After eradicating afflictions, there are still afflictive habitual tendencies that can manifest.

If Mahākāśyapa 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 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. For someone who loved dancing in a past life, the habit is deeply ingrained; upon hearing music, they will dance out of habit, and the conscious mind cannot control it.

Habitual tendencies are also called inertia. For example, when braking a car: the car has already braked, yet it still travels forward for a stretch of road. It is also like walking on ice when our feet slip: clearly we have already stopped, yet we still slide forward for a stretch, 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 the afflictions, he had not yet severed the afflictive habitual tendencies; because he had the afflictive habit of loving song and dance in a past life, in this life he would involuntarily begin dancing upon hearing music. As for ordinary beings who have not severed the 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 rather 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.