After afflictions are eliminated, habitual tendencies that give rise to afflictions may still manifest

If Mahākāśyapa's dancing upon hearing music arose spontaneously, then all sentient beings would dance upon hearing music, and would even jump up and dance without hearing any music. The fact is that dancing upon hearing music is not a phenomenon that everyone has; it is not universal. Therefore, dancing is not something that arises spontaneously—it is a phenomenon that can only occur in a person who has the afflictive habit of loving song and dance. A person who loved dancing in a past life has deeply entrenched habits, so upon hearing music they will dance out of inertia, unable to control it with their mind consciousness.

Habitual tendencies are also called inertia. For example, when braking a car: the car has already braked, yet it still moves forward for a stretch of road. Or, for example, when we walk on icy ground and our feet slip—even though we have already stopped our steps, we still slide forward for a distance, unable to control it. This is called having severed the manifest afflictions, yet the habitual tendencies still manifest and cannot be stopped, appearing involuntarily. The faster one drives, the greater the inertial force after braking; the heavier the afflictions, the greater the habitual tendencies.

Although the arhat Mahākāśyapa had severed his afflictions, he had not yet severed his afflictive habitual tendencies. Because he had the afflictive habit of loving song and dance from past lives, upon hearing music in this life he would involuntarily begin to dance. As for ordinary beings who have not severed their afflictions, if they have the affliction of loving song and dance, when they hear music their afflictions and habitual tendencies will be even heavier. Those whose craving for music and dancing is relatively severe will, after death, go to the ghost realm to receive retribution; only when habitual tendencies manifest without the corresponding afflictions does one not go to the three evil destinies to receive retribution.