Appearing breaths at somewhere near by nose tip is ok for Anapanassati

PariMukkhaṃ Satiṃ upaṭṭhapetvā = the practitioner focuses the mindfulness on only Breaths.

So satova assasati satova passasati = he is focusing the mindfulness like that and breathing out/in.

Breaths are not nose tip, touching, or feeling. Breaths are long or short wind flowing at nose tip.

Sometime breaths appear at right nostril tip, sometime left, sometime middle, some time top lip.

But you are focus on clearing appearing breaths at somewhere of those, so wherever of them is OK.

The other touching points such as in side the nose or lung is over width for clear focusing on breath and easily to get Restlessness (uddhacca), so appearing breaths on somewhere at the nose tip is the best choice for the meditation.

Day-to-day meditation and the quiet mind

Saṭipatṭhāna has many levels, such as Sīla, Khaṇika Samādhi, Taruṇa Vipassanā, Balava Vipassanā, Ariya Magga.
Sīla, Khaṇika Samādhi and Taruṇa Vipassanā do not require a quiet mind, so the practitioner can do it in day-to-day life.
Upacāra Samādhi, Appanā Samādhi (Lokiya Jhāna), Balava Vipassanā, Ariya Magga (Lokuttara Jhāna) require a quiet mind because...

1. Upacāra Samādhi mind and Appanā Samādhi mind (Lokiya Jhāna) know only one object, unleashing five string objects, but Sīla and Khaṇika Samādhi minds know those both five string objects and unleashing five string objects, so they can't upgrade to be Upacāra Samādhi mind, Appanā Samādhi mind.
2. Balava Vipassanā mind knows only the last vanished Vipassanā-Mind and it's three characteristics as object, but Taruṇa Vipassanā knows five string objects too, so it can't upgrade to be Balava Vipassanā.
3. Ariya Magga mind (Lokuttara Jhāna) knows only Nibbāna, but Sīla, Khaṇika Samādhi, Taruṇa Vipassanā, and Balava Vipassanā minds know the other objects too, so they can upgrade to be Ariya Magga.

So, the definition of the meditation is:

All the wisdom of one who has attained (appanā), is, wisdom by means of development.

The meditation is the cessation of all suffering, not only the present suffering. If the meditation is not strong enough, it can ceases only the present suffering and keeps the future suffering going on.
Daily life Vipassanā is good and the practitioner should do it, but Nibbāna is the best, so only doing good is not enough to enlighten Nibbāna.
See KN Paṭisambhidāmagga, Visuddhimagga, DN Mahāsatipaṭṭhānasutta.

How to manage overthinking?

Overdue thinking and late thinking can stop by planning.

Over wrong view thinking and wrong decision can stop by right view thinking practice.

Over five-strings thinking can stop by upacara/appana-jhana and can cease by vipassana.

Over right view thinking (vipassana-upakkilesa) can relax by upacara/appana-jhana.

Overall suffering can cease by Nibbana. And the practitioner can attain Nibbana by adhisila+adhicitta+adhipanna.

if I have first Jhana only for one minute, can I say that I was in the first Jhana?

After the absorption, the practitioner can say he is the obtainer of the first Jhana if the five hindrances still not arise instead of Jhana practice.
If that obtainer can't absorpt the first Jhana, but he has not an arising of the five hindrances, we still can call him as the obtainer of the first Jhana because he is in access concentration state, Upacāra-Jhāna, of the absorption concentration state, Appanā-Jhāna, which certainly going to arise if he still can keep the access concentration go on continuously.
The five hindrances are a major one important keyword of this question. Focus on it.

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At the first time absorption, Jhana arises only one moment, but it is going to take the longer duration when the practitioner practice that Jhana to be the mastery skillful expert, Vasī.
It's like when the practitioner practices the weight training, no one can hold up the weight in long duration, but the practitioner can hold the weight up longer and longer after training the weight more and more.
The path of purification, Pathavikasinaniddesa:

Sā ca pana ekacittakkhaṇikāyeva.
Ñ(IV,78): But that (first time of the first Jhana) absorption is only of a single conscious moment.
Sattasu hi ṭhānesu addhānaparicchedo nāma natthi paṭhamappanāyaṃ, lokiyābhiññāsu, catūsu maggesu, maggānantaraphale, rūpārūpabhavesu bhavaṅgajjhāne, nirodhassa paccaye nevasaññānāsaññāyatane, nirodhā vuṭṭhahantassa phalasamāpattiyanti.
Ñ: For there are seven instances in which the normal extent [of the cognitive series] does not apply. They are in the cases of the first absorption, the mundane kinds of direct-knowledge, the four paths, fruition next after the path, life-continuum jhāna in the fine-material and immaterial kinds of becoming, the base consisting of neither perception nor non-perception as condition for cessation [of perception and feeling], and the fruition attainment in one emerging from cessation.

The path of purification, Vasī:

78. Tatrimā pañca vasiyo āvajjanavasī, samāpajjanavasī, adhiṭṭhānavasī, vuṭṭhānavasī, paccavekkhaṇavasīti.

Ñ: Herein, these are the five kinds of mastery: mastery in adverting, mastery in attaining, mastery in resolving (steadying the duration), mastery in emerging, and mastery in reviewing.
... (See the explanation inside the link and book)...

Three-fold is for the beginner and the eight-fold is for the end

The three-fold is used in Tipitaka when the listener asking for the step by step teaching, but the eight-fold is used when the listener already trained and asking "why I still not enlightened after trained the three-fold?", so it's called "the higher three-fold training", not only "the three-fold".
The three-fold is the training, Sikkhā. The sequence training is required for the begīnner practitioner to train something. No weight trainee can hold the 100 kg up at first. See Sutta. Ma. U. Gaṇakamoggallānasuttaṃ. Buddha also blames the skipper step as the blank attainer, Moghapurisa, in MN KīṭāgiriSutta and AN Sattakanipātā DhammaññūSutta as well.
The eight-fold is the noble training to enlighten the noble cessation, Nirodhāya AriyaMaggaSikkhā. It's the top of training and only the trained people can use at first, i.e. King AjātaSattu who has a good education person, or Aññākoṇḍañña. Most people can't enlighten even listened to the four noble truth thousands of times. So, after one practiced above three-fold, and he still not enlightened, he is going to asking for "what was wrong? Why I who training very hard still be an ordinary person?" then the Buddha will teach him the higher three-fold that starting with the right attitude, SammāDiṭṭhi in AriyaMagga, ie. Aññākoṇḍañña who ordained a long time ago before he was going to enlighten in SN DhammacakkappavattanaSutta which focusing only the noble eight-fold path.
The practitioner is training the three-fold for the perfect right attitude, so Buddha teaches the trained practitioner the right attitude especially if the trained practitioner still not enlighten after attained Jhāna.
This is why the noble truth, AriyaSacca, often appears at the end of Sutta, such as MN MahāsaṭipaṭṭhānaSutta, DN SāmaññaphalaSutta.
Therefore, the practitioner should practice following the sequence of threefold training then after attained Jhāna, but the practitioner still not enlighten the cessation, the practitioner should focus on practicing the right attitude in four noble truth.
However, the practitioner should practice following the qualified master to keep the time of training. Most of the alone readers died before enlighten because they lose most of the time in discussing Tipitaka. I just explain the thinking of the master. I do not advise you to practice or read Tipitaka without the support of the qualified master.

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If one wants to understand this answer clearly, reciting and memorizing Suttas which I quoted above are required because the answer has already appeared in both Tipitaka's and Atthakatha's Pali context like Buddha ordered "He proclaims a Teaching that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing." The reader should use the same method to understand entire those beginning middle and the end "six further qualities he should not live independently: ... when the two pātimokkhas are not perfectly known to him in their entirety, with all their divisions and their whole course, and with the entire discussion according to the single rules and to the single parts of each rule."
It is extremely easy to understand and deconflict the misunderstood of the only reader when one study Tipitaka follow to the ancient Tipitaka study system with the Jhana-attainer who recited and memorized of what he is teaching. It is harder but it is very useful. I recommend Pa-Auk. I know one Thai Tipitaka memorizer and he chose Pa-Auk to graduate his study.

The vanished moment is hypochondria. It cannot pass or upload anything to the future although it still is able to cause new moment effects.

The past vanished moment are not upload anything to its effect moments. It just causes its effect to arise. However, the effects are able to arise as the same habit, e.g. same object and same feeling, because of Upanissaya Paccaya.
The vanished moment is hypochondria. It cannot pass or upload anything to the future although it still is able to cause new moment effects.
For example, I can smile when I thinking of my dead sister however she vanished and doesn't upload anything to me, she just causes me to smile.

Difference between Pin (Punya, Paññā, Wisdom, Understanding) and Kusal (Kushala, Kusala, Wholesome)?

Kusala, wholesome, is an advantage mind and mental factors. It is the advantage because it must causes both present and future advantage resultants, KusalaVipāka.
Kusala can arise without Puññā, i.e. a boy gives a gift to a poor man just on demand, but Puññā can't arise without Kusala because Puññā without Kusala is the ignorant, Aññāṇa. Aññāṇa is the root of Akusalā, unwholesome, and causes the advantage resultants.
Paññā = understand the fact: causes&effects, the dependent origination, Paṭṭhāna.
Paṭivedha = Paññā.
Paṭivedha = understand through the fact relation: causes&effects.
Ñāṇa = Expert Paññā.
Dassana = View, Understood, Diṭṭhi (vision), Cakkhu (eye).

Tipitaka are not conflict, but the inexpert readers often make them conflict.

1. I can completely say mostly "imaginable conflict" is not an actual conflict. I uncountable questions on the internet through more than 10 years and I discover the fact it's reader's error.
2. The case, sutta, is just used in a case, not wrong in the right case, but it is going to be wrong in the different case. Four Nikaya means there are more than ten thousand cases. In my experience, almost conflicts come from the readers' error, not from Tipitaka or Atthakatha.
3. The case's environment has various properties which can be noticed by just the proficient.
4. It is very hard to be a real Theravada professor. In VN Atthakatha has written it requires 20 years experience, the memory of whole 5 canons of Vijaya, and the whole 4 Nikaya. After that one has memorized that all, he are going to have the understanding like KN, Abhidhamma, and Atthakatha. By this way, most of "imaginable conflicts" are becoming no conflict.
5. All of the western style professors have no above qualifications, so they can't understand Abhidhamma, Atthakatha, and some sutta, then they again them all. It means they against the Tipitaka origin because actually, the MahaAtthakatha teachers are the first council members.

Lord Yama's identity

I've been reading up on cosmology and am curious if Lord Suyama of Yama heaven and Lord Yama as judge of the recently deceased are the same figure. The latter is often said to reside in either the hell or preta realms, but since he is also a vaimanikapreta, I can't help but wonder if his time in the higher planes equates to this third level of heaven. Or are the same names simply coincidence?
Any thoughts/sources are much appreciated.

It is in the dependent origination.
SuyamaDeva born by KusalaVipakaCitta, wholesome resultant, only. That citta is the resultant consciousness, viññāṇa, of the wholesome frabrication, sańkhaāra.
YamaVemanikaPeta born by AkusalaVipakaCitta, unwholesome resultant, only. That citta is the resultant consciousness of wholesome frabrication.
They are completely different.
Only one karma creates all life-basis-resultants (patisandhi, bhavanga, cuti, karmaja-matter) per each rebirth of one whole life however there are many karma cause the resultant citta at the other six senses of life, except those patisandhi, bhavanga, cuti, which created by only one same karma.

Why Buddha lined up four brahmavihara in the chronological order 'metta, karuna, mudita and upeksha'

The practitioner wishes to let the being took the benefit&happiness, lovingkindness, so the practitioner wishes to help that being when that being is suffering, wishes to congratulate with that being when he is happy, and is equanimity when whatever happen.

Upekka, equanimity, is not easier than the other three. The practitioner is ignoring, doing not care, when he practices Upekkha without practicing the other three before, i.e. the healthy practitioner is not equanimity but he is ignoring when he doesn't care the standing old woman on the bus while he is sitting.

See the path of purification brahmavihāraniddesa:

1. Ñ(IX,109): One who wants to develop these four should practice them towards beings first as the promotion of the aspect of benefit—and lovingkindness has the promotion of the aspect of benefit as its characteristic;
2. Ñ: and next, on seeing or hearing or judging that beings whose benefit has been thus wished for are at the mercy of suffering, they should be practiced as the promotion of the aspect of the removal of suffering—and compassion has the promotion of the aspect of the removal of suffering as its characteristic;
3. Ñ: and then, on seeing the success of those whose benefit has been wished for and the removal of whose suffering has been wished for, they should be practiced as being glad—and gladness has the act of gladdening as its characteristic;
4. Ñ: but after that, there is nothing to be done and so they should be practiced as the neutral aspect, in other words, the state of an onlooker—and equanimity has the promotion of the aspect of neutrality as its characteristic;

Ñ: therefore, since their respective aims are the aspect of benefit, etc., their order should be understood to correspond, with loving kindness stated first, then compassion, gladness, and equanimity.

"We are all one" is not Buddhism

No, that's not the theravāda point of view. That's a fallacy or wrong view called, "He assumes consciousness to be the self", in twenty self-indentification-views.
Each arising aggregate is different from the other aggregates, different from e.g. other people's aggregates, past aggregates, far aggregates.
They all are the aggregates, but no one is the same.
Although there is a conditional relation which is called "Decisive Support" i.e. upanissaya (or in this clip that's translated as "Powerful Dependence"), so that past consciousness is a Decisive Support condition of present consciousness, but that is not the same as saying that the past consciousness "is" the present consciousness (i.e. the consciousness which it affects in the present).
Preceding states are related to subsequent states by the "Decisive Support" condition.
The aggregate is the Conditional Relation and Dependent Origination. Every relation has more than one cause and more than one effect, so don't find "the one" in Buddhism because it's self view.

Monk's Vinaya is not SīlabbataUpādāna

What comes with a set relates to the other members. Sīlabbata can't come alone, so it's meaning already came in its context.
Depentent origination means aggregates' relation.
Taṇhā means craving, addict.
Upādāna means caving again and again.
Diṭṭhi means the mental habit of the misunderstanding in the aggregates' relation.
DiṭṭhiUpādāna means caving again and again of the misunderstanding in the aggregates' relation. This is only unwholesome.
Sīlabbata means doing verbal and physical habit, depending on Diṭṭhi. This is able to arise with wholesome, unwholesome, and neither wholesome nor unwholesome, e.g. the thinking "I want to be a Deva in heaven" is arising with SakkāyaDiṭṭhi (unwholesome) but next moment the doing giving a gift, follow that SakkāyaDiṭṭhi for going to heaven, is arising with wholesome.
SīlabbataUpādāna means caving again and again of doing verbal and physical habit, depending on Diṭṭhi.
See DN MahāNidānaSutta:

So it is, Ānanda, that feeling is a cause of craving. Craving is a cause of seeking. Seeking is a cause of gaining material possessions. Gaining material possessions is a cause of assessing. Assessing is a cause of desire and lust. Desire and lust is a cause of attachment. Attachment is a cause of possessiveness. Possessiveness is a cause of stinginess. Stinginess is a cause of safeguarding.
Owing to safeguarding, many bad, unskillful things come to be: taking up the rod and the sword, quarrels, arguments, and fights, accusations, divisive speech, and lies.

The Answers

What does this fetter really refer to?

It refers to SīlabbataUpādāna.

Is it clinging to rites & rituals and thinking that these practises by their own can lead to liberation OR does it refer to clinging to precepts?

It addicts to do follow to DiṭṭhiUpādāna again and again. So if the rites, rituals, practises, and precepts depending on DiṭṭhiUpādāna, it is SīlabbataUpādāna.

So if most monks just follow rules and precepts because the Buddha said so (or they are deemed to be effective), then this is called Silabbata Parāmāsa?

The mong who keep on 91,805,036,000 vinaya rules follow to Buddha because they trust the Buddha, who rightly understanding in the aggregates' relation, is not SīlabbataUpādāna. It is similar to when you are following an expert guide and you are going to arrive the right destination surely, no one can't say "you are going the wrong way" although you do not understand the map by yourself at first.
91,805,036,000 vinaya rules are keeping Tipitaka go on through 5,000 years, but some lazy buddhist people try to cut them off, while there are many monks still can do follow to all those rules. It is superficial thinking and killing Buddhism age because Theravāda Tipitaka still available nowadays by the Tipitaka Memorizer who did follow all those vinaya rules. And it is going like this until 5,000 years. The similitude is the chemist who has recited, memorized, and learned about the periodic table and the formulas from the past chemist generation to generation.
There were many Nikāya tried to cut some part of Tipitaka off, and now their canons already disappeared, right?

If it is the former, then most "rational" inclined people should have little to none of this fetter, no?
If it's the latter, then it's NOT about blindly believing a precept, but questioning it and seeing for oneself that it's helpful.

All ordinary people have SīlabbataUpādāna because they have DiṭṭhiUpādāna. They still have the mental habit of the misunderstanding in the aggregates' relation, DiṭṭhiUpādāna, so they still act follow to that habit, SīlabbataUpādāna.

However, it appears to me that many rules in the vinyana are there to avoid social faux pax and unnecessary conflicts. If we take the not-eating-after-noon precept, we will see that the Buddha has reason for devising such precept; but do those reasons still hold true nowadays? I doubt it.

It may be not important for 21th century, but it may be important for 22th century. The Buddhist age is for 5,000 years, not only for 100 years. Tipitaka should lose after Buddha's death for 1-200 years without 91,805,036,000 Vinaya rules, but it still going on because of the Vinaya rules. Who can understand entire chemist canons without the chemist expert, right?
By my experience with Burmese monks (stickest on rules), Thai monks (sticker), and the westerner monks (not stick), the Burmese monks can understand the whole Pali Canon deeply, while the Thai and westerner monks often distort the Pali Canon by their own opinion then say "Pali Canon is conflicting with each other". For example, the fabrication of MN 44 is talking about Jhāna, and SN 12.2 is talking about Vipassanā by each Sutta's context. But the Thai and the westerner monks mix them together then say "they are conflicting with each other." It is like that because many, almost all, Thai and the westerner monks are lazy to recite and memorize Tipitaka follow to Vinaya rules "the monk can't live without Tipitaka Memorizer Teacher if he has not enough Tipitaka memory, and it is counted as a defense each date, 10 dates 10 offenses."
I understand Tipitaka without cutting any part of Tipitaka off because I always support the monks who doing follow entire Vinaya rules.
How can one understand the action and its effects when one never do follow them all?

Iriyāpatha and sampajañña

1. It's the outspoken translation. Nothing is wrong by the context. See Ruben's answer.
2. However, the obvious serious wrong is the vocabulary translation. Pajānāti means "comprehension", it doesn't means "know".

Furthermore, when a mendicant is walking they know comprehension: ‘I am walking.’
Puna caparaṃ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu gacchanto vā ‘gacchāmī’ti pajānāti

3. The Atthakathā explains the comprehension, Sampajañña, to four here. These four comprehensions have two levels:
   3.1. The samatha level in MN KāyagatāsatiSutta which taught to the beginner, neyya. The listeners in this Sutta are the newbies, so the Sutta's structure point to Jhāna, CittaVisuddhi, at the end of each section.
   The practitioner begins by ĀnāpanassatiJhāna in sitting meditation, and keep to meditate Ānāpānassati in Section on postures and Section on sampajañña. This is the basis.
   3.2. The vipassana level in MN MahāsitipaṭṭhānaSutta which taught to the high level vipassanā practitioners, ugghaṭitaññū, in Kuru Kingdom. All of the listeners in this Sutta already practiced these 21 sections, but the end of each section, samudayavayadhammānupassivā dhammasamiṃ Viharati (the practitioner comprehensions the origin and the cessation in all practiced practices and the comprehending mind), is their last lesson of the practice, so MahāAtthakatha said many listeners enlightened as Arahanta after the listening.
   This level appeared in explained in MN MahāsitipaṭṭhānaSutta's Atthakathā. It's not for the beginner. If the beginner start from this explanation, he is going to stick at the 10 imperfections/defilements of insight, Vipassanūpakkilesa. This explanation is very popular however most of teachers, today, give it the the improper practitioners.
   That's why most of them can't enlighten in seven years according to the end of this Sutta. The sequence level is very important, when the practitioner cross the sequence, it means the defilements of insight still remain.
   The question owner creates this question because he thinks follow to this level.
4. the meaning of the comprehends is the same as above wiki link, except the fourth.
   4.1. The sampajañña of samatha level is...
   

   when a mendicant is walking they comprehends: ‘I am walking for the purpose, suitability, and domain of the non-delusion in the breath meditation’.

   4.2 The sampajañña of vipassanā level is...
   

   when a mendicant is walking they comprehends: ‘I am walking for the purpose, suitability, and domain of the non-delusion in the aggregates in the Dependent Origination cycle’.

   4.3 How can I know that explanation?
   I understand it from Sutta context after I recited and memorized MahāsatipaṭṭhānaSutta Pali for ten years (so I often tell you all to memorize the pāli to study Sutta). The context is already arranged from the basic to the advance like in the explanation in Netti.
   Pajānāti has already appeared before the Section on postures in the summary Section of this sutta, Ānapanassati Section, and almost all other Sections as well. It means the Section on postures must translate with those all sections as I translated above.
   So, what is written in wikipedia, it is wrong...
   

   While the nikayas do not The Sutta has already elaborated on what the Buddha meant by sampajañña as "the keeping comprehension of current meditation in four main postures and seven sub-postures", the Pali commentaries analyze explain it further in terms of four contexts for one's comprehension

   Actually, pajānāti and sampajañña is already elaborated in Sutta's context clearly already.

Avoiding ignorant, immoral people as much as possible is not opposed to loving-kindness

The Buddha repeatedly said to avoid ignorant, immoral people as much as possible, but isn't this - at least a little - opposed to kindness? I associate kindness with being benevolent, caring & somewhat open. Am I missing here something?

No, they have nothing be opposed to each other. Actually, they support each other.
The practitioner can do metta to every person, including the immoral people, every time because Metta is mental meditation, but the practitioner shouldn't be very familiar with them because the practitioner can derive their bad behavior.
We help and support a cat, e.g. giving food, but we shouldn't be very familiar with a cat because the cat can't teach us the four noble truth.
Avoiding the ignorant person is not worry or scary. it is understanding of the effects of each fellowship.
The practitioner still wants to give happiness to the ignorant person every time, but the practitioner is just careful to keep the distance between practitioner-self and the ignorant person.

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Metta is wishing to give happiness to the other living life(s).
What is that life?
The life is the aggregates in dependent origination cycle, so sometimes life has a wholesome mind and it's mental&physical factors, but sometimes life has an unwholesome mind.
Metta-mind doesn't care about life's mental state. Metta-mind cares about the entire of which is called "living life".
Mind that voiding from ignorant, immoral people is focusing at the mental state. We don't want to derive any bad habit from the ignorant, immoral people, so we should avoid being close with them.
For the example:
I have the only mother, so I can do everything to make her happy, but I have to avoid to study chemistry with her because she is ignorant of it.
I give some food to the immoral victims because I am so sorry with their suffering however I do not support their previous immoral and bad behavior. I am not going to be immoral and to have bad behavior like them.

How can the noble ones live without lie?

Sutta. Ma. Ma. cūḷarāhulovādasuttaṃ:

"In the same way, Rahula, when anyone feels no shame in telling a deliberate lie, there is no evil, I tell you, he will not do. Thus, Rahula, you should train yourself, 'I will not tell a deliberate lie even in jest.'

The four noble truth is the opposite of lying.
It's a reason that I super trust in Pali Canons because the Noble Ones can't lie at all situations.
Although I am an ordinary, I can the witness that it is possible to speak the truth in all situations because I never lie through 12 years in Buddhism. It depends on personnal management. Actually, there has not only the lie method, so the practitioner should practice the other methods instead of the lie.
However, the noble one has at least three methods to manage the unsecured situation by the murder, etc.

1. Running away.
2. Asking the evaded question to let the listeners think of the answer by themselves. See Dha.A.4 sahassavaggavaṇṇanā Tambadathikacoraghatakavatthu.
3. Mute. or sacrifice his life to keep the truth. It's just mute until the murder tortures or kills the noble one. See Dha.A.5 pāpavaggavaṇṇanā Maṇikārakulupakatissattheravatthu.

The ordinary thinks lying is the only way, but the noble one thinks there are many ways instead of the lying to manage the unsecured situation.

Additional

In Khuddaka.A. (paramatthajo.) Sikkhāpadavaṇṇanā:
How is big of the fault from the lie?

1. In immoral animals, e.g. ant and chimpanzee, lie the small body is lesser fault than bigger because of it's required more effort to lie if both animals can understand the lie.
2. In moral animals, e.g. human and god, lie the lower wholesome skill is lesser fault than higher.
3. In the animal which has the same body and wholesome skill, lie the higher passion is more fault than the lower.

All Ariyas Can't Lie

In Sutta. Aṅ. (2): catukkanipāto Āpattibhayavaggo VoharaSutta:

250. Expressions (1st)
250. Paṭhamavohārasutta
“Mendicants, there are these four ignoble expressions (the noble one doesn't express).
“Cattārome, bhikkhave, anariyavohārā.
What four?
Katame cattāro?
Saying you’ve seen, heard, thought, or known something, but you haven’t.
Adiṭṭhe diṭṭhavāditā, asute sutavāditā, amute mutavāditā, aviññāte viññātavāditā—
These are the four ignoble expressions.”
ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro anariyavohārā”ti.
251. Expressions (2nd)
251. Dutiyavohārasutta
“Mendicants, there are these four noble expressions. (the noble one expresses).
“Cattārome, bhikkhave, ariyavohārā.
What four?
Katame cattāro?
Saying you haven’t seen, heard, thought, or known something, and you haven’t.
Adiṭṭhe adiṭṭhavāditā, asute asutavāditā, amute amutavāditā, aviññāte aviññātavāditā—
These are the four noble expressions.”
ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro ariyavohārā”ti.
252. Expressions (3rd)
252. Tatiyavohārasutta
“Mendicants, there are these four ignoble expressions.
“Cattārome, bhikkhave, anariyavohārā.
What four?
Katame cattāro?
Saying you haven’t seen, heard, thought, or known something, and you have.
Diṭṭhe adiṭṭhavāditā, sute asutavāditā, mute amutavāditā, viññāte aviññātavāditā—
These are the four ignoble expressions.”
ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro anariyavohārā”ti.
253. Expressions (4th)
253. Catutthavohārasutta
“Mendicants, there are these four noble expressions.
“Cattārome, bhikkhave, ariyavohārā.
What four?
Katame cattāro?
Saying you’ve seen, heard, thought, or known something, and you have.
Diṭṭhe diṭṭhavāditā, sute sutavāditā, mute mutavāditā, viññāte viññātavāditā—
These are the four noble expressions.”
ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro ariyavohārā”ti.

The reason of taking note "making bed", "driving", etc.

The specified topic "making bed", is for checking the current situation of the practitioner. The practitioner specifies the current situation to analysis it and to look for the proper solutions that matched with the topic.
What are the proper solutions for the making bed practitioner?

1. Realize the current situation, making bed, state.
2. Finish the making bed event in time.
3. Realize the schedule of events.
4. Concentrate the breath to avoid the unwholesome events, out of the necessary and wholesome event on the schedule.

When the practitioner practices the above analysis proficiently, whole processes above are going to run automatically in time without any conflict.
Above is just the example event and solutions. The practitioner can find more solution in The path of purification Chapter 1,2,3,4, and 8, MN. MahāsatipaṭṭhānaSutta's Commentary.
If the practitioner doesn't want to use so much time to study the text above, the attained-jhāna Tipiṭaka Memorizer teacher, who is Ariya, is required because he can make the specific course syllabus for each practitioner in his head. By this way, the practitioner doesn't study the Pāli by himself.

If one still want to cave in creation, they can enlighten Nibbāna as the Stream-Enterer first.

 Buddhism's greatest achievements and accomplishments are only Enlightening Nibbāna, no caving. The Buddhist people do the other greatest achievements and accomplishments to support the Enlightening Nibbāna. The other greatest achievements and accomplishments are not our ultimate goal.
So, the greatest achievement and accomplishment, core, of Buddhist people are driven to cease all caving. However, if the practitioner can not cease all caving now, the practitioner can choose to cease only three fetters first.
We would have just given up. It's no point of doing anything creative of Arahanta. It's the point of the four noble truth. Buddha teaches to give up everything except the meditation and Nibbāna.
If one still want to cave in creation, they can enlighten Nibbāna as the Stream-Enterer first. That's why we have four pairs of persons.
The meditation steps still the same, contemplating Dukkha in the Dependent Origination cycle to see Anicca Dukkha Anattā clearly, but the meditator attends to cease only three fetters first.

1. Are you still caving to misunderstand in the Dependent Origination?
2. Are you still able to do the Immoral Action, i.e. killing, which inherited from above misunderstood?
3. Are you still doubt, which inherited from above misunderstood, in the Dependent Origination and in people who understood in the Dependent Origination?

It's the way to the cessation of Dukkha, hell, from doing the Immoral Action, i.e. killing, which happens from the misunderstanding in the Dependent Origination.
However, the caving in the other seven fetters still going on, so the Stream-Enterer can create the creative worldly works by the wholesome or unwholesome mind, except three fetters, **while Arahant can create only the four pairs of persons, e.g. clean the floor to let people admire in Buddhist moral and give a chance to listen to Dhamma for the chance of their enlightenment.

Why does the Buddha blame Ananda asking him to remain living forever?

Question:

in the Digha Nikaya 16 The Buddhas Final Nibbhana , the Buddha blames Ananda for not requesting that the Buddha live for aeons, three times. he had only asked him twice. Why does the Buddha blame him ? And the Blessed One answered, saying: "Enough, Ananda. Do not entreat the Tathagata, for the time is past, Ananda, for such an entreaty."

Answer:

1. aeons

   It's not aeons, not living forever. It's living only until Buddha's old 100 years.
   Rhys David:
   

   kappa (adj. n.), anything made with a definite object in view

   So, the translation should be something like this:
   

   "O Lord! May the Blessed One remain, O Lord! May the Happy One remain, O Lord, throughout the defined median age (Buddha defined it in DN14, AN 7.70).

   Kappa in DN 16 (Kappāvasesaṃ) means the defined median age of Gotama Buddha.
   Kappa in AN 5.23 (PubbenivāsānussatiÑāṇa) means the defined age of the universe's occurrence cycle (from Brāhma's Veda which derived from Anāgāmi Brahma of KassapaBuddha, previous Buddha).
   Kappa in AN 4.156 (AsaṅkheyyaKappa) means the defined uncountable years of each procedure in the universe's occurrence cycle (4 procedures per 1 cycle).
   See the defined median age in Tipitaka:
   DN Mahāvaggo MahānidānaSutta:
   

   Vipassī lived for 80,000 years. Sikhī lived for 70,000 years. Vessabhū lived for 60,000 years. Kakusandha lived for 40,000 years. Koṇāgamana lived for 30,000 years. Kassapa lived for 20,000 years. For me these days the life-span is short, brief, and fleeting. A long-lived person lives for a century or a little more.

   KN Buddhavaṃsa, 24 Buddhas foresaw:
   

   Gotama Buddha's age is 100 years old.

   KN Buddhavaṃsa, our Buddha said:
   

   Even though my age is 100 years old and lesser than the other Buddha, I can let many people enlightened, too.

   
   ***Search "vassasataṃ" and "vassa sataṃ" here. I will not post the search result direct link because it maybe overuses of a website resource.*
   Atthakatha described the same.

2. the Buddha blames Ananda for not requesting that the Buddha lives until touch the defined median age, three times. he had only asked him twice.

   Buddha asked Ānanda only 1 time per question after Ānada request the Buddha three times. Buddha's questions are:
   
   1. Do you have faith, Ananda, in the Enlightenment of the Tathagata (who has already renounced his will to live on)?
   2. Then how, Ananda (who accepted in the Enlightenment of the Tathagata), can you persist against the Tathagata even up to the third time?
   3. And did you believe in what you said that you have heard and learned from the Blessed One "'Whosoever, Ananda, has developed, practiced, employed, strengthened, maintained, scrutinized, and brought to perfection the four constituents of psychic power could, if he so desired, remain throughout a defined median or until the end of it. The Tathagata, Ananda, has done so. Therefore the Tathagata could, if he so desired, remain throughout a defined median or until the end of it.'"", Ananda? So, they are not the same question.

3. Why does the Buddha blame him ?

   Buddha blames him in the second question because of the first question. Ānanda already memorized DN29, so he knows that the Buddha can't change his decision renouncement. If the Buddha didn't ask him, people will misunderstand "Ānanda, Sotāpanna, can doubt in Buddha". But after Buddha asked b.h.Ānanda by the second question, people will understand right "Ānanda, Sotāpanna, didn't ask Buddha because of the doubt, but he asks because he trusts in both Buddha's speeches (renouncement and DN29) and tried to let Buddha does follow the DN29". By the second question, people will not misunderstand in Ānanda.

See DN29:

From the night when the Tathagata understands the supreme perfect awakening until the night he becomes fully extinguished—through the natural principle of extinguishment, without anything left over—everything he speaks, says, and expresses is real, not otherwise.
That’s why he’s called the ‘Tathagata’.

---

4. And the Blessed One answered,
   saying: "Enough, Ananda. Do not entreat the Tathagata, for the time
   is past, Ananda, for such an entreaty."

   As I quoted DN29 above that Buddha can't change the renouncement.

The knowledge, experience, and proficiency are very important, so Tipitaka Memorizer Ariya is required

Even though the monks, full-time practitioner, still required the Buddhist Meditation Professors, why do lay people think they can understand Tipitaka by themselves and enlighten without teacher's taking care? Are they already have memorized Tipitaka enough to taking care of themselves?

---

The knowledge, experience, and proficiency are very important.
People cannot manage their listened to others' perspectives, so they hate to listen to the others' perspectives.
People will know how to understand the others' perspectives by the Buddhist Meditation Professors' advisement, then they can be happy to listen to the others' perspectives.
"People's heart is a deep ocean of secrets." The methods to heal and meditate people's heart are so complicated as well, so Tipitaka Memorizer is required to teach those complicated methods like a doctor who took care of his patient.

The similitude is the chemist who has recited, memorized, and learned about the periodic table and the formulas from the past chemist generation to generation.

If the science students want a science teacher, the professor is required, not just want, for Buddhist students.
In Vinaya-Pitaka Mahakhandhaka, Bhikkhu can't live alone without his teacher. Buddha blames and makes a law that a bhikkhu must lives with a Tipitaka Memorizer every day until he can finish Nissayamuccaka Course. Even though he already finished the course, he still has to live with Tipitaka Memorizer until his ordination time is five years old.
It's legal punishment as "dukaṭa-āpatti" for the new Bhikkhu who sleep without his professor in the same monastery every morning, each new offense per day.
Even bh.Potthila, Tipitaka Memorizer, he still needs Tipitaka Memorizer Ariya to teach him the method to enlighten.
In the path of purification and Atthakathā said it required Ariya teacher to teach the meditation and go to meet him about one time per week. And it is better if that Ariya is Tipitaka Memorizer because Tipitaka Memorizer Ariya has more tips and tricks from Buddha than normal Ariya.
The path of purification Part II—Concentration (Samádhi) CH. III TAKING A MEDITATION SUBJECT page 94 ^(online):

1. Because of the words beginning, “Ánanda, it is owing to my being a good friend to them that living beings subject to birth are freed from birth” (S I 88), it is only the Fully Enlightened One who possesses all the aspects of the good friend. Since that is so, while he is available only a meditation subject taken in the Blessed One’s presence is well taken.
2. But after Buddha final attainment of Nibbána, it is proper to take it from anyone of the eighty great disciples still living.
3. When they are no more available, one who wants to take a particular meditation subject should take it from someone with cankers destroyed, who has, by means of that particular meditation subject, produced the fourfold and fivefold jhána, and has reached the destruction of cankers by augmenting insight that had that jhána as its proximate cause. But how then, does someone with cankers destroyed declare himself thus: “I am one whose cankers are destroyed?” Why not? He declares himself when he knows that his instructions will be carried out. Did not the Elder Assagutta [99] spread out his leather mat in the air and sitting cross-legged on it explain a meditation subject to a bhikkhu who was starting his meditation subject, because he knew that that bhikkhu was one who would carry out his instructions for the meditation subject?
4. So if someone with cankers destroyed is available, that is good. If not, then one should take it from a non-returner, a once-returner, a stream-enterer,
5. an ordinary man who has obtained jhána,
6. one who knows three Piþakas, one who knows two Piþakas, one who knows one Piþaka, in descending order [according as available].
7. If not even one who knows one Piþaka is available, then it should be taken from one who is familiar with one Collection together with its commentary and one who is himself conscientious. For a teacher such as this, who knows the texts, guards the heritage, and protects the tradition, will follow the teachers’ opinion rather than his own. Hence the Ancient Elders said three times, “One who is conscientious will guard it.”
   Now, those beginning with one whose cankers are destroyed, mentioned above, will describe only the path they have themselves reached. But with a learned man (Tipitaka Memorizer), his instructions and his answers to questions are purified by his having approached such and such teachers, and so he will explain a meditation subject showing a broad track, like a big elephant going through a stretch of jungle, and he will select suttas and reasons from here and there, adding [explanations of] what is suitable and unsuitable. So a meditation subject should be taken by approaching the good friend such as this, the giver of a meditation subject, and by doing all the duties to him.
   If he is available in the same monastery, it is good. If not, one should go to where he lives.

The reason that Pāli, e.g. Brahmanimantanikasutta, is quite hard to translate.

That's right. It's a bit hard for the translators. 
1. In a normal context, viññāṇa-noun (or the words in the center or end of sutta like that) appears in the same form before, but in this sutta it came in the different form, jānāti-verb. 
2. Pāli is an oral tradition language. The speaker can abstain the word that already spoken in the previous paragraph because he and the listener are knowing it. But when the others, e.g. Ānanda, listen to it, reciting and the explanation, Atthakathā, is required. 
Therefore, even we can read Pāli and Atthakatha, the reciting and memorizing still required.

Consciousness in MN 49 DN 11 is wrong translation (Brahmanimantanikasutta, Kevaṭṭasutta)

Related answer: https://unmixedtheravada.blogspot.com/2019/01/rebirth-appears-in-both-sutta-and.html

Pre-knowledge:

Jānāmi means I know.
Vijānāmi means I know various things.
Viññāṇa is noun from Vi prefix+Ñā root+Yu suffix.
Vijānāmi is verb from Vi prefix+Ñā root+Na suffix+Mi Case-endings.
Vijānāmi term is same as "I do Viññāṇa".
Viññāṇa = Vijāṅa = Cognition Of Various Object.
Recite and learn kaccayaṇa-vyākaraṇa from the Tipitaka Memorizer for more explanation.

Question 1

What is the invisible consciousness or consciousness without >surface described in MN 49 and DN 11?
Is it a cosmic consciousness like the one found in Hinduism? I guess not.

1. It definitely isn't cosmic consciousness. Actually, it is like cognized/cognition in the other Sutta. However to understand it, the reader must recite and memorize Pali, first, then learn it with the inherited Tipitaka Memorizer, such as Pa-Auk because the proficiency is definitely required to understand the whole detail of each sutta. Even you can read Pali, Atthakathā, or ṭīkā, the proficiency still required.
   See below explanation to understand why I tell you like that.
2. Your quoted MN 49 Brahmanimantanikasutta is bad cut, and wrong translation. It is:
   Buddha said Brahma think this is the all cognizable thing which could be cognized by his consciousness:
   

   ‘A galaxy extends a thousand times as far
   ‘Yāvatā candimasūriyā,

   Buddha claims Buddha cognizes more than Brahma:
   

   But there is another realm that you don’t know or see.
   Atthi kho, brahme, añño kāyo, taṃ tvaṃ na jānāsi na passasi;
   But I know it and see it.
   tamahaṃ jānāmi passāmi.

   Buddha claims Buddha cognizes Radiant Brahma:
   

   the gods of streaming radiance …
   ābhassare kho ahaṃ, brahme … pe …
   the gods replete with glory (than above brahma) …
   subhakiṇhe kho ahaṃ, brahme …

   Buddha claims Buddha cognizes Nibbāna:
   

   Having directly known earth as earth, and having directly known that which does not fall within the scope of experience based on earth, I did not identify with earth, I did not identify regarding earth, I did not identify as earth, I did not identify ‘earth is mine’, I did not enjoy earth.
   Pathaviṃ kho ahaṃ, brahme, pathavito abhiññāya yāvatā pathaviyā pathavattena ananubhūtaṃ tadabhiññāya pathaviṃ nāpahosiṃ, pathaviyā nāpahosiṃ, pathavito nāpahosiṃ, pathaviṃ meti nāpahosiṃ, pathaviṃ nābhivadiṃ.

   You can see that the contexts force to translate "viññāṇa" as "nibbāṇa".
   2.1. Below quote, Brahma is asking for "the thing" which is not within the scope of experience based on all (no one has known before, including this brahma) but viññāṇa (consciousness) is within the scope, so viññāṇa must is translated as adjective complement of "the thing (nibbāna) which is not within the scope of experience based on all" in above paragraph of it.
   2.2. Brahma acts like he has the best cognition, so the Buddha shows him what he never cognizes before, nibbāna which is cognizable, invisible, infinite, radiant all round below.
   2.3. You can see below translation has many words appearing in above quotes.
   2.4. "Viññāṇaṃ, anidassanaṃ, anantaṃ sabbato pabhaṃ" all are adjective complements, but the previous translation is a noun, so I wrote above "the translation is wrong". Viññāṇaṃ in this context is cognizable (adjective complement of the nibbāna noun), not consciousness (noun).
   2.5. Buddha claims the best cognizable thing is Nibbāna below quote.
   

   ‘Well, good sir, if you have directly known (the thing) which is not within the scope of experience based on all, may your words of (the thing) not turn out to be void and hollow! (Don't just say you know (the thing) because everybody can "say I know (the thing)" but they may don't really know anything! Describe it if it really is a true story!)
   ‘Sace kho, mārisa, sabbassa sabbattena ananubhūtaṃ, tadabhiññāya mā heva te rittakameva ahosi, tucchakameva ahosīti.
   (The thing[=nibbāna]) that is cognizable, invisible, infinite, radiant all round (nibbāna is invisible but similar to have radiant all round more than all Brahma-deva which appeared in many paragraphs above)—that’s what is not within the scope of experience based on earth, water, fire, air, creatures, gods, the Creator, Brahmā, the gods of streaming radiance, the gods replete with glory, the gods of abundant fruit, the Overlord, and the all.
   Viññāṇaṃ anidassanaṃ anantaṃ sabbato pabhaṃ, taṃ pathaviyā pathavattena ananubhūtaṃ, āpassa āpattena ananubhūtaṃ, tejassa tejattena ananubhūtaṃ, vāyassa vāyattena ananubhūtaṃ, bhūtānaṃ bhūtattena ananubhūtaṃ, devānaṃ devattena ananubhūtaṃ, pajāpatissa pajāpatittena ananubhūtaṃ, brahmānaṃ brahmattena ananubhūtaṃ, ābhassarānaṃ ābhassarattena ananubhūtaṃ, subhakiṇhānaṃ subhakiṇhattena ananubhūtaṃ, vehapphalānaṃ vehapphalattena ananubhūtaṃ, abhibhussa abhibhuttena ananubhūtaṃ, sabbassa sabbattena ananubhūtaṃ.

   Abhidhamma and Atthakathā comment some same thing to me: Nibbāna is cognizable and invisible. Visible thing has the end (paritta, little) but nibbāna is invisible (endless, ananta). "Radiant all round" is just the similitude that nibbāna is the best of the overall radiance.
3. The part of DN 11 Kevaṭṭasutta is the same case of above, MN 49 Brahmanimantanikasutta. It just added the rhetoric of "viññāṇa".
   A bhikkhu try to cognize the cessation of the Four Element, but the great Brahma says he doesn't know but the Buddha knows it:
   

   But I too do not know where these four primary elements cease with nothing left over.
   Ahampi kho, bhikkhu, na jānāmi yatthime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṃ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātūti.

   That bhikkhu's question is "where is Four Elements ceased?", so the answer should be the cessation state, Nirodha (nibbāna). Nibbāna is where the Four Elements ceased, where is cognizable, and where is invisible.
   So, it is the same case of above, MN 49, Buddha claims the best cognizable thing is Nibbāna below quote.
   

   This is how the question should be asked:
   Evañca kho eso, bhikkhu, pañho pucchitabbo:
   

   “Where do water and earth,
   ‘Kattha āpo ca pathavī,
   fire and air find no footing;
   tejo vāyo na gādhati;
   where do long and short,
   Kattha dīghañca rassañca,
   fine and coarse, beautiful and ugly;
   aṇuṃ thūlaṃ subhāsubhaṃ;
   where do mentality and matterity
   Kattha nāmañca rūpañca,
   cease with nothing left over?”
   asesaṃ uparujjhatī’ti.

   And the answer to that is:
   Tatra veyyākaraṇaṃ bhavati:
   

   Where is cognizable, invisible,
   ‘Viññāṇaṃ anidassanaṃ,
   infinite, radiant all round.
   anantaṃ sabbatopabhaṃ;
   Here’s where water and earth,
   Ettha āpo ca pathavī,
   fire and air find no footing;
   tejo vāyo na gādhati.
   here’s where long and short,
   Ettha dīghañca rassañca,
   fine and coarse, beautiful and ugly;
   aṇuṃ thūlaṃ subhāsubhaṃ;

   This is the additional more than DN 11, the rhetoric of "viññāṇa".
   Because Buddha uses Viññāṇa as an adjective complement of nibbāna, above, but Buddha uses Viññāṇa again below quote from DN 11 as a noun, which is ceased by nibbāna in the cessation of dependent origination.
   

   here’s where mentality and matterity
   Ettha nāmañca rūpañca,
   cease with nothing left over—
   asesaṃ uparujjhati;
   with the cessation (nirodha,nibbāna) of consciousness (viññāṇa),
   Viññāṇassa nirodhena,
   that’s where this ceases.”’”
   etthetaṃ uparujjhatī’”ti.

4. It is important to understand MN 1 mūlapariyāyasuttaṃ with its commentary first before reading MN 49.

Question 2:

This answer implies that this invisible consciousness or consciousness without surface is the re-linking consciousness (patisandhi-viññana) that connects one lifetime to the next. This also implies that the re-linking consciousness (patisandhi-viññana) which is the invisible consciousness or consciousness without surface (viññāṇaṃ anidassanaṃ) is the consciousness that descends into the womb causing materiality-mentality (nāmarūpa) to arise (from DN 15). Is this right?

As I described DN 11 above, the first Viññāṇa is an adjective complement of nibbāna, but the second Viññāṇa is noun, which is ceased by nibbāna.
Therefore, the first Viññāṇa in DN 11 is Nibbāna, not re-linking consciousness. The second Viññāṇa is cresed re-linking consciousness by nirodha (nibbāna), not nibbāna.

Question 3:

Also, the description of "invisible, infinite and radiant all round" sounds very similar to the "luminous mind" (pabhassara citta) from AN 1.51-52. The same word "pabham" (luminosity) or "pabhassara" (luminous) is used in both MN 49 and AN 1.51-52. How is the invisible consciousness or consciousness without surface related to the luminous mind?

It definitely is different, just a bit of it refer to each other.
It is Nibbāna, not luminous mind. I already described in above MN 49:

(The thing[=nibbāna]) that is cognizable, invisible, infinite, radiant all round (nibbāna is invisible but similar to have radiant all round more than all Brahma-deva which appeared in many paragraphs above)

"Radiant all round" is just the similitude that nibbāna is the best of the overall radiance of below:

Buddha claims in MN 49 Buddha cognizes Radiant Brahma:

the gods of streaming radiance …
ābhassare kho ahaṃ, brahme … pe …
the gods replete with glory (than above brahma) …
subhakiṇhe kho ahaṃ, brahme …

Pabhassara Citta in AN 5.23 is wholesome mind, not nibbāna.

In the same way, there are these five corruptions of the mind. When the mind is corrupted by these it’s not pliable, workable, or radiant. It’s brittle, and not completely immersed in samādhi for the ending of defilements.
Evamevaṃ kho, bhikkhave, pañcime cittassa upakkilesā, yehi upakkilesehi upakkiliṭṭhaṃ cittaṃ na ceva mudu hoti na ca kammaniyaṃ na ca pabhassaraṃ pabhaṅgu ca na ca sammā samādhiyati āsavānaṃ khayāya.
What five?
Katame pañca?
Sensual desire, ill will, dullness and drowsiness, restlessness and remorse, and doubt.
Kāmacchando, byāpādo, thinamiddhaṃ, uddhaccakukkuccaṃ, vicikicchā—

Pabhassara Citta of AN1.41-48 are the same, but Pabhassara Citta of AN1.49-50 is different because the contexts are not talking about the wholesome or unwholesome mental factors of current arising mind (AN 5.23), but AN1.49-50 talk about normal mind, bhavaṅga (the factor of keeping current becoming). It is sleeping mind, which looks like dirty when the unwholesome mental factors, external defilements, arising instead. We cannot do unwholesome or unwholesome karma while we sleep, so before the defilement mind factors arise instead, that slēping mind looks like effulgent.

49. Bhikkhus, the mind is effulgent, it is defiled by external defilements.
50. Bhikkhus. the mind is effulgent, when released from external defilelment.

---

The answer is very clear for me, but it can make the reader confuse because of many references, many pali term, many words referring to each other, and my English skill lacking. That's why I wrote:

However to understand it, the reader must recite and memorize Pali, first, then learn it with the inherited Tipitaka Memorizer, such as Pa-Auk because the proficiency is definitely required to understand the whole detail of each sutta. Even you can read Pali, Atthakathā, or ṭīkā, the proficiency still required.

The difference between samadhi and samatha

Samādhi means the stability of mind.
Samatha means the peace of mind.
Wholesome mind arising is a friend.
Unwholesome mind arising is an enemy.
Uddhacca mind factor is instability of mind.
There is no peace and no stability while the nation is battling the enemies in the war.
There is the peace and the stability after the nation has no war by making friends instead of collecting the enemies.
See Ma.A. (papa–ca.1) Dvedhāvitakkasuttavaṇṇanā. Actually, there is a sutta as well, but I can't remember where it is in AN Ekakanipāta.

Rebirth appears in both sutta and abhidhamma (Paṭisandhi, Okkamati, Jāti); Fear of Rebirth; Sutta-Connection

Related topic: https://unmixedtheravada.blogspot.com/2019/01/consciousness-in-mn-49-dn-11-is-wrong.html

1. MN 38 of Sāti-bhikkhu is about the single consciousness traveling, viññāna-sakkāya-diṭṭhi. It never arises or vanishes, independent form the origination, and can control itself through the new body/life.
   But Paṭisandhi of Abhidhamma is about many various aggregates conditioning each other by many methods.
   

   For the example, a human rebirth has 33 mental factors+1 consciousnesses+30 matters are conascence depending on each other. They all depending on their past karmma mental factor, which depending on its 33 conascence mental factors+1 consciousness+many matters (rebirth from matter-realm). All those consciousnesses, mental factors, and matters also are depending on their uncountable previous arisen consciousnesses, mental factors, and matters. This is just a brief example. There is millions more explanation in 12 briefed abhidhamma-piṭaka-canons. It still is only little Leaves in Buddha's hand

   By the above example, you can see Paṭisandhi, it's conditioners, and it's conditioned things are depending on many other conditioners. They all are not independent, cannot control itself, so it is completely different from MN 38.
   The main idea of Vipassanā Meditation is the practitioner can realize impermanent, suffering, and non-self more and more when the practitioner analyzes aggregates' conditioners more and more in detail.
2. Paṭisandhi, the re-linking, is a term of bh.Sāriputta, the great follower, it often appears in every bh.Sāriputta's canon because he is the representative of the Buddha at Buddha-living-time in AN Ekakanipāta Ekapuggalavagga, so it is his job to explain Buddha's teaching. It appeared in MN Mahāgosiṅgasālasutta that most of the foremost Buddha's followers go listen to Sāriputta's sermon.
3. Buddha uses many various other words which mean "rebirth" instead of bh. Sāriputta's "Paṭisandhi". See my answer in this question, and notice the words using of quoted sutta in that answer, it is using in the next.
4. Bh.Sāriputta defined "Paṭisandhi" from DN 15 Mahāvagga Mahānidānasutta:
   

   Name-&-Form
   “‘From consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-&-form.’ Thus it has been said. And this is the way to understand how from consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-&-form. If consciousness were not to descend into the mother’s womb, would name-&-form take shape in the womb?”
   “No, lord.”
   “If, after descending into the womb, consciousness were to depart, would name-&-form be produced for this world?”
   “No, lord.”
   “If the consciousness of the young boy or girl were to be cut off, would name-&-form ripen, grow, and reach maturity?”
   “No, lord.”
   “Thus this is a cause, this is a reason, this is an origination, this is a requisite condition for name-&-form, i.e., consciousness.
   Consciousness
   “From name-&-form as a requisite condition comes consciousness.’ Thus it has been said. And this is the way to understand how from name-&-form as a requisite condition comes consciousness. If consciousness were not to gain a foothold in name-&-form, would a coming-into-play of the origination of birth, aging, death, and stress in the future be discerned?”
   “No, lord.”
   “Thus this is a cause, this is a reason, this is an origination, this is a requisite condition for consciousness, i.e., name-&-form.
   “This is the extent to which there is birth, aging, death, passing away, and re-arising. This is the extent to which there are means of designation, expression, and delineation. This is the extent to which the dimension of discernment extends, the extent to which the cycle revolves for the manifesting [discernibility] of this world—i.e., name-&-form together with consciousness.

5. Buddha didn't answer the ten questions of bh. Māluṅkya in MN CūḷaMāluṅkyOvādasuttaṃ because bh. Māluṅkya, young, was caving four gains at that time. The story appears in MN MahāMāluṅkyOvādasuttaṃ, AN Māluṅkayaputtasuttaṃ when bh.Maluṅkaya got old, KN Thera. MaluṅkayaputtaTheraGathā after old bh.Māluṅkaya enlightened, and you can see in their Atthakathā as well.
   However actually, Buddha already answered it in DN1 Brahmajālasuttaṃ, and Buddha described the dependent origination part of DN1 in DN 15 Mahāvagga Mahānidānasutta quoted above.
6. Even Tipitaka and Atthakathā are written on papers as the public domain license, they still recite&memorize orally in Mahāvihāra Theravāda Buddhist Line, such as Pa-Auk. We never deny people to comment on Tipitaka and Atthakathā, but it's Mahāvihāra Tipiṭaka Memorizer Right to adjust the tipiṭaka users' misunderstood because we have lesser of the lacking in reading because through 2600 years we still recite&memorize Tipitaka and Atthakathā, not just read through.
   The similitude is the chemist who has recited, memorized, and learned about the periodic table and the formulas from the past chemist generation to generation.
7. If one still want to see their past life, your welcome to Pa-Auk monastery. Here you can practice to recalling your past life as long as you can, but you must meditate Jhāna before the recalling step.
8. Actually, abhidhammic people not often talk about the rebirth too much in our daily life because we already have known of the rebirth in detail. People Fear What They Don't Understand, so abhidhammic people have no fear in rebirth either there is the real rebirth or not. We don't debate people to protect "rebirth theory" and "no rebirth theory" because we are not eternalist and nihilism. We just explain people's misunderstood of "rebirth" in tipitaka-pali to keep Tipitaka goes on till 5000 years because the "no rebirth theory" supporters are trying to cut many sutta off Tipiṭaka. This is dangerous equal to the "rebirth theory" supporters try to add the new sutta into Tipiṭaka.
9. Are the "no rebirth theory" supporters are fearing of the rebirth? Why they often talk about the rebirth without the understood of it in detail? Is that ignorant of the rebirth information leading them to be fear of the rebirth? Is it the main cause that they try to cut many sutta about heaven and hell off Tipiṭaka? Is it called doubt-fetter in SN12.20 Paccayasutta?
   

   "When a disciple of the noble ones has seen well with right discernment this dependent co-arising & these dependently co-arisen phenomena as they have come to be, it is not possible that he would run after the past, thinking, '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?' or that he would run after the future, thinking, '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 that he would be inwardly perplexed about the immediate present, thinking, 'Am I? Am I not? What am I? How am I? Where has this being come from? Where is it bound?' Such a thing is not possible. Why is that? Because the disciple of the noble ones has seen well with right discernment this dependent co-arising & these dependently co-arisen phenomena as they have come to be."

Caving mind catching (cittānupassanā-satipaṭṭhāna)

In Theravāda-Buddhism, we understand a thing by its conditions and effects, so in Dī.A. (sumaṅgala.2) Mahāsatipaṭṭhānasuttavaṇṇanā Satipaṭṭhāna-Udesavaṇṇanā:

The practitioner have to comprehend a mind by 1. its object, governer-object, governer-mental-factors, co-nascence-conditions, state, Kramma, resultants, Kiriya, etc., 2. impermanent, etc., and 3. in citta-anupassanā-satipaṭṭhāna "mind has passion", etc.

According to above explanation, the practitioner should have understood 8 Lobha-Mind-Arising, lobha-cittuppāda, with their conditions and effects in the dependent origination cycle to catch arising caving.

The example resource:

The path of purification, aggregate chapter, consciousness (90) (91) (92):

Tattha lobhamūlaṃ somanassupekkhādiṭṭhigatasaṅkhārabhedato aṭṭhavidhaṃ.

Ñ(XIV,90): II. (a) Herein, (22)-(29) that rooted in greed is of eight kinds, being classed according to joy, equanimity, [false] view, and prompting,

Seyyathidaṃ, somanassasahagataṃ diṭṭhigatasampayuttaṃ asaṅkhāraṃ sasaṅkhārañca, tathā diṭṭhigatavippayuttaṃ.

Ñ: that is to say: (22) when accompanied by joy it is either associated-with-[false-] view and unprompted, or (23) prompted; or (24) it is dissociated-from-[false-] view and likewise [unprompted or (25) prompted];

Upekkhāsahagataṃ diṭṭhigatasampayuttaṃ asaṅkhāraṃ sasaṅkhārañca, tathā diṭṭhigatavippayuttaṃ.

Ñ: and (26) when accompanied-by-equanimity it is either associated-with-[false-] view and unprompted, or (27) prompted; or (28) it is dissociated-from-[false-] view and likewise [unprompted, or (29) prompted].

Yadā hi ‘‘natthi kāmesu ādīnavo’’ti (ma. ni. 1.469) ādinā nayena micchādiṭṭhiṃ purakkhatvā haṭṭhatuṭṭho kāme vā paribhuñjati, diṭṭhamaṅgalādīni vā sārato pacceti sabhāvatikkheneva anussāhitena cittena, tadā paṭhamaṃ akusalacittaṃ uppajjati.

Ñ(XIV,91): (22) When a man is happy and content in placing wrong view foremost of the sort beginning 'There is no danger in sense desires' (M.i,307), and either enjoys sense desires with consciousness that in its own individual essence is eager without being urged, or believes auspicious sights, etc., have a [real substantial] core, then the first kind of unprofitable consciousness arises;

Yadā mandena samussāhitena cittena, tadā dutiyaṃ.

Ñ: (23) when it is with consciousness that is sluggish and urged on, then it is the second kind.

Yadā micchādiṭṭhiṃ apurakkhatvā kevalaṃ haṭṭhatuṭṭho methunaṃ vā sevati, parasampattiṃ vā abhijjhāyati, parabhaṇḍaṃ vā harati sabhāvatikkheneva anussāhitena cittena, tadā tatiyaṃ.

Ñ: (24) But when & man is happy and content only, without placing wrong view foremost, and indulges in sexual intercourse, or covets others' good fortune, or steals others' goods, with consciousness that in its own individual essence is eager without being urged, then it is the third kind.

Yadā mandena samussāhitena cittena, tadā catutthaṃ.

Ñ: (25) When it is with the consciousness that is sluggish and urged on, then it is the fourth kind.

Yadā pana kāmānaṃ vā asampattiṃ āgamma aññesaṃ vā somanassahetūnaṃ abhāvena catūsupi vikappesu somanassarahitā honti, tadā sesāni cattāri upekkhāsahagatāni uppajjantīti

Ñ: (26)-(29) But when the consciousnesses are devoid of joy in these four instances through encountering no excellence in the sense desires, or through want of any such cause for joy, then the remaining four, which are accompanied by equanimity, arise.

evaṃ somanassupekkhādiṭṭhigatasaṅkhārabhedato aṭṭhavidhaṃ lobhamūlaṃ veditabbaṃ.

Ñ: So that rooted in greed should be understood as of eight kinds, being classed according to joy, equanimity, [false] view and prompting.

The Co-nascence of lobha-minds are 22 mental factors: (Universals-7) 1. Contact*, 2. Feeling, 3. Perception, 4. Volition, 5. One-Pointedness, 6. Psychic life, 7. Attention, (Particulars-6) 1. Initial Application, 2. Sustained Application, 3. Decision, 4. Effort, 5. Joy, 6. Conation (Immorals-9) 1. Delusion, 2. Shamelessness, 3. Fearlessness (of consequences, or to commit wrong), 4. Restlessness, 5. Attachment, 6. Misbelief, 7. Conceit, 8. Sloth, 9. Torpor. See: Abhidhmmatthasaṅgaha Chapter 2 for a brief explanation, and see the path of purification for the explanation in detail.

The pre-nascence matters of lobha-minds are Hadayavatthu and Hadayavatthu has its own Co-nascence as well.

The practitioner also has to know the dependent origination as well.

---

It's almost impossible to understand all of that knowledge with no mistaking by one's self without Jhāna meditation and the professional master's taking care. When I ask the teacher of Pa-Auk about mental factors, he answered me whether I have to meditate Jhāna to get the answer. That's why I often recommend Pa-Auk.

The Eight Liberations, Aṭṭha-Vimokkha & The Eight Bases for Transcendence, Aṭṭha-Abhibhāyatana

The Eight Liberations (Aṭṭha-Vimokkha)

1. Kāyagatāsati-RūpaJāna (rūpī) Attainer perceives own kāya (rūpa) to attain jhāna.

2. Kāyagatāsati-RūpaJāna Attainer perceives other's kāya, rūpa, to attain jhāna. << This is your answer.

   Both are body's organ, such as bloody&shitty colon, so they are not beautiful.

3. ColorKasiṇa-RūpaJāna Attainer perceives the color. it is the only color, so it's beautiful.

4. - 7. are ArūpaJāna Attainer, 8. is the champion of all jhānā because jhāna try to blind of Rūpa&Arūpa, and saññāvedayitanirodhasamāpatti can do it completely.

It comes with The Eight Bases for Transcendence, Aṭṭha-Abhibhāyatana, in MN Mahāsakuludāyisuttaṃ:

Abhibhāyatana (Pali: the 8 'stages of mastery'), are powers to be obtained by means of the kasina-exercises see: kasina. In the Com. to M. 77, where āyatana is explained by 'means' kārana it is said: The abhibhāyatana through their counteracting may master and suppress their adverse opposite states, and by means of higher knowledge they may master the objects of mind. They are means for transcending the sense-sphere.

The stereotype text often met with in the Suttas e.g. D. 11, 33; M. 77; A. VIII, 65; X, 29 is as follows:

1. Perceiving blue..., red..., yellow..., white forms in or on one's own body, one sees as if external small forms (e.g.: tooth) , beautiful or ugly; and in mastering these one understands: 'I know, I understand.' This is the first stage of mastery.
2. Perceiving forms on one's own body, one sees these forms as if external, yet now also large ones (e.g.: leg-bone=femur). This is the second stage of mastery.
3. Not perceiving forms on one's own body, one sees forms externally, small ones (e.g.: pollen inside flower). This is the third stage of mastery.
4. Not perceiving forms on one's own body, one sees forms externally, large ones (e.g.: planets, galaxies). This is the fourth stage of mastery.
5. Not perceiving forms on one's own body, one sees forms externally, blue (cobalt, yves-klein, flax, clear & pure) forms, forms of blue color, blue appearance, blue lustre, and mastering these one understands: 'I know, I understand. This is the fifth stage of mastery. 6-8: The same is repeated with yellow, red and white forms. As preparatory kasina-object for the 1st and 2nd exercise one should choose on one's own body a small or a large spot, beautiful or ugly, and thereon one should focus one's full undivided concentration, so that this object after a while in mind is visualized as a mental reflex or image nimitta and, as if it were, as something external. Such an exercise, though appearing quite mechanical, if properly carried out will bring about a high degree of mental concentration and entrance into the 4 absorptions jhāna. In the 3rd and 4th exercises the Bhikkhu by an external kasina-object gains the mental reflexes and absorption see: As objects of the remaining exercises, perfectly clear and radiant colors should be chosen, flowers, cloth, etc.

A kasina-object of small size is said to be suitable for a mentally unsteady nature, one of a large size for a dull nature, a beautiful object for an angry nature, an ugly one for a lustful nature.

In Vis.M V it is said: By means of the earth-kasina one succeeds in reaching the stage of mastery with regard to small and large objects. By means of the blue-kasina one succeeds in causing blue forms to appear, in producing darkness, in reaching the stage of mastery with regard to beautiful and ugly colours, in reaching 'deliverance through the beautiful', etc. cf. vimokkha II, 3. The same is also said with regard to the other colour kasinas.

The difference of ĀnāpānassatiSutta and KāyagatāsatiSutta

1. It doesn't mean "awareness of body sensations" in both sutta.

   It means "The practitioner should meditate ānāpānassati every time, no when&where is an exception (walking, sitting, standing, lying down, bending etc.)"

   "Awareness of sensations" is virtual, IndriyaSaṅvaraSīla, and concentration meditation, Samādhi.

   However, the Anupassanā meditation of sensations is in Vedanā-Cittā-DhammāNupassanāSaṭipaṭṭhāna of MN Mahāsatipaṭṭhānasutta. This section is about the comprehension of nāmas' origin.

2. Buddha taught only the first 1-4/16 steps (Samatha-meditation part) of ānāpānassati to the practitioner who interested in the beginning of the Ānapānassati-meditation, which was talked in the current conversation at the origin of Sutta. Ma. U. Kāyagatāsatisuttaṃ (body/kāya and sati in this sutta refer to kāya-anupassanā-satipaṭṭhāna):

   "Just now, lord, after the meal, on returning from our alms round, we gathered at the meeting hall when this discussion arose: 'Isn't it amazing, friends! Isn't it astounding! — the extent to which mindfulness immersed in the body, when developed & pursued, is said by the Blessed One who knows, who sees — the worthy one, rightly self-awakened — to be of great fruit & great benefit.' This was the discussion that had come to no conclusion when the Blessed One arrived."

   But Buddha taught the full version of ānāpānassati-meditation to Taruṇa-Vipassaka, the practitioners who had already meditated the first 1-4/16 (Samatha-meditation part) of ānāpānassati in the Buddhist Lent of Sutta. Ma. U. Ānāpānasatisuttaṃ, however, it was the end of that Buddhist Lent when they would go to the next step, the other 5-16/16 (vipassanā-meditation part).

   So Buddha decided to remain at Savatthi for another month, pavāranā saṅgha, to turn those Taruṇa-Vipassakas enlighten Nibbāna easier by the other 5-16/16 (vipassanā-meditation part) between that the Buddhist Lent before they transport to the other country after Buddhist Lent because the transportation will make those Taruṇa-Vipassakas meditation dropping down. Then those practitioners enlightened in time, so Buddha concluded the 16 steps Ānāpānassati-meditation of those practitioners as the main content of Sutta. Ma. U. Ānāpānasatisuttaṃ.

   ...

   "Monks, I am content with this practice. I am content at heart with this practice. So arouse even more intense persistence for the attaining of the as-yet-unattained, the reaching of the as-yet-unreached, the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. I will remain right here at Savatthi [for another month] through the 'White Water-lily' Month, the fourth month of the rains."

   ...

   Now on that occasion — the Uposatha day of the fifteenth, the full-moon night of the White Water-lily Month, the fourth month of the rains — the Blessed One was seated in the open air surrounded by the community of monks. Surveying the silent community of monks (the silent means all practitioners there have already enlightened and sitting with attainment in Phala-Samāpatti), he addressed them:

   ...

   "In this community of monks there are monks who remain devoted to mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.

   ...(full 16 steps of ānāpanassati meditation)...

Sujātā is vessa caste, Brahmaṇa-kula uses mānavaka, Gahapaṭi-mahāsāla uses kuṭumbiya

Sujātā is called "mother of Yasa" in VN Mahāvagga, and her name "Sujātā" is declared in AN Ekakanipāta Etadagga Pāli.
Buddha took her food before he enlightened Nibbāna. After Buddha taught VN Anattalakkhaṇasutta to Pañcavaggī, Buddha taught Anupubbīkathā to Yasa and parents.
This is her profile in AN Ekakanipāta Atthakathā. It shows Sujātā wasn't born in rich Brahmaṇa caste family. She was born in rich Vessa caste family because she was born in Kuṭumbhika-kula.
Brahmaṇa-kula = <personal-name>+maṇava (Brahmaṇa caste family)
Brahmaṇa-mahāsāla-kula = rich Brahmaṇa caste family
Gahapaṭi-mahāsāla = <personal-name>+kuṭumbiya (rich Vessa caste family)
Example from Aṅ.A. (manoratha.1) Etadaggavagga Paṭhamavagga etadaggapadavaṇṇanā:

ito satasahassakappādhike asaṅkhyeyyakappamatthake sāriputto brāhmaṇamahāsālakule nibbatti, nāmena saradamāṇavo nāma ahosi. Mahāmoggallāno gahapatimahāsālakule nibbatti, nāmena sirivaḍḍhakuṭumbiko nāma ahosi.