Dear Bhante,

> This is truly the case... if there were not naama or ruupa, it would mean
> (temporary?) nibbaana...

Note however that there have been several recent scholarly discussions
concerning the precise meaning of naama-ruupa which suggest that the
original and authentic meaning of the term within early Buddhism was other
than the one commonly accepted nowadays. For example, Rod Bucknall
discusses the term at length in his article on the PS ("2Conditioned Arising
Evolves" pp311-342 JIABS 22.2 1999) and persuasively concludes that
naama-ruupa actually denotes mental and physical objects of perception
(vijnana). This understanding of naama-ruupa avoids the problem you raise.

> according to the Theravada, I would say that those beings have not yet
> died.
> You see, it's semantics :)

Even if they have been cremated ? I disagree that it is a matter of
semantics -- don't let dogmatics prevent you from even considering the
possibility of experiencing this for yourself. My own limited experience
with antaraabhava beings suggests that most people are pretty confused when
they have died and can get even more confused and frightened when their
bodies have been disposed of by burial or cremation. Autopsies are also
very bad news. Actually, in that respect it is fortunate that most people
get reborn quite soon after death, but some remain in the antaraabhava state
for several weeks so it is best, but difficult these days, to keep a corpse
"on hold" for a while or at least not harm or destroy it -- the antaraabhava
being often tries for a while to re-enter the corpse through fear and
attachment.

If one can establish contact with the antaraabhava, the greatest service one
can render is re-assurance and whatever degree of Dharma guidance one can
manage or is appropriate. Theravada teaches that the quality of the last
thought-moment before death is extremely important. Accepting the reality
of the antaraabhava allows the possibility of helping that person overcome
any negativity such as fear, attachment or anger.

So, Bhante, rather than blindly accept received dogmas, you could try to
verify the reality of the antaraabhava yourself by direct experience. As I
said previously, it is simply a matter of gaining some accomplishment in the
jhanas and being with dying / dead people -- actually, you do not even need
to be in their presence, while one can't be anyway after the corpse have
been removed. Even if you don't discern the antaraabhava, you will still
get benefit by being reminded forcefully of the nature of sickness,
suffering and death -- which will eventually be very valuable to yourself
when your time comes.

Best wishes,
Stephen Hodge