1"Bhikkhus, I do not see even one other thing on account of which unarisen sensual desire arises and arisen sensual desire increases and expands so much as the mark of the attractive. [n.23] Subhanimitta. Mp: "The mark of the attractive is an object that is a basis for lust." Mp cites various uses of the word nimitta: as a condition (paccaya), a cause (kāraṇa), concentration (samādhi), and insight (vipassanā). Here it means "an agreeable object that is a basis for lust" (rāgaṭṭhāniyo iṭṭhārammaṇadhammo). Mp glosses ayoniso manasikaroto with anupāyena manasikarontassa ("for one who attends unskillfully") and cites the definition of "careless attention" (ayoniso manasikāra) at Vibh 373 (Be §936): "Careless attention is deviant attention, which takes the impermanent to be permanent, suffering to be happiness, what is non-self to be self, and the unattractive to be attractive. Or it is the mental turning, advertence, leaning, consideration, attention (to an object) in a way that runs contrary to the (four noble) truths." It seems to me doubtful that this explanation of ayoniso manasikāra will hold for all applications of the term in the Nikāyas. Even in the following sutta, on the arising and increase of ill will, it is questionable that attending carelessly to "the mark of the repulsive" can be subsumed under any of the four distortions in the definition at Vibh 373. For one who attends carelessly to the mark of the attractive, unarisen sensual desire arises and arisen sensual desire increases and expands."

1"Nāhaṁ, bhikkhave, aññaṁ ekadhammampi samanupassāmi yena anuppanno vā kāmacchando uppajjati uppanno vā kāmacchando bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya saṁvattati yathayidaṁ, bhikkhave, subhanimittaṁ. Subhanimittaṁ, bhikkhave, ayoniso manasi karoto anuppanno ceva kāmacchando uppajjati uppanno ca kāmacchando bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya saṁvattatī"ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.