state this is that ‘Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi’ can be accessed from kāma loka, rūpa loka, or arūpa loka by comprehending the Noble Truths, Paṭicca Samuppāda, and Tilakkhaṇa (all mean the same thing). When one understands all five Steps (especially Step 1), one has comprehended the fundamentals of the Buddha’s teachings.
Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi (and Not Jhāna) Necessary for Magga Phala
11. The Buddha advised the general process of cultivating Satipaṭṭhāna. One may or may not attain jhāna while cultivating Satipaṭṭhāna. If the process first leads to a jhāna, then one can cultivate Satipaṭṭhāna while in that jhāna.
▪One could adopt some of the techniques used by those anāriya yogis, such as Āḷāra Kālāma, in the early stages.
▪One does not necessarily need to go into forests or live isolated from society. However, one should avoid excessive sensory indulgence. With time, one will feel the relief of not being burdened by ‘sensual thoughts’ which will make it easier to avoid more and more of such indulgences.
▪These are the ‘mundane versions’ of steps 2 through 6 advocated in the “WebLink: suttacentral: Sabbāsava Sutta (MN 2).” Stated in simple terms, they mean exercising restraint, using only essentials, being able to endure minor discomforts, avoiding bad situations (such as living in a bad neighborhood), and rejecting unwise temptations that arise in the mind. I have discussed the Sabbāsava Sutta briefly in #15 of “The Sotāpanna Stage.”
▪By the way, when the steps in the Sabbāsava Sutta are followed with the comprehension of the Noble Truths, that will also fulfill Satipaṭṭhāna and lead to all magga phala.
Reaching the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi Requires Seeing “Pañcupādānakkhandha = Dukkha”
12. Unlike the Steps 2 through 5 discussed above, Step 1 can be avoided only by eliminating the five lower saṁyojana listed in #5 above.
▪That, of course, is possible only by understanding why pañcupādānakkhandha equals suffering (‘saṅkhittena pañcupādānakkhandhā dukkhā’); see #8 of “Essence of Buddhism – In the First Sutta.”
▪That is evident in the first chart above. Every time a mind attaches to a sensory input and initiates a pañcupādānakkhandha growth process (same as initiating a Paṭicca Samuppāda process), one moves away from Nibbāna located to the left in the chart.
▪To be free of suffering of the rebirth process, one must first overcome the ‘kāma saññā’ that binds one to the ‘kāma loka.’ Next, one must overcome the ‘rūpa saññā’ that binds one to the ‘rūpa loka.’ Finally, one must overcome the ‘arūpa saññā’ that binds one to the ‘arūpa loka.’ See “Loka and Nibbāna (Āloka) – Complete Overview.”
▪All those steps are completed while one’s mind is in the ‘Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi.’ That is where the mind is free of any type of saññā that makes a mind automatically attach to something in the world (loka.) Pañcupādānakkhandha DOES NOT arise while the mind is in the ‘Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi.’ That makes it possible to contemplate the teachings of the Buddha (i.e., engage in Vipassanā) without the interference from any type of “lokiya saññā,” i.e., any type of saññā associated with any realm of the world.
Must Read Posts
“Kama Saññā – How to Bypass to Cultivate Satipaṭṭhāna” and “Loka and Nibbāna (Āloka) – Complete Overview.”