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There is much debate regarding the role of samatha, vipassana, and jhana, in the practice of the eightfold path as described in the Pali Suttanta. The faction pushing the rupavacara jhana agenda on the one hand and the faction pushing the dry vipassana agenda on the other seem to be entrenched and their views irreconcilable. But it's worth considering that the root of this situation can be traced back to a commentarial definition of jhana which bears little resemblance to how jhana is described in the suttas themselves. This Abhidhammika commentarial definition of jhana appeared some time prior to the Third Council, most likely coinciding with the academic introduction of metaphysical planes (bhumi) and corresponding spheres (avacara) of phenomena — which together comprise an exclusively Abhidhamma paradigm for grouping various dhammas — and which as a developed conceptual model postdates the suttas of the Pali Nikayas. This bhumi/avacara paradigm isn't exclusive to the Theravada Abhidhamma due to the cross-fertilization of ideas amongst early Abhidhamma sects, but again, this notion of a rigid separation between the sphere of objects of sensory consciousness and jhanic consciousness postdates the suttas themselves.
The eventual result of the introduction of this notion of separate spheres of phenomena within the developed institutional Theravadin commentarial tradition was that the definition and role of jhana in the noble path morphed significantly from its original Suttanta position as a pragmatic praxis for calming and training the mind, into a methodology geared toward (blind) ascendancy resulting in trance-like states of fixed absorption devoid of analytical cognitive functioning and therefore unable to discern the very truths which made the Buddha's Dhamma-vinaya uniquely liberational to begin with; this other-worldly Abhidhammika definition of jhana being tied to the cosmological mapping endeavours (the above mentioned planes and associated spheres of phenomena) of an increasingly speculative academia which had a propensity for literalizing ideas that were originally intended as metaphor and allegory, and which were warped by this naive literalism into doctrines and conceptual paradigms far removed from the original intention of these teachings in the Suttanta.
Regarding jhana, the Theravada Abhidhammika commentarial tradition maintains that the meditator in the first jhana cannot see visual forms, hear sounds, nor feel tactile sensations within the body — one of the defining characteristics of jhana for them being the complete cessation of sensory awareness. Such cessation, they say, is a prerequisite for jhanic attainment. Apparently this is stated (in regard to hearing sounds) in the Kathavatthu ('Points of Controversy' attributed to Moggaliputta — the head of the Third Council). Now I am aware that eminent meditation teachers such as Ajahn Brahmavamso define jhana in this way also (at least this appeared to be his position in the text of his that I read a number of years ago), and of course, as this definition is the accepted one of mainstream Theravada, he is not 'wrong' in doing so. Nevertheless, I just don’t see any tangible and definitive evidence in the Suttanta to support this definition (more on this later), and the Buddha is clear in the 'four great references' (mahapadesa) explained in the Maha-parinibbana Sutta, that on issues regarding the clarification or authenticity of Dhamma teachings, the suttas of the Sutta Pitaka (i.e. Dhamma) and the discipline of the Vinaya Pitaka are the sole authority (and not the Abhidhammika commentators nor even the beloved Ajahn Brahms). And seeing as the Suttanta doesn't definitively define jhana in the commentarial manner, it is entirely possible for there to be a 'middle way' resolution to this debate: jhana is necessary for release, but jhana does not necessitate the complete cessation of all sensory awareness. (I believe that this is the basic position of Ajahn Thanissaro also).
So to begin, let’s take a look at the jhana/dhyana formula....
The Pali Jhana Formula
The basic jhana formula is as follows:
“Idha bhikkhave [here monks] bhikkhu [a monk] vivicceva [quite withdrawn; quite aloof; quite secluded from] kàmehi [sensual pleasures; sense desires; sensuality] vivicca akusalehi dhammehi [withdrawn from unskillful qualities] savitakkaü [directed thought] savicàraü [evaluation; discursive thinking] vivekajaü [born from withdrawal; born from aloofness] pãtisukhaü [joyous pleasure; happiness and pleasure; rapture and pleasure] pañhamaü jhànaü [first jhana] upasampajja viharati [enters and abides].” (DN 22: Maha-satipatthana Sutta) [transliteration & diacritics from mettanet.org]
Translation:
“Here monks, quite withdrawn from sensual pleasures, withdrawn from unskillful (mental) qualities, a monk enters and abides in the first jhana, which includes directed thought and examination, as well as happiness and pleasure born from withdrawal.”
So, pertinent to this investigation are the two terms 'vivicceva' and 'kàmehi' in the line:
“vivicceva kàmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi”
which Ven. Bodhi translates as 'secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states.' Elsewhere Ven. Nanamoli translates this phrase as 'secluded from sense desires, secluded from unprofitable things,' and in a recent translation of the Maha-sunnata Sutta, Ajahn Thanissaro translates this line as 'quite withdrawn from sensual pleasures, withdrawn from unskillful qualities....'
Now the Abhidhammika commentarial tradition apparently interprets this phrase to mean the complete cessation of what the Buddha refers to metaphorically as the 'strings of sensuality' (kàmagunà) — a metaphor that the commentators literalize so that for them 'quite withdrawn from sensual pleasures' (vivicceva kàmehi) comes to mean complete cessation of any external sensory object whatsoever. And so they conclude that the cessation of all experience of the 'kàmavacara-bhumi' is a prerequisite for jhana. But I don't see the supportive evidence in the Nikayas for equating vivicceva kàmehi — 'quite withdrawn from sensual pleasures' — with the complete cessation of all sensory form consciousness, nor much reference to the three bhumi cosmology at all, for that matter.
The first relevant Suttanta passage in this regard, is one that occurs in various suttas. For example, in SN 36.31: Niramisa Sutta, the Buddha says:
"There are these five strings of sensuality (kàmagunà): forms cognizable by the eye that are wished for and desired, agreeable and endearing, associated with sense-desire and tempting to lust. Sounds cognizable by the ear... odors cognizable by the nose... flavors cognizable by the tongue... tangibles cognizable by the body, wished for and desired, agreeable and endearing, associated with sense-desire and tempting to lust."
It is clear that the 'sensual pleasures' which are to be withdrawn from prior to entering jhana as stated in the jhana formula, are precisely these five: 'forms cognizable by the eye... sounds cognizable by the ear... odors cognizable by the nose... flavors cognizable by the tongue... tactile sensations cognizable by the body ... that are wished for and desired, agreeable and endearing, associated with sense-desire and tempting to lust.' And so it isn’t all forms, etc., that the meditator need to withdraw from (as stated in the jhana formula), the meditator simply needs to withdraw from those which tempt him or her, giving rise to lust, as stated here. As always, this makes perfect sense and is borne out by experience.
This is also why unattractive objects such as the thirty-two parts of the body and the nine cemetery contemplations and neutral objects such as the breath are considered acceptable themes for jhana — because they are not strings of sensuality 'that are wished for and desired, agreeable and endearing, associated with sense-desire and tempting to lust.'
Elsewhere in AN 6.63: Nibbedhika Sutta, the Buddha makes a clear distinction between 'sensuality' (kàma) and the 'strings of sensuality' (kàmagunà):
"There are these five strings of sensuality. Which five? Forms cognizable via the eye -- agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering desire, enticing; sounds cognizable via the ear...aromas cognizable via the nose...flavors cognizable via the tongue...tactile sensations cognizable via the body -- agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering desire, enticing. But these are not sensuality. They are called strings of sensuality in the discipline of the noble ones.
"The passion for his resolves is a man's sensuality, not the beautiful sensual pleasures found in the world. The passion for his resolves is a man's sensuality.
"The beauties remain as they are in the world, while the wise, in this regard, subdue their desire."
Here the Buddha is clearly differentiating kàma, which is an internal mental phenomenon of passion and desire, from the external sensory objects of that desire, which are metaphorically called the 'strings of sensuality,' and pertaining to which 'the wise ... subdue their desire.' The subduing of this desire is accomplished through the three pathway aggregations of ethical conduct (sila), meditation (samadhi), and discernment (panna), none of which necessitates the experiential cessation of the objective 'strings of sensuality' as mere empty sensory phenomena. These sensory forms which are metaphorically called 'strings of sensuality' are not inherently 'kàma' in and of themselves — they are only 'strings' of kàma insofar as they are desired and wished for. If one no longer desires them then they are no longer the 'strings' of kàma, they are thereafter just empty sensory phenomena, and it is desire which simultaneously creates and binds one to the 'world' (loka) characterized by samsaric suffering, not empty sensory phenomena. In fact, in MN 152: Indriya-bhavana Sutta, the Buddha criticizes the methods of contemplative development (bhavana) taught by the brahman Parasiri whereby 'one does not see forms with the eye, or hear sounds with the ear' in a trance of non-perception. Regarding such methods the Buddha replies:
"That being the case, Uttara, then a blind person will have developed faculties, and a deaf person will have developed faculties, according to the words of the brahman Parasiri. For a blind person does not see forms with the eye, and a deaf person does not hear sounds with the ear."
Later in this same sutta, the Buddha exhorts Ananda and the other monks to go practice meditation (jhàyatha):
"Over there are the roots of trees; over there, empty dwellings. Practice jhana, Ananda. Don't be heedless. Don't later fall into regret. This is our message to you all."
It's obvious from this statement following after the Buddha's critique of meditation methods resulting in contentless trance states in the same sutta, that for the Buddha the jhanas of 'right concentration' (samma samadhi) are not jhanas devoid of all sensory consciousness.
Also, it's stated in MN 43: Mahavedalla Sutta that the hindrances (nivarana), are abandoned in jhana, most notably in this context, the hindrance of impulsive sensual desire (kàma-chanda). The sutta states:
"There is the case where, in a monk who has attained the first jhana, sensual desire is abandoned, ill will is abandoned, sloth & torpor is abandoned, restlessness & anxiety is abandoned, uncertainty is abandoned."
This statement that the attainment of jhana is a result of abandoning the hindrances is repeated elsewhere in the Sutta Pitaka. The Sutta Pitaka also clearly states many times that it is only with the attainment of the sphere of infinite space (i.e. arupa-samapatti: formless attainment) that perception of form is abandoned. For example, in AN 9.34: Nibbana Sutta, Ven. Sariputta states:
"Furthermore, there is the case where a monk, with the complete transcending of perceptions of [physical] form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not heeding perceptions of diversity, thinking, 'Infinite space,' enters & remains in the dimension of the infinitude of space. If, as he remains there, he is beset with attention to perceptions dealing with form, that is an affliction for him."
And the same sutta states that the only perceptions and attention which hinder or afflict jhana once it has been attained are perceptions and attention accompanied by sensual desire (kàma):
"Now there is the case where a monk — quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful qualities — enters & remains in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. If, as he remains there, he is beset with attention to perceptions dealing with sensuality (kàmasahagatà saññàmanasikàrà), that is an affliction for him."
It doesn't say jhana is hindered as a result of perceptions of form, nor perceptions of the five objective strings of sensuality (kàmagunà), it just says perception and attention accompanied by kàma: desire, right in keeping with the above cited distinction between internal mental kàma and external physical kàmagunà, and which in the context of jhana is connected with the hindrances, especially impulsive sensual desire (kàma-chanda). Perception and attention which gives rise to the hindrance of impulsive sensual desire (kàma-chanda) is what hinders jhana, and not the perception of sensory forms (unless of course such perception is accompanied by impulsive sensual desire).
In no explicit version of the jhana formula, nor in any of the descriptions of jhanic mental factors, nor in any similes used to describe jhana in the Suttanta, is there any reference to the cessation (nirodha) of sensory consciousness (vinnana). Now if this were the defining characteristic of the experience of jhana, isn't it extremely odd that it is never stated explicitly?
Let's take look at what is explicitly stated in some of the most thorough descriptions of jhana in the Suttanta.
Sutta Pitaka Descriptions Of The Four Jhanas
first jhana: withdrawal from sensuality and unskillful qualities; happiness; pleasure; directed thought; evaluation. This is stated in the Samadhanga Sutta (AN V.28 ):
“Now what, monks, is five-factored noble right concentration? There is the case where a monk -- quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful qualities -- enters & remains in the first jhana: rapture [happiness] & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. He permeates & pervades, suffuses & fills this very body with the rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal.”
Regarding happiness (piti), the Commentary on Breathing, verse 291 (from the Patisambhidamagga), gives various synonyms as this term pertains to jhana:
“Any happiness (piti), delight (pamojja), rejoicing (amodana), joy (pamodana), shining mirth (bhasa pabhasa), bliss (vitti), elation (odagya), satisfaction (attamanta), mental uplift (cittassa), is happiness (piti).”
The Samadhanga Sutta continues with a vivid simile for how to contemplate and develop piti and pleasure (sukkha):
“Just as if a skilled bathman or bathman's apprentice would pour bath powder into a brass basin and knead it together, sprinkling it again & again with water, so that his ball of bath powder -- saturated, moisture-laden, permeated within & without -- would nevertheless not drip; even so, the monk permeates, suffuses & fills this very body with the rapture [happiness] & pleasure born of withdrawal. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal. This is the first development of the five-factored noble right concentration.”
And regarding how the discernment (“panna”; here referring to of the mental quality of vipassana developed in tandem with samatha) occurs in the first jhana, the Anupada Sutta (MN 111) states:
“Whatever qualities there are in the first jhana -- applied thought, evaluation, rapture [happiness], pleasure, singleness of mind, contact, feeling, perception, intention, consciousness [vl. intent], desire, decision, persistence, mindfulness, equanimity, & attention -- he ferrets them out one by one. Known to him they arise, known to him they remain, known to him they subside. He discerns, 'So this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play. Having been, they vanish.' He remains unattracted & unrepelled with regard to those qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness rid of barriers.”
And even beyond the discernment of mental phenomena which occur in jhana, once the jhanic state is stabilized, one can readily turn one's attention to any internal or external phenomena, and clearly see the three characteristics as they pertain to the five aggregates. The Jhana Sutta (AN IX.36) states:
“There is the case where a monk ... enters & remains in the first jhana .... He regards whatever phenomena there that are connected with form, feeling, perception, fabrications, & consciousness, as inconstant, stressful ... an emptiness, not-self. He turns his mind away from those phenomena, and having done so, inclines his mind to the property of deathlessness: 'This is peace, this is exquisite -- the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.'”
And as this quote clearly states, one need progress no further than the first jhana in order to discern phenomena and thereby give rise to an attitude of nonfashioning (atammayata) and incline toward the deathless element (amata dhatu). But of course, if one so desires, one is free to develop jhana to a more refined stage of unification and calm. To do this the meditator simply continues to intentionally focus on the feelings of happiness (piti) and physical and mental well-being (sukha). Remaining focused on these phenomena of the feeling aggregate, directed thought and discursive thinking eventually begin to spontaneously subside, leaving:
second jhana: happiness; pleasure; unification of mind; and internal assurance. Again, from the Samadhanga Sutta:
“Furthermore, with the stilling of directed thought & evaluation, he enters & remains in the second jhana: rapture [happiness] & pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation -- internal assurance. He permeates & pervades, suffuses & fills this very body with the rapture & pleasure born of composure. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by rapture & pleasure born of composure.
“Just like a lake with spring-water welling up from within, having no inflow from east, west, north, or south, and with the skies periodically supplying abundant showers, so that the cool fount of water welling up from within the lake would permeate & pervade, suffuse & fill it with cool waters, there being no part of the lake unpervaded by the cool waters; even so, the monk permeates, suffuses & fills this very body with the rapture & pleasure born of composure. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by rapture & pleasure born of composure. This is the second development of the five-factored noble right concentration.”
Here the meditator begins to shift their attention from the quality of mental happiness to the underlying feeling tone (vedana) of pleasantness (sukha) and well-being that are present. The Commentary on Breathing, verse 317, states:
“There are two kinds of pleasure (sukha): bodily pleasure and mental pleasure. What is bodily pleasure? Any bodily well-being, bodily pleasure, well-being and pleasure felt which is produced from body contact, any welcome pleasant feeling produced from body contact, is bodily pleasure. And what is mental pleasure? Any mental well-being, mental pleasure, well-being and pleasure felt which is produced from mental contact, any welcome pleasant feeling produced from mental contact, is mental pleasure.”
It’s clear that anapanasati is the most detailed meditation practice outlined in the Suttanta, and contrary to the claims of some proponents of the “dry vipassana” agenda, it is a method for attaining jhana (as defined here). And in this, the earliest and most detailed commentary on anapanasati, it is clearly stated that sukha experienced in jhana is bodily as well as mental. If one’s consciousness of the tactile sphere (ayatana) has ceased in jhana, there would be no point in including this above description of bodily sukha. But is seems obvious that for the author(s) of this commentary, tactile consciousness is not ceased in jhana at all.
It is also quite clear at this point, that all of these descriptions of the second jhana are contrary to Ajahn Brahms definition of the second jhana, wherein, according to his schematic, all volitional intent is suspended as well -- i.e. one cannot even form the intent to come out of jhana. Now I want to be clear that I respect Ajahn Brahms very much, and I am in no way questioning or discounting the validity of his meditation experiences, I am just saying that his definitions of what the experience of each jhana is, isn’t in line with these descriptions. I would suggest that what Ajahn Brahms calls “jhana,” and for sure what he considers the experience of the second jhana, are actually post-fourth-jhana experiences.
[Sidebar: Regarding the attainment of jhana taking the breath as object (i.e. anapanasati), the notion that the 'sign' (nimitta) of jhana is dependent upon the appearance of a light or any other prompted or unprompted quasi-paranormal mental phenomenon goes back to a misinterpretation of a passage in the Patisambhidamagga. This passage states that the mind of the meditator is just like the full moon free from cloud ... just as the moon when free from cloud, free from mist, free from smoke and dust, gleams and glows and shines, so too the monk who is delivered from all defilements gleams and glows and shines. The Visuddhimagga, a late commentarial text, then inexplicably literalizes this simile, and concludes that jhana is preceded by a light, and the author then botches his literary abilities altogether by also stating that the appearance of any mental phenomena resembling a cloud, mist, smoke, etc., can be taken as a sign of the attainment of jhana. (Google “Mystery Of The Breath Nimitta” by Ajahn Sona for a more detailed examination.)
This whole commentarial misinterpretation could possibly be based on confusing jhana with a type of meditation called 'perception of light' mentioned in the suttas, which according to the Patisambhidamagga can be developed to the point of what is termed the 'divine eye.' But there seems to be little explanation of the practice associated with this 'perception of light' except to say that it can be refined to where the "day is the same as night and night the same as day."
Now it definitely does occur to some meditators during the course of practice, that they perceive lights or orbs of light when meditating with their eyes closed. Years ago I went through an extended period of such 'perceptions of light' during every sitting. After sitting for fifteen minutes or so (with eyes closed), an orb of beautiful bluish light would appear and increase in size as if it were coming toward me, until it seemingly engulfed me, accompanied by waves of bliss and an expansive opening in the heart-center area which was the most incredibly profound feeling of universal serenity that I've ever experienced, beyond anything I could have ever even imagined prior to this experience. Then another orb of light would appear, seemingly in the 'distance,' and the same process would repeat itself.
Other meditators have had similar experiences. So this “paranormal” mental phenomenon definitely exists, and I’m not discounting it as an adventitious byproduct of concentration per se; it was probably experiences such as these which eventually evolved into the commentarial method which states that such appearances are 'signs' of jhana. But this just isn't how jhana is described by the Buddha in the suttas, or in the practice oriented commentarial text -- the Patisambhidamagga. There's no mention of such paranormal phenomena as being prerequisites for jhana, and even the elusive practice of the perception of light is only mentioned infrequently, most often as an antidote for the hindrance of sleepiness, and as such, probably refers to the ordinary perception of looking toward the sky or toward a flame when feeling drowsy, as this straightforward awareness of brightness naturally stimulates the mind. Anyway, given that the Buddha makes no reference to any such mental appearances of lights, etc, as being signs of jhana, or prerequisites before attaining jhana, it is clear that all such phenomena are adventitious byproducts of practice, and not signs of the attainment of jhana, otherwise the Buddha would certainly not have left this information out of his instructions.]
And again, in the second jhana, one’s experience of jhana isn't a state of total absorption. The mental quality of vipassana still 'ferrets out' mental phenomena as they occur:
“Whatever qualities there are in the second jhana -- rapture [happiness], pleasure, singleness of mind, contact, feeling, perception, intention, consciousness [vl. intent], desire, decision, persistence, mindfulness, equanimity, & attention -- he ferrets them out one by one. Known to him they arise, known to him they remain, known to him they subside. He discerns, 'So this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play. Having been, they vanish.' He remains unattracted & unrepelled with regard to those qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness rid of barriers.” (MN 111)
And one can still discern any internal or external phenomena, and clearly see the three characteristics as they pertain to the five aggregates:
“There is the case where a monk ... enters & remains in the second jhana .... He regards whatever phenomena there that are connected with form, feeling, perception, fabrications, & consciousness, as inconstant, stressful ... an emptiness, not-self. He turns his mind away from those phenomena, and having done so, inclines his mind to the property of deathlessness: 'This is peace, this is exquisite -- the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.'” (AN IX.36)
And if the meditator, instead of inclining toward the deathless at this point, continues to focus on the singular quality of the entire pleasurable felt sense of the body, mental happiness (piti) and mental pleasure (sukha) spontaneously begins to subside, leaving:
third jhana: equanimity; mindfulness; alertness; physical pleasure. The Samadhanga Sutta:
“And furthermore, with the fading of rapture [happiness], he remains in equanimity, mindful & alert, and physically sensitive to pleasure. He enters & remains in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding.' He permeates & pervades, suffuses & fills this very body with the pleasure divested of rapture, so that there is nothing of his entire body unpervaded with pleasure divested of rapture.
“Just as in a blue-, white-, or red-lotus pond, there may be some of the blue, white, or red lotuses which, born & growing in the water, stay immersed in the water and flourish without standing up out of the water, so that they are permeated & pervaded, suffused & filled with cool water from their roots to their tips, and nothing of those blue, white, or red lotuses would be unpervaded with cool water; even so, the monk permeates, suffuses & fills this very body with the pleasure divested of rapture. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded with pleasure divested of rapture. This is the third development of the five-factored noble right concentration.”
What remains at this stage of jhanic unification is simply a feeling of physical well-being, which is still pleasant. At this stage the feeling of mental pleasantness has subsided because discursive thoughts upon which mental pleasantness depends have also subsided. The stream of discursiveness has broken up because the mind has reached a state of unification which it realizes is superior to any state of conceptualizing. The mind basically abandons thoughts at this stage. It has realized something better than habitual thinking. But note that volitional intent is still operational. The meditator still “permeates, suffuses and fills this very body with the pleasure divested of rapture.” That is, one continues to intentionally focus on the qualities of physical pleasure present, and also comprehends that this is a very refined and desirable abiding. Thus there is not spaced out absorption in the third jhana either:
“Whatever qualities there are in the third jhana -- pleasure, singleness of mind, contact, feeling, perception, intention, consciousness [vl. intent], desire, decision, persistence, mindfulness, equanimity, & attention -- he ferrets them out one by one. Known to him they arise, known to him they remain, known to him they subside. He discerns, 'So this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play. Having been, they vanish.' He remains unattracted & unrepelled with regard to those qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness rid of barriers.” (MN 111)
And one can still discern any internal or external phenomena, and clearly see the three characteristics as they pertain to the five aggregates:
“There is the case where a monk ... enters & remains in the third jhana .... He regards whatever phenomena there that are connected with form, feeling, perception, fabrications, & consciousness, as inconstant, stressful ... an emptiness, not-self. He turns his mind away from those phenomena, and having done so, inclines his mind to the property of deathlessness: 'This is peace, this is exquisite -- the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.'” (AN IX.36)
And finally, if the meditator, instead of inclining toward the deathless at this point, continues to focus on the singular quality of the entire pleasurable felt sense of the body, the physical pleasure will eventually spontaneously subside, leaving:
fourth jhana: equanimity; mindfulness; neither pleasure nor pain. The Samadhanga Sutta:
“And furthermore, with the abandoning of pleasure & stress -- as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress -- he enters & remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither-pleasure-nor-pain. He sits, permeating the body with a pure, bright awareness, so that there is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by pure, bright awareness.”
This is the full attainment of jhanic unification regarding form as an object. Just this complete unification of the whole body and pure, bright awareness:
“Just as if a man were sitting wrapped from head to foot with a white cloth so that there would be no part of his body to which the white cloth did not extend; even so, the monk sits, permeating his body with a pure, bright awareness. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by pure, bright awareness. This is the fourth development of the five-factored noble right concentration.”
And the fourth jhana is not spaced out absorption either:
“Whatever qualities there are in the fourth jhana -- singleness of mind, contact, feeling, perception, intention, consciousness [vl. intent], desire, decision, persistence, mindfulness, equanimity, & attention -- he ferrets them out one by one. Known to him they arise, known to him they remain, known to him they subside. He discerns, 'So this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play. Having been, they vanish.' He remains unattracted & unrepelled with regard to those qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness rid of barriers.” (MN 111)
At this point, or indeed at any point after the stabilization of the first jhana, we can take our stabilized attention and apply it to clear seeing (vipassana) and discernment (panna), according to whichever of the three characteristics we choose to contemplate, and whichever phenomena we choose to focus upon as our frame of reference. The Samadhanga Sutta continues:
“And furthermore, the monk has his theme [i.e. sign: nimitta] of reflection well in hand, well attended to, well pondered, well tuned (well-penetrated) by means of discernment.
“Just as if one person were to reflect on another, or a standing person were to reflect on a sitting person, or a sitting person were to reflect on a person lying down; even so, monks, the monk has his theme of reflection well in hand, well attended to, well pondered, well tuned by means of discernment. This is the fifth development of the five-factored noble right concentration.”
This, of course, involves clearly seeing (i.e. vipassana of) conditioned phenomena of body and mind as being impermanent (inconstant), unsatisfactory (stressful), empty of own-nature (an emptiness), and therefore not-self. Again, the Jhana Sutta says:
“There is the case where a monk ... enters & remains in the fourth jhana .... He regards whatever phenomena there that are connected with form, feeling, perception, fabrications, & consciousness, as inconstant, stressful ... an emptiness, not-self. He turns his mind away from those phenomena, and having done so, inclines his mind to the property of deathlessness: 'This is peace, this is exquisite -- the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.'”
And this contemplation of conditioned phenomena gives rise to 'knowledge of the regularity of phenomena' (dhamma-thiti-nana), which in turn gives rise to a nonfashioning attitude (atammayata), which allows one to let go of conditioned mind and body altogether, by inclining toward the deathless element (amata-dhatu), and eventually realizing Nibbana (Nibbana-nana).
Suttanta And Vinaya Statements Which Seem To Support The Commentarial Definition Of Jhana
There are at least a couple of statements in the Pali Sutta Pitaka and Vinaya Pitaka which seem at first sight to confirm the Abhidhammika commentarial definition of jhana. But the ones that I’m aware of are by no means definitive declarations in any regard, yet it is seems likely that it was these statements which eventually gave rise to the commentarial view expressed in the Kathavatthu ('Points of Controversy' attributed to Moggaliputta — the head of the Third Council), that the meditator in jhana cannot be aware of sounds. I suspect that this is a case of the Abhidhammic commentarial academia taking one statement as definitive without taking into consideration all the Suttanta statements regarding jhana in their totality.
Vinaya Pj 4 states:
"And then Venerable Maha Moggallana addressed the monks: 'Here, friends, when I had attained imperturbable samadhi on the bank of the Sappinika River, I heard the sound of elephants plunging in, crossing over, and trumpeting.' [To which the Buddha commented:] 'The meaning is that that samadhi was not fully purified. Moggallana spoke truthfully.'"
Leaving aside all questions regarding the historical authenticity of the stories that accompany the vinaya rules, this statement is clearly in reference to the attainment of the 'imperturbable,' (anenja) which as far as I am aware is not used as a synonym for jhana in the suttas, although it sometimes refers to the fourth jhana, but in reference to entering the post jhanic formless attainments (arupa-samapatti). And bearing in mind the relevant passage from AN 9.34: Nibbana Sutta, which comments on the formless attainments:
"[W]ith the complete transcending of perceptions of [physical] form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not heeding perceptions of diversity, thinking, 'Infinite space,' enters & remains in the dimension of the infinitude of space. If, as he remains there, he is beset with attention to perceptions dealing with form, that is an affliction for him."
It is clear that the abandoning of the perceptions of form is not necessary until one intends to practice the formless attainments. So this statement that, 'The meaning is that that samadhi was not fully purified,' I would suggest is in reference to imperturbable samadhi as a synonym for the formless attainments, but not the fourth jhana. And even if someone wants to object to this, and assert that the imperturbable is always a direct synonym for the fourth jhana, it still is nowhere stated in the Suttanta that it is a direct synonym for the first three jhanas, and thus, the first three jhanas are not the subject of this vinaya statement at all.
Another passage which seems at first sight to support the commentarial definition of jhana is from the Anguttara Nikaya 10.72, which states:
"Noise is a thorn to the first jhana... Initial and sustained application of mind are a thorn to the second jhana.... Rapture is a thorn to the third jhana.... etc...."
I suspect that this is the very statement that initially gave rise to the commentarial assertion in the Kathavatthu that the meditator can't hear sounds while practicing jhana, and as such, is a case of the Abhidhamma commentarial academia taking one statement as being all-encompassing without taking into consideration all the Suttanta statements regarding jhana in their totality as listed above — most notably AN 9.36 and AN 5.28.
Commenting on this passage Ajahn Sujato says, 'The meaning of this statement [i.e. 'noise is a thorn to the first jhana'] can be understood in the light of the statements which follow: 'Initial and sustained application of mind are a thorn to the second jhana. Rapture is a thorn to the third jhana,' and so on. Initial and sustained application of mind are incompatible with the second jhana, cannot exist in it, and if they arise they signify that one has fallen away from second jhana. So too, sound — and by extension the other sense objects — are incompatible with the first jhana, cannot exist in it, and if they arise they signify that one has fallen away from first jhana.'
I would humbly suggest that Ajahn Sujato is here interpreting this statement based upon the commentarial notion (and possibly influenced by Ajahn Brahms definitions as well) that there is a rigid division between what constitutes the experience of each of the four jhanic states. I would submit that the paradigm of the four jhanic states is actually much more a case of four general stages of one increasingly refined state of concentration, and as such, the mental phenomena that the meditator is to abandon 'perception and attention' to at each of the four stages, are not necessarily always absolutely 100% ceased and absent from that particular stage of jhana, but of course one is to abandon all 'perception and attention' to any occurrences of these phenomena should they arise. In this regard what the Buddha says in AN 9.41: Tapussa Sutta is relevant:
"Then, quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful qualities, I entered & remained in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation.
"As I remained there, I was beset with attention to perceptions dealing with sensuality (kàmasahagatà saññàmanasikàrà). That was an affliction for me. Just as pain arises as an affliction for a healthy person, even so the attention to perceptions dealing with sensuality that beset me was an affliction for me."
There are a couple things that one needs to bear in mind here. First, 'perception' (sanna) is the apperceptive memory recognition and mental labeling of phenomena which is always intentional, that is, it is accompanied by volition (cetana) as well as attention (manasikàrà), and here it is volitional apperceptive attention accompanied by sensual desire (kàma) which is the cause of affliction for the meditator, and not sensory forms (as explained earlier). Second, and related to this, the defining characteristic of any of the four jhanas has more to do with where the meditator intentionally places their attention and perception, than it does with what is potentially available in the meditator's sensory periphery at that particular jhanic stage. Of course this in no way discounts the necessity for gradual stepwise progression from jhanic stage to jhanic stage, but it gives a much more clear cut definition as to what distinguishes each jhana, than does the jhanic model which defines the second through fourth jhanas as being not only free of sensory content, but free of any volitional intention as well. It is clear from the above citation (and the others stated earlier), that perception and attention — both of which are intentional in this context — are operative in each jhana. This volitional placement of attention is how one intentionally keeps sensual desire from arising in the first jhana, how one intentionally keeps perception and attention accompanied by thinking and examining from arising in the second jhana, etc..
So I would suggest that the sutta comment that 'noise is a thorn to the first jhana' is much more a case of pragmatic advise, borne out by experience, that not only should one not place attention and intentional apperception on sounds while practicing jhana, but also that one should seek out a quiet place for which to practice jhana, than it is of a defining statement as to what potentially exists unattended to within the sensory periphery of the yogi.
An Integrated Eightfold Path
So to wrap this long-winded post up, I would suggest that defining jhana according to the Abhidhammika commentarial definition results in: (A) the polarization of people into the pro jhana camp or the pro dry vipassana camp; (B) greatly reduces the number of suttas that can be used by all who cannot attain the “commentarial jhana,” (C) greatly reduces the practical effectiveness of the eightfold path for anyone who may practice the “choiceless awareness” of dry vipassana with no subtle volitional intention of calming and unifying the mind, on the one hand, or anyone who may be fixated on “commentarial jhana” which is not in any way liberational without accompanying discernment, on the other.
The result of separating jhana and vipassana into two unrelated practices actually fractures the noble eightfold path without any valid reason for doing so, and as such, is a misrepresentation of the homogeneous integrity of the eightfold path as presented in the Sutta Pitaka, where the two jhana factors of calm abiding (samatha) and clear seeing (vipassana) are mutually conditioning, each serving to strengthen the other when skillfully employed. The Buddha, through trial and error, realized for himself that the eightfold path must fully integrate ethical conduct (sila), meditation (samadhi which is jhana, and which unifies both samatha and vipassana), and discernment (panna) for it to be optimally efficacious. Without all three it just doesn't quite work.
What do you think?
Metta,
Geoff.
[above sutta translations by Thanissaro Bhikkhu except where otherwise noted; Patisambhidamagga translations by either Ven. Nanamoli or myself]
