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Gandhabba State Evidence from Tipitaka

September 16, 2017

Extensive evidence from the Tipitaka is presented that the gandhabba state is a
necessary feature of human (and animal) bhava. It is not an antarabhava state.
Ones inert physical body is controlled by ones mental body
(gandhabba or manomaya kaya) that is inside the physical body.

Gandhabba state remains through many successive human births within a

given human bhava (which can last many hundreds of years). When a given
physical body dies, the gandhabba is directed into another womb, when a
matching one becomes available. Rebirth stories confirm this account.
First, I need to make a change in terminology: In the posts up to today, I have
used the term gandhabbay , b u t t h e Pli term that in the suttas i s
gandhabba. My teacher Thro, late Waharaka Thro, always used the
term gandhabbay (which is the Sinhala term). But I think it is better to use the
Pli term for this wider audience.

1. The Buddha has described how three conditions must be satisfied for a
conception to occur including a gandhabba (nominative case is gandhabb)
descending to the womb in the Mah Tanhsankhaya Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 38):
..Tia kho pana, bhikkhave, sannipt gabbhassvakkanti h o t i. I d h a
mtpitaro ca sannipatit h o n t i , mt c a n a u t u n hoti, gandhabbo ca na
paccupahito hoti, n e v a tva gabbhassv akkanti hoti. Idha mtpitaro ca
sannipatit honti, mt ca utun hoti, gandhabbo ca na paccupahito hoti, neva
tva gabbhassvakkanti hoti. Yato ca kho, bhikkhave, mtpitaro ca sannipatit
honti, mt c a u t u n hoti, gandhabbo ca paccupahito hotieva t ia
sannipt gabbhassvakkanti hoti. Tamena, bhikkhave, mt nava v dasa v
mse gabbha kucchin pariharati mahat sasayena garubhra...

Here is the English translation from the Sutta Central website (I have slightly
modified it): ..Bhikkhus, the descent to the womb takes place through the union
of three things. Here, there is the union of the mother and father, but the mother is
not in season, and the gandhabba is not presentin this case no descent of an
embryo takes place. Here, there is the union of the mother and father, and the
mother is in season, but the gandhabba is not presentin this case too no descent
of the embryo takes place. But when there is the union of the mother and father,
and the mother is in season, and the gandhabba is present, through the union of
these three things the descent of the embryo takes place. The mother then carries
the embryo in her womb for nine or ten months with much anxiety, as a heavy
burden...

Even though the venerable Bhikkhus who manage the Sutta Central website do
not believe in the concept of a gandhabba, they have at least correctly
translated most of the Pli verse.
By the way, the Sutta Central site is a good resource, since not only the Pli
version but also translations into several languages is provided. I encourage
everyone to make a contribution to that website in order to maintain that
valuable database.
One just needs to be careful to keep in mind that some key Pli terms are
translated incorrectly there, including anicca as impermanence and anatta
as no-self.

2. In the Assalyana Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 93) , there is more evidence that for
conception to occur, a gandhabba needs to descend to the mothers womb at the
right time: within a few days of the union of parents, it is the mothers season.

Here, the Buddha explains to Assalayana how the seer Asita Devala questioned
seven brahmana who had the wrong view that they were heirs to Mah Brahm. Here
are the questions that seer Asita Devala asked:

Jnanti pana bhontoyath gabbhassa avakkanti hotti?

But do you, sirs, know how there is conception?

Jnma maya, bhoyath gabbhassa avakkanti hoti ti. Jnma maya, bho
yath gabbhassa avakkanti hoti. Idha mtpitaro ca sannipatit honti, mt ca
utun hoti, gandhabbo ca paccupahito hoti; eva tia sannipt gabbhassa
avakkanti hotti.

We do know, sir, how there is conception. There is coitus of the parents, it is

the mothers season, and a gandhabba is present; it is on the conjunction of
these three things that there is conception.

Jnanti pana bhontotaggha so gandhabbo khattiyo v b rhmao v vesso v

suddo vti?.

But do you, sirs, know whether that gandhabba is a noble or brahman or

merchant or worker?

Na maya, bho, jnmataggha so gandhabbo khattiyo v brhmao v vesso v

suddo vti.

We do not know, sir, whether that gandhabba is a noble or a brahman or a

merchant or a worker.

Therefore, it is clear that the concept of a gandhabba was accepted even by other
ygis at Buddhas time.

3. In the Maha Nidana Sutta (Digha Nikaya 15): ..Viapaccay nmarpanti iti
kho paneta vutta, t a dnanda, iminpeta pariyyena veditabba, yath
viapaccay nmarpa. V i aca hi, n a n d a , mtukucchismi n a
okkamissatha, api nu kho nmarpa mtukucchismi samuccissathti? No
heta, b h a n t e . Via c a h i , n a n d a , mtukucchismi okkamitv
vokkamissatha, a p i n u k h o nmarpa itthattya abhinibbattissathti? No
heta, bhante.

Translated: ..With consciousness as condition there is mentality-materiality

(namarupa). How that is so, nanda, should be understood in this way: If
consciousness were not to descend into the mothers womb, would mentality-
materiality (nama rpa) take shape in the womb? Certainly not, venerable sir. If,
the descended consciousness were to depart, would mentality-materiality be
generated into this present state of being? Certainly not, venerable sir.

Here, is it clear that by a viana descending to the womb, the Buddha

meant the descend of the manomaya kaya (gandhabba), not the patisandhi
citta. A patisandhi citta cannot come out (depart) of the womb!
The Pli word Okkanti is often mistranslated as rebirth. But it means the
descend of an already formed manmaya kaya (gandhabba). Rebirth
happens (and a gandhabba is born) within a thought moment, at the cuit-
patisandhi moment; see, Cuti-Patisandhi An Abhidhamma Description.

4. In the Kutuhala Sutta (Samyutta Nikaya 44.9), Vacca asked the Buddha,
..Yasmica pana, bho gotama, samaye imaca kya nikkhipati, satto ca
aatara kya a n u p a p a n n o h o t i , i m a s s a p a n a b h a v a g o t a m o k i
updnasmi papetti? OR ..And, Master Gotama, when a being has given up
this body but has not yet been reborn in another body, what does Master Gotama
declare to be its fuel on that occasion?

The Buddha answered, ..Yasmi kho, vaccha, samaye imaca kya

nikkhipati, satto ca aatara kya anupapanno hoti, tamaha
tahpdna vadmi. OR ..When, Vaccha, a being has given up this body
but has not yet been reborn in another body, I declare that it is fueled by
craving.
Thus when a gandhabba leaves one physical and is not yet reborn in another
body, its life is sustained by tanha (craving), just like a rupi brahma lives by
making use of piti (mental happiness) as food. Both gandhabbas and rupi
brahmas have very fine bodies (smaller than an atom in modern science; only
a few suddhashtaka). However, some gandhabbas can inhale odors for food
and become relatively more dense.

5. In the Sangiti Sutta (Digha Nikaya 33), it is described how a gandhabbaya can
enter a womb in four ways: ..Catasso gabbhvakkantiyo. I d hvuso, ekacco
asampajn o mtukucchi o k k a m a t i , a s a m p a jn o mtukucchismi hti,
asampajno mtukucchimh nikkhamati, aya p aham gabbhvakkanti. Puna
capara, vuso, idhekacco sampajno mtukucchi okkamati, asampajno
mtukucchismi hti, asampajn o mtukucchimh nikkhamati, aya dutiy
gabbhvakkanti. Puna capara, vuso, idhekacco sampajn o mtukucchi
okkamati, sampajn o mtukucchismi hti, asampajn o mtukucchimh
nikkhamati, aya t a t i y g a b b hvakkanti. Puna capara, vuso, idhekacco
sampajno mtukucchi okkamati, sampajno mtukucchismi hti, sampajno
mtukucchimh nikkhamati, aya catutth gabbhvakkanti.

Translated: ..Four ways of entering the womb. Herein, bhikkhus, one descends into
the mothers womb unknowing, abides there unknowing, departs thence
unknowing. This is the first class of conception. Next, another descends
deliberately, but abides and departs unknowing. Next another descends and abides
deliberately, but departs unknowing. Lastly, another descends, abides and departs
knowingly.

This is the okkanti (descending of the gandhabba) into the womb (gabbha),
as described in the Maha Tanhasankhaya Sutta discussed above.
Almost the same description is also given in the Sampasdanya Sutta (Digha
Nikaya 28).

6. It is a Bodhisattva in the last birth that, .. descends, abides and departs the womb
knowingly, the fourth way of entering a womb, mentioned above.

In the Mahpadna Sutta (Digha Nikaya 14): ..Atha kho, bhikkhave, vipass
bodhisatto tusit ky cavitv s a t o s a m p a jn o mtukucchi okkami.
Ayamettha dhammat.
Translated: ..Now Vipass bodhisattva, bhikkhus, left the Tusita realm and
descended into his mothers womb mindful and knowingly. That is the rule.
At the cuti-patisandhi moment in the Tusita realm, the deva died and a human
gandhabbaya was born, who entered the mothers womb on Earth.
By the way, this sutta describes in detail the last 7 Buddhas including Buddha
Gotama, who have appeared in our cakkavata within the past 31 maha kappa
(great aeons). the English translation of the Sutta at Sutta Central provides a
useful summary in a table.
However, in this sutta, gabbhvakkantiyo and okkami are translated
incorrectly at Sutta Central.

7. When a person removes the first seven samyjana, b u t t h e l a s t t h r e e

samyjana are still left with him when he dies, then the gandhabba comes out of the
dead body, but cannot be born in anywhere in the 31 realms. For a discussion on
samyjana, see, Dasa Samyjana Bonds in Rebirth Process.

Those first 7 samyjana include kma raga, rpa raga, and arpa raga. When
those three samyjana are removed, one cannot be reborn in any of the 31
realms in the kma, rpa, and arp a lka. However, since the last three
samyjana of mna, uddacca, avijj are not completely removed, that person
will not be able to attain Parinibbna either.
Then that person will remain in the gandhabba state until his kammic
energy for the human bhava runs out. This is called the Anatarpainibbiyni
state.
T h i s i s d e s c r i b e d i n t h e Samyojana Sutta (Anguttara Nikaya 4:131):
..Katamassa, bhikkhave, puggalassa orambhgiyni sayojanni pahnni,
upapattip ailbhiyn i s ayojanni pahnni, bhavapailbhiyni
sayojanni appahnni? Antarparinibbyissa.
It is to be noted that the first 5 samyojan are called orambhgiy sayojan;
rpa raga a n d arp a r a g a are collectively called upapattip ailbhiy
sayojan, and mna, uddacca, avijj are collectively called bhavap ailbhiy
samyjana.

8. At the Third Buddhist Council, Moggaliputta tissa Thro proved that there is
no antarbhava in a debate with the Mahayanists. That correct interpretation is in
the Kathavatthu of the Tipitaka.

Most current Thervadins erroneously believe that gandhabba state is an

antarbhava state. That is not correct; see, Antarabhava and Gandhabba
and Cuti-Patisandhi An Abhidhamma Description.

9. A critical factor that contributes to this erroneous belief that the gandhabba state
is is an antarbhava is the inability to distinguish between bhava and jti. They
erroneously believe that patisandhi takes place in the womb. But it is very clear in
the sutta passages above, that the word patisandhi is not used; rather it is okkanti (of
the gandhabba).

A human existence (bhava) could be many hundreds or even thousands of

years and many human births (jti) can take place during that time; see,
Bhava and jti States of Existence and Births Therein.
In rebirth stories, there is always a time gap between successive human
births (jti). They are always separated by several years or at least few years. In
between those successive lives, that lifestream lives as a gandhabba, without a
physical body.
Even during a given human life (jti), the gandhabba may come out of the
physical body under certain conditions, see, Manomaya Kaya and Out-of-
Body Experience (OBE).
It is the human bhava that is hard to attain (How the Buddha Described the
Chance of Rebirth in the Human Realm), but within a given human bhava,
there can be many births until the kammic energy for that human bhava runs
out. Otherwise, how can one explain all these rebirth stories, where a human
is reborn only a few years after dying in the previous human life?

10. I understand the reluctance of many to discard the deeply embedded idea that
gandhabba is a Mahyna concept. I used to have that wrong view too. But as I have
discussed above, many things will be left unexplained and there will be many
inconsistencies without it.

Most importantly, rejecting the idea of a gandhabba (i.e., the existence of a

paralowa) is a micca ditthi and thus one cannot even become a Sotapanna
Anugami with that micca ditthi; see, Micca Ditthi, Gandhabba, and Sotapanna
Stage and Hidden World of the Gandhabba: Netherworld (Paralowa). So, I
would urge everyone to examine the evidence carefully and make an
informed decision.
More evidence is in many other posts at the site. There are two subsections on
gandhabba: Mental Body Gandhabba a n d Gandhabba (Manomaya
Kaya).
One can also use the Search box on top right to locate all relevant posts by
typing gandhabba (I made the change from gandhabbaya to gandhabba
in old posts, but there may still be a few left; please let me know if you see a
place where it needs correction).

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