What is the Rūparāgo fetter? What are Rūparāgo? Different than Kāmacchando?

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Dhammapardon
Posts: 373
Joined: Mon May 09, 2022 12:11 am

What is the Rūparāgo fetter? What are Rūparāgo? Different than Kāmacchando?

Post by Dhammapardon »

Hello Venerables and Friends,

From what I've understood so far, Rūparāgo is translated very differently. Luminous rebirth, Lust for form, fine-material sphere.. One thing is certain, they are not kāmacchando as those are singled out separately as a lower fetter.

I'll attempt to examine what I understand so far.
My understanding to this point is both kāmacchando and rūparāgo deal with the desire for/attachment to the same dhammas but the desire/attachment comes differently. Kāmacchando's desire is avijja-ridden and comes from the muddled mind-sense's self-involvement in the sensings of the other five. Rūparāgo's desire comes from a mindful secluding of the chosen senses into a centered awareness of the same dhammas without much of the mind-sense's involvement. Possibly the difference between getting lost in what a piece of canvas art represents to you and what the reality of each brush stroke and color blend actually is on the canvas. One involves the eye-sense and the mind-sense building a story together while the other is primarily focused with the eye-sense in seclusion seeing what's really there more clearly.

There's a natural joy in the calming and secluding of the senses (especially secluding to them away from the mind) and only engaging in specific senses for specific tasks. This could mean something like secluding the attention to the eyes while looking at art. The eyes are receiving most of, if not all the attention and the concentrated energy from the heightened attention gives a deeper recognition into what's being seen by the eyes. Like when determining the direction of the brush strokes on the canvas art. In that effort, other things are understood to be a distraction and are tuned out/given minimal attention/dismissed...same with other unused senses including the mind.

Is this kind of attachment to seclusion of the senses and using them more fully and particularly in whatever activities known as rūparāgo of the upper fetters?

Be well :anjali:
Just as a bird, wherever it goes, flies with its wings as its only burden; so too is he content with a set of robes to provide for his body and almsfood to provide for his hunger. Wherever he goes, he takes only his barest necessities along. This is how a monk is content.(DN11)
Anthony C.
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2022 9:42 am

Re: What is the Rūparāgo fetter? What are Rūparāgo? Different than Kāmacchando?

Post by Anthony C. »

Hello brother,

I dont really understand your post fully, but the difference between the two words from what i read, heard, and understood is:

Rūpa rāga -> the "lust" or desire to be born in a material realm (as opposed to some immaterial brahma realm)

Kāmacchanda -> the desire for sensual pleasure


Rupa raga is one of the latent tendencies defilement (anusaya kilesa). Its like a potential of defilement arising in the mind of those whose defilement has not been eradicated by wisdom of path (maggañāna/enlightment), so it can be subtler in comparison to desire for sensual pleasure.
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