inappropiate attention, unwise reflection.
The most substantial characterization of ayoniso manasikāra is provided in the Sabbāsavā Sutta:
MN 2
“so evaṃ ayoniso manasi karoti: ‘ahosiṃ nu kho ahaṃ atītamaddhānaṃ? na nu kho ahosiṃ atītamaddhānaṃ? kiṃ nu kho ahosiṃ atītamaddhānaṃ? kathaṃ nu kho ahosiṃ atītamaddhānaṃ? kiṃ hutvā kiṃ ahosiṃ nu kho ahaṃ atītamaddhānaṃ? bhavissāmi nu kho ahaṃ anāgatamaddhānaṃ? na nu kho bhavissāmi anāgatamaddhānaṃ? kiṃ nu kho bhavissāmi anāgatamaddhānaṃ? kathaṃ nu kho bhavissāmi anāgatamaddhānaṃ? kiṃ hutvā kiṃ bhavissāmi nu kho ahaṃ anāgatamaddhānan’ti? etarahi vā paccuppannamaddhānaṃ ajjhattaṃ kathaṃkathī hoti: ‘ahaṃ nu khosmi? no nu khosmi? kiṃ nu khosmi? kathaṃ nu khosmi? ayaṃ nu kho satto kuto āgato? so kuhiṃ gāmī bhavissatī’ti?
This is how he attends inappropriately: 'Was I in the past? Was I not in the past? What was I in the past? How was I in the past? Having been what, what was I in the past? Shall I be in the future? Shall I not be in the future? What shall I be in the future? How shall I be in the future? Having been what, what shall I be in the future?' Or else he is inwardly perplexed about the immediate present: 'Am I? Am I not? What am I? How am I? Where has this being come from? Where is it bound?'
“tassa evaṃ ayoniso manasikaroto channaṃ diṭṭhīnaṃ aññatarā diṭṭhi uppajjati. ‘atthi me attā’ti vā assa saccato thetato diṭṭhi uppajjati; ‘natthi me attā’ti vā assa saccato thetato diṭṭhi uppajjati; ‘attanāva attānaṃ sañjānāmī’ti vā assa saccato thetato diṭṭhi uppajjati; ‘attanāva anattānaṃ sañjānāmī’ti vā assa saccato thetato diṭṭhi uppajjati; ‘anattanāva attānaṃ sañjānāmī’ti vā assa saccato thetato diṭṭhi uppajjati; atha vā panassa evaṃ diṭṭhi hoti: ‘yo me ayaṃ attā vado vedeyyo tatra tatra kalyāṇapāpakānaṃ kammānaṃ vipākaṃ paṭisaṃvedeti so kho pana me ayaṃ attā nicco dhuvo sassato avipariṇāmadhammo sassatisamaṃ tatheva ṭhassatī’ti. idaṃ vuccati, bhikkhave, diṭṭhigataṃ diṭṭhigahanaṃ diṭṭhikantāraṃ diṭṭhivisūkaṃ diṭṭhivipphanditaṃ diṭṭhisaṃyojanaṃ. diṭṭhisaṃyojanasaṃyutto, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano na parimuccati jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi; ‘na parimuccati dukkhasmā’ti vadāmi.
As he attends inappropriately in this way, one of six kinds of view arises in him: The view I have a self arises in him as true & established, or the view I have no self... or the view It is precisely by means of self that I perceive self... or the view It is precisely by means of self that I perceive not-self... or the view It is precisely by means of not-self that I perceive self arises in him as true & established, or else he has a view like this: This very self of mine — the knower that is sensitive here & there to the ripening of good & bad actions — is the self of mine that is constant, everlasting, eternal, not subject to change, and will stay just as it is for eternity. This is called a thicket of views, a wilderness of views, a contortion of views, a writhing of views, a fetter of views. Bound by a fetter of views, the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person is not freed from birth, aging, & death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. He is not freed, I tell you, from suffering & stress.
According to the commentary, ayoniso manasikāra is attention or reflection that constitutes the wrong means or the wrong track (uppatha), that is contrary to the truth, as for example, in line with the vipallāsas: attention to the impermanent as permanent, the unpleasant as pleasant, what is not self as self, and what is foul as beautiful.
The Ayonisomanasikāra Sutta also provides a connection with the wrong type of vitakkas:
SN 9.11
ekaṃ samayaṃ aññataro bhikkhu kosalesu viharati aññatarasmiṃ vanasaṇḍe. tena kho pana samayena so bhikkhu divāvihāragato pāpake akusale vitakke vitakketi, seyyathidaṃ kāmavitakkaṃ, byāpādavitakkaṃ, vihiṃsāvitakkaṃ. atha kho yā tasmiṃ vanasaṇḍe adhivatthā devatā tassa bhikkhuno anukampikā atthakāmā taṃ bhikkhuṃ saṃvejetukāmā yena so bhikkhu tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṃ bhikkhuṃ gāthāhi ajjhabhāsi
On one occasion a certain monk was dwelling among the Kosalans in a forest thicket. Now at that time, he spent the day's abiding thinking evil, unskillful thoughts: i.e., thoughts of sensuality, thoughts of ill will, thoughts of doing harm. Then the devata inhabiting the forest thicket, feeling sympathy for the monk, desiring his benefit, desiring to bring him to his senses, approached him and addressed him with this verse:
“ayoniso manasikārā, so vitakkehi khajjasi.
From inappropriate attention, you're being chewed by your thoughts.
At AN 5.151, ayoniso manasikāra is juxtaposed with an·ekagga·citta (see ekagga·tā for an antonym) in one single item as an attitude preventing one who listens to the Dhamma from realizing it.
Ayoniso manasikāra prevents wholesome states from arising:
The seven bojjhaṅgas:
AN 1.74
“nāhaṃ, bhikkhave, aññaṃ ekadhammampi samanupassāmi yena anuppannā vā bojjhaṅgā nuppajjanti uppannā vā bojjhaṅgā na bhāvanāpāripūriṃ gacchanti yathayidaṃ, bhikkhave, ayonisomanasikāro.
Bhikkhus, I do not see any other thing because of which unarisen factors of awakening do not arise and arisen factors of enlightenment do not go to their completion through development so much as inappropriate attention.
Sati·sampajañña:
AN 10.61
asatāsampajaññampāhaṃ, bhikkhave, sāhāraṃ vadāmi, no anāhāraṃ. ko cāhāro asatāsampajaññassa? ‘ayonisomanasikāro’’tissa vacanīyaṃ.
Lack of mindfulness and clear comprehension, too, I say, has a nutriment; it is not without nutriment. And what is the nutriment for lack of mindfulness and clear comprehension? It should be said: careless attention.
Ayoniso manasikāra also gives rise to other akusala dhammas:
AN 1.66
“nāhaṃ, bhikkhave, aññaṃ ekadhammampi samanupassāmi yena anuppannā vā akusalā dhammā uppajjanti uppannā vā kusalā dhammā parihāyanti yathayidaṃ, bhikkhave, ayonisomanasikāro.
Bhikkhus, I do not see any other thing because of which unarisen unwholesome states arise and arisen wholesome states decline, so much as inappropriate attention.
In particular, in conjunction with other phenomena, it gives rise to the five nīvaraṇas:
SN 46.51
ko ca, bhikkhave, āhāro anuppannassa vā kāmacchandassa uppādāya, uppannassa vā kāmacchandassa bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya? atthi, bhikkhave, subhanimittaṃ. tattha ayonisomanasikārabahulīkāro: ayamāhāro anuppannassa vā kāmacchandassa uppādāya, uppannassa vā kāmacchandassa bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya.
And what is the food for the arising of unarisen sensual desire, or for the growth & increase of sensual desire once it has arisen? There is the theme of beauty. To foster inappropriate attention to it: This is the food for the arising of unarisen sensual desire, or for the growth & increase of sensual desire once it has arisen.
“ko ca, bhikkhave, āhāro anuppannassa vā byāpādassa uppādāya, uppannassa vā byāpādassa bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya? atthi, bhikkhave, paṭighanimittaṃ. tattha ayonisomanasikārabahulīkāro: ayamāhāro anuppannassa vā byāpādassa uppādāya, uppannassa vā byāpādassa bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya.
And what is the food for the arising of unarisen ill will, or for the growth & increase of ill will once it has arisen? There is the theme of resistance. To foster inappropriate attention to it: This is the food for the arising of unarisen ill will, or for the growth & increase of ill will once it has arisen.
“ko ca, bhikkhave, āhāro anuppannassa vā thinamiddhassa uppādāya, uppannassa vā thinamiddhassa bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya? atthi, bhikkhave, arati tandi vijambhitā bhattasammado cetaso ca līnattaṃ. tattha ayonisomanasikārabahulīkāro: ayamāhāro anuppannassa vā thinamiddhassa uppādāya, uppannassa vā thinamiddhassa bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya.
And what is the food for the arising of unarisen sloth & drowsiness, or for the growth & increase of sloth & drowsiness once it has arisen? There are boredom, weariness, yawning, drowsiness after a meal, & sluggishness of awareness. To foster inappropriate attention to them: This is the food for the arising of unarisen sloth & drowsiness, or for the growth & increase of sloth & drowsiness once it has arisen.
“ko ca, bhikkhave, āhāro anuppannassa vā uddhaccakukkuccassa uppādāya, uppannassa vā uddhaccakukkuccassa bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya? atthi, bhikkhave, cetaso avūpasamo. tattha ayonisomanasikārabahulīkāro: ayamāhāro anuppannassa vā uddhaccakukkuccassa uppādāya, uppannassa vā uddhaccakukkuccassa bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya.
And what is the food for the arising of unarisen restlessness & anxiety, or for the growth & increase of restlessness & anxiety once it has arisen? There is non-stillness of awareness. To foster inappropriate attention to that: This is the food for the arising of unarisen restlessness & anxiety, or for the growth & increase of restlessness & anxiety once it has arisen.
When it comes to vicikicchā, ayoniso manasikāra is the cause per se:
AN 1.15
“nāhaṃ, bhikkhave, aññaṃ ekadhammampi samanupassāmi yena anuppannā vā vicikicchā uppajjati uppannā vā vicikicchā bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya saṃvattati yathayidaṃ, bhikkhave, ayonisomanasikāro.
Bhikkhus, I do not see any other thing because of which unarisen doubt arises and arisen doubt increases and multiplies, so much as inappropriate attention.
Ayoniso manasikāra is also the direct cause for the arising of micchā·diṭṭhi:
AN 1.302
“nāhaṃ, bhikkhave, aññaṃ ekadhammampi samanupassāmi yena anuppannā vā micchādiṭṭhi uppajjati uppannā vā micchādiṭṭhi pavaḍḍhati yathayidaṃ, bhikkhave, ayonisomanasikāro.
Bhikkhus, I do not see any other thing because of which unarisen wrong view arises and arisen wrong view increases and multiplies, so much as inappropriate attention.
It generally leads to 'great harm' (mahato anatthāya):
AN 1.90
“nāhaṃ, bhikkhave, aññaṃ ekadhammampi samanupassāmi yo evaṃ mahato anatthāya saṃvattati yathayidaṃ, bhikkhave, ayoniso manasikāro.
Bhikkhus, I do not see any other thing that leads to such great harm, so much as inappropriate attention.
It leads particularly to the disappearance of the Dhamma (saddhammassa sammosāya antaradhānāya)
AN 1.122
“nāhaṃ, bhikkhave, aññaṃ ekadhammampi samanupassāmi yo evaṃ saddhammassa sammosāya antaradhānāya saṃvattati yathayidaṃ, bhikkhave, ayonisomanasikāro.
Bhikkhus, I do not see any other thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the good Dhamma, so much as inappropriate attention.
According to AN 10.76, ayoniso manasikāra rests particularly on three phenomena: forgetfulness (muṭṭhasacca), lack of sampajañña, and mental unrest (cetaso vikkhepa).
