user20766: 
Say one reflects on the beauty of one's children, the beauty of one's husband or wife, the beauty of one's house or garden, or the beauty of a flower, and other such things: that is rooted in greed and delusion. It is a perverted perception (sañña-vipallāsa), based on unwise attention. If one has habitually looked upon such objects with such unwise attention, it will be very difficult at death suddenly to reflect upon them with wise attention. ...If one dies with such consciousness (rooted in greed and delusion,...) one cannot avoid being reborn in a woeful state.

Quoted from the book "The Workings of Kamma" by The Most Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw.
My question: so should we not reflect on the beauty of something? It's not a bad karma, right? So I thought it will just create attachment (that bounds us to samsara), but I didn't think it would lead to a rebirth in the lower realms?
P.S it's not that I have doubts about this book, I'm just a little confused and need some explanation.

user8157: Pa Auk Sayadaw's quoted statement does not appear to align with what is in the Pali suttas.
If we read the Pali suttas, which are supposed to be the teachings of the Lord Buddha, we will not read the Buddha always teaching laypeople if they think of their loved ones at the time of death they will be reborn in hell. In fact, the suttas teach people who are alive should make offerings to their departed loved ones, as follows:

I shall offer alms in honor of my departed relatives
Sigalovada Sutta

The Buddha taught higher teachings for monks & wise people and lower moral teachings for laypeople. The Buddha said in the Samajivina Sutta a husband & wife who share the Dhamma will remain united with each other in both the present & the future. Therefore, obviously the Buddha never taught proper moral love for a husband or wife leads to hell. Obviously if during dying a person thinks with a heart of metta (virtuous love), their mind will be born into a heavenly state.

user254: The quote in the OP seems to be about "beauty" and "unwise attention", and the question is about "reflecting on the beauty of something".
Whereas, for example, the Blessed One in the sutta Dhammadhatu quoted (AN 4.55) was talking about their being "in tune, in conviction, virtue, generosity, and discernment" -- I think that's not the same as superficial attractiveness, isn't that so?
The one bit of advice I've read about "wholesome thought at time of death is quoted here:

The Vinita-vatthu to Pr 4 contains a number of stories in which bhikkhus comfort a dying bhikkhu by asking him to reflect on what he has attained through the practice, which was apparently a common way of encouraging a dying bhikkhu to focus his thoughts on the best object possible.

And so for example, quoting from AN 4.55 again, this seems to me an example of "reflecting on an attainment", and not only "reflecting on the beauty":

Lord, ever since Nakula's mother as a young girl was brought to me [to be my wife] when I was just a young boy, I am not conscious of being unfaithful to her even in mind, much less in body. We want to see one another not only in the present life but also in the life to come.

It's perhaps an example of skillful virtue -- of evil action (being unfaithful) that wasn't done.
I see no contradiction -- one is saying that recollection of virtue  is associated with "the world of the Devas", and the other that a habit of unwise attention on beauty makes wise attention at death more difficult.

user10732: There are two topics in your question.
One is what is considered as bad kamma in Buddhism. Another is how kamma influence where you would be reborn in Buddhism doctrine.
For the first part, to the non-monk people, if you follow the "path of the ten good actions" (daśa-kuśala-kammapatha), it is considered as good kamma in Buddhism. The opposite actions would be considered as bad kamma in Buddhism.
So the question would be to reflect on the beauty of something violates the "path of the ten good actions"?
You can see the introduction of the "path of the ten good actions" here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_ethics#Ten_wholesome_actions
The relative part is the first mental actions, "It’s when someone is content. They don’t covet the wealth and belongings of others".
So only if you covet the beauty of others, and want to possess it, it would be considered as bad kamma in Buddhism.
For the second part, it involves what and how "kamma factors" influence where you would be reborn.
There are four kinds of such "kamma factors":

weighty kamma (garu-kamma)
habitual kamma (bahula/acinnaka kamma)
death proximate kamma (asanna kamma)
stored up kamma (katatta kamma)

You can see the introduction here.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Buddhism/comments/1it0qr/the_mind_at_the_time_of_death/
Generally, "habitual kamma" should be the more important factor than "death proximate kamma". Because your habitual actions in everyday life would infect your thoughts of the mind when you near death (or other difficult occasions).
Although, it seems to me that in Theravada Buddhism, it is more popular or common to stress "death proximate kamma".
By the way, I would be caution to interpret or regard "the words of  someone's translated works" word by word.
Pa Auk Sayadaw's works are Burmese originally. Beside, there might be cultural factors to play a role on the expressions used by different countries/cultural communities.

user21314: the key word is 'habitually looked' meaning one develops a strong habit.  these stain the mind almost as though taking possession or control of it.  prior to that is the unskillful perception arising from greed and delusions.  prior to that is normal observation of beauty which is fine here but can easily become deluded.  that is the way most of us practice,  we jump into deluded activity and if we are intelligent we quickly see what should be taken up and what should be given up.  whatever faulty activity we engage in we must always strive never to lose the protection of loving kindness and compassion or else all our efforts will amount to nothing

user471: Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw explains here that clinging leads to suffering, and in this case, this includes clinging to family members, clinging to their beauty, clinging to the beauty of possessions etc.
Being worried or concerned or obsessed about one's family members or their health, wealth, looks, possessions, career, future etc. are different expressions of clinging. The beauty of possessions is also impermanent.
This can be seen in SN 55.54 below.
The idea is to accept that one's own health and life, and one's family members and their health, wealth, possessions, looks, career, future etc. are all impermanent.
How is this related to karma? Well, clinging and craving leads to the three poisons of greed, aversion and delusion. The three poisons will lead to committing bad karma.
For e.g. I like the beauty of my plants, but my neighbour damages it, leading to my hurting or insulting him. I would have aversive emotions towards my neighbour because he disrupted my greedy emotions towards the beauty of my plants. These aversive emotions are suffering. Then this leads to the delusional mental state of rage and anger, leading to the bad karma of somehow taking revenge on my neighbour. Bad karma of harming my neighbour will somehow cause me further suffering in future.
So starting from craving and clinging, this will eventually lead to suffering.

Mahānāma the Sakyan heard about this. Then he went up to the Buddha,
bowed, sat down to one side, and told him that he had heard that the
Buddha was leaving. He added, “Sir, I haven’t heard and learned it in
the presence of the Buddha how a wise lay follower should advise
another wise lay follower who is sick, suffering, gravely ill.”
“Mahānāma, a wise lay follower should put at ease another wise lay
follower who is sick, suffering, gravely ill with four consolations.
‘Be at ease, sir. You have experiential confidence in the Buddha … the
teaching … the Saṅgha … And you have the ethical conduct loved by the
noble ones … leading to immersion.’
When a wise lay follower has put at ease another wise lay follower who
is sick, suffering, gravely ill with these four consolations, they
should say: ‘Are you concerned for your mother and father?’ If they
reply, ‘I am,’ they should say: ‘But sir, it’s your nature to die.
Whether or not you are concerned for your mother and father, you will
die anyway. It would be good to give up concern for your mother and
father.’
If they reply, ‘I have given up concern for my mother and father,’
they should say: ‘But are you concerned for your partners and
children?’ If they reply, ‘I am,’ they should say: ‘But sir, it’s your
nature to die. Whether or not you are concerned for your partners and
children, you will die anyway. It would be good to give up concern for
your partners and children.’
If they reply, ‘I have given up concern for my partners and children,’
they should say: ‘But are you concerned for the five kinds of human
sensual stimulation?’ If they reply, ‘I am,’ they should say: ‘Good
sir, heavenly sensual pleasures are better than human sensual
pleasures. It would be good to turn your mind away from human sensual
pleasures and fix it on the gods of the Four Great Kings.’
If they reply, ‘I have done so,’ they should say: ‘Good sir, the gods
of the Thirty-Three are better than the gods of the Four Great Kings …
Good sir, the gods of Yama … the Joyful Gods … the Gods Who Love to
Create … the Gods Who Control the Creations of Others … the Gods of
the Brahmā realm are better than the Gods Who Control the Creations of
Others. It would be good to turn your mind away from the Gods Who
Control the Creations of Others and fix it on the Gods of the Brahmā
realm.’ If they reply, ‘I have done so,’ they should say: ‘Good sir,
the Brahmā realm is impermanent, not lasting, and included within
identity. It would be good to turn your mind away from the Brahmā
realm and apply it to the cessation of identity.’
If they reply, ‘I have done so,’ then there is no difference between a
lay follower whose mind is freed in this way and a mendicant whose
mind is freed from defilements; that is, between the freedom of one
and the other.”
SN 55.54


20766: <blockquote>
<p>Say one reflects on the beauty of one's children, the beauty of one's husband or wife, the beauty of one's house or garden, or the beauty of a flower, and other such things: that is rooted in greed and delusion. It is a perverted perception (<em>sañña-vipallāsa</em>), based on unwise attention. If one has habitually looked upon such objects with such unwise attention, it will be very difficult at death suddenly to reflect upon them with wise attention. ...If one dies with such consciousness (rooted in greed and delusion,...) one cannot avoid being reborn in a woeful state.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Quoted from the book &quot;The Workings of Kamma&quot; by The Most Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw.</p>
<p>My question: so should we not reflect on the beauty of something? It's not a bad karma, right? So I thought it will just create attachment (that bounds us to samsara), but I didn't think it would lead to a rebirth in the lower realms?</p>
<p>P.S it's not that I have doubts about this book, I'm just a little confused and need some explanation.</p>
 8157: <p>Pa Auk Sayadaw's quoted statement does not appear to align with what is in the Pali suttas.</p>
<p>If we read the Pali suttas, which are supposed to be the teachings of the Lord Buddha, we will not read the Buddha always teaching laypeople if they think of their loved ones at the time of death they will be reborn in hell. In fact, the suttas teach people who are alive should make offerings to their departed loved ones, as follows:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I shall offer alms in honor of my departed relatives</p>
<p><a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.31.0.nara.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Sigalovada Sutta</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Buddha taught higher teachings for monks &amp; wise people and lower moral teachings for laypeople. The Buddha said in the <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.055.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Samajivina Sutta</a> a husband &amp; wife who share the Dhamma will remain united with each other in both the present &amp; the future. Therefore, obviously the Buddha never taught proper moral love for a husband or wife leads to hell. Obviously if during dying a person thinks with a heart of metta (virtuous love), their mind will be born into a heavenly state.</p>
 254: <p>The quote in the OP seems to be about &quot;beauty&quot; and &quot;unwise attention&quot;, and the question is about &quot;reflecting on the beauty of something&quot;.</p>
<p>Whereas, for example, the Blessed One in the sutta Dhammadhatu quoted (AN 4.55) was talking about their being &quot;in tune, in conviction, virtue, generosity, and discernment&quot; -- I think that's not the same as superficial attractiveness, isn't that so?</p>
<p>The one bit of advice I've read about &quot;wholesome thought at time of death is <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/28421/254">quoted here</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Vinita-vatthu to Pr 4 contains a number of stories in which bhikkhus comfort a dying bhikkhu by asking him to reflect on what he has attained through the practice, which was apparently a common way of encouraging a dying bhikkhu to focus his thoughts on the best object possible.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And so for example, quoting from AN 4.55 again, this seems to me an example of &quot;reflecting on an attainment&quot;, and not only &quot;reflecting on the beauty&quot;:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Lord, ever since Nakula's mother as a young girl was brought to me [to be my wife] when I was just a young boy, I am not conscious of being unfaithful to her even in mind, much less in body. We want to see one another not only in the present life but also in the life to come.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It's perhaps an example of skillful virtue -- of evil action (being unfaithful) that wasn't done.</p>
<p>I see no contradiction -- one is saying that recollection of virtue  is associated with &quot;the world of the Devas&quot;, and the other that a habit of unwise attention on beauty makes wise attention at death more difficult.</p>
 10732: <p>There are two topics in your question.</p>
<p>One is what is considered as bad kamma in Buddhism. Another is how kamma influence where you would be reborn in Buddhism doctrine.</p>
<p>For the first part, to the non-monk people, if you follow the &quot;path of the ten good actions&quot; (daśa-kuśala-kammapatha), it is considered as good kamma in Buddhism. The opposite actions would be considered as bad kamma in Buddhism.</p>
<p>So the question would be to reflect on the beauty of something violates the &quot;path of the ten good actions&quot;?</p>
<p>You can see the introduction of the &quot;path of the ten good actions&quot; here.</p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_ethics#Ten_wholesome_actions" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_ethics#Ten_wholesome_actions</a></p>
<p>The relative part is the first mental actions, &quot;It’s when someone is content. They don’t covet the wealth and belongings of others&quot;.</p>
<p>So only if you covet the beauty of others, and want to possess it, it would be considered as bad kamma in Buddhism.</p>
<p>For the second part, it involves what and how &quot;kamma factors&quot; influence where you would be reborn.</p>
<p>There are four kinds of such &quot;kamma factors&quot;:</p>
<ol>
<li>weighty kamma (garu-kamma)</li>
<li>habitual kamma (bahula/acinnaka kamma)</li>
<li>death proximate kamma (asanna kamma)</li>
<li>stored up kamma (katatta kamma)</li>
</ol>
<p>You can see the introduction here.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Buddhism/comments/1it0qr/the_mind_at_the_time_of_death/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.reddit.com/r/Buddhism/comments/1it0qr/the_mind_at_the_time_of_death/</a></p>
<p>Generally, &quot;habitual kamma&quot; should be the more important factor than &quot;death proximate kamma&quot;. Because your habitual actions in everyday life would infect your thoughts of the mind when you near death (or other difficult occasions).</p>
<p>Although, it seems to me that in Theravada Buddhism, it is more popular or common to stress &quot;death proximate kamma&quot;.</p>
<p>By the way, I would be caution to interpret or regard &quot;the words of  someone's translated works&quot; word by word.</p>
<p>Pa Auk Sayadaw's works are Burmese originally. Beside, there might be cultural factors to play a role on the expressions used by different countries/cultural communities.</p>
 21314: <p>the key word is 'habitually looked' meaning one develops a strong habit.  these stain the mind almost as though taking possession or control of it.  prior to that is the unskillful perception arising from greed and delusions.  prior to that is normal observation of beauty which is fine here but can easily become deluded.  that is the way most of us practice,  we jump into deluded activity and if we are intelligent we quickly see what should be taken up and what should be given up.  whatever faulty activity we engage in we must always strive never to lose the protection of loving kindness and compassion or else all our efforts will amount to nothing</p>
 471: <p>Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw explains here that clinging leads to suffering, and in this case, this includes clinging to family members, clinging to their beauty, clinging to the beauty of possessions etc.</p>
<p>Being worried or concerned or obsessed about one's family members or their health, wealth, looks, possessions, career, future etc. are different expressions of clinging. The beauty of possessions is also impermanent.</p>
<p>This can be seen in <a href="https://suttacentral.net/sn55.54/en/sujato" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN 55.54</a> below.</p>
<p>The idea is to accept that one's own health and life, and one's family members and their health, wealth, possessions, looks, career, future etc. are all impermanent.</p>
<p>How is this related to karma? Well, clinging and craving leads to the three poisons of greed, aversion and delusion. The three poisons will lead to committing bad karma.</p>
<p>For e.g. I like the beauty of my plants, but my neighbour damages it, leading to my hurting or insulting him. I would have aversive emotions towards my neighbour because he disrupted my greedy emotions towards the beauty of my plants. These aversive emotions are suffering. Then this leads to the delusional mental state of rage and anger, leading to the bad karma of somehow taking revenge on my neighbour. Bad karma of harming my neighbour will somehow cause me further suffering in future.</p>
<p>So starting from craving and clinging, this will eventually lead to suffering.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Mahānāma the Sakyan heard about this. Then he went up to the Buddha,
bowed, sat down to one side, and told him that he had heard that the
Buddha was leaving. He added, “Sir, I haven’t heard and learned it in
the presence of the Buddha <strong>how a wise lay follower should advise
another wise lay follower who is sick, suffering, gravely ill.</strong>”</p>
<p>“Mahānāma, a wise lay follower should put at ease another wise lay
follower who is sick, suffering, gravely ill with four consolations.
‘Be at ease, sir. You have experiential confidence in the Buddha … the
teaching … the Saṅgha … And you have the ethical conduct loved by the
noble ones … leading to immersion.’</p>
<p>When a wise lay follower has put at ease another wise lay follower who
is sick, suffering, gravely ill with these four consolations, they
should say: ‘Are you concerned for your mother and father?’ If they
reply, ‘I am,’ they should say: ‘But sir, it’s your nature to die.
Whether or not you are concerned for your mother and father, you will
die anyway. It would be good to give up concern for your mother and
father.’</p>
<p>If they reply, ‘I have given up concern for my mother and father,’
they should say: ‘But are you concerned for your partners and
children?’ If they reply, ‘I am,’ they should say: ‘But sir, it’s your
nature to die. Whether or not you are concerned for your partners and
children, you will die anyway. It would be good to give up concern for
your partners and children.’</p>
<p>If they reply, ‘I have given up concern for my partners and children,’
they should say: ‘But are you concerned for the five kinds of human
sensual stimulation?’ If they reply, ‘I am,’ they should say: ‘Good
sir, heavenly sensual pleasures are better than human sensual
pleasures. It would be good to turn your mind away from human sensual
pleasures and fix it on the gods of the Four Great Kings.’</p>
<p>If they reply, ‘I have done so,’ they should say: ‘Good sir, the gods
of the Thirty-Three are better than the gods of the Four Great Kings …</p>
<p>Good sir, the gods of Yama … the Joyful Gods … the Gods Who Love to
Create … the Gods Who Control the Creations of Others … the Gods of
the Brahmā realm are better than the Gods Who Control the Creations of
Others. It would be good to turn your mind away from the Gods Who
Control the Creations of Others and fix it on the Gods of the Brahmā
realm.’ If they reply, ‘I have done so,’ they should say: ‘Good sir,
the Brahmā realm is impermanent, not lasting, and included within
identity. It would be good to turn your mind away from the Brahmā
realm and apply it to the cessation of identity.’</p>
<p>If they reply, ‘I have done so,’ then there is no difference between a
lay follower whose mind is freed in this way and a mendicant whose
mind is freed from defilements; that is, between the freedom of one
and the other.”<br />
<a href="https://suttacentral.net/sn55.54/en/sujato" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN 55.54</a></p>
</blockquote>
