Early Buddhist Meditation

by Keren Arbel

  I think that this statement should be understood as referring to the observation of the jhānic mind, and more specifically, to the observation of the quality of mind in the second jhāna.47 This conclusion is supported in two ways: (1) the designation samāhitaṃ is associated in the Nikāyas with the attainment of the jhānas48 and (2) the evident parallelism between the fulfilment of samādhi as a bojjhaṅga and the attainment of the second jhāna. Following this, I propose a fourfold argument: first, the description ‘imperturbable mind’, in this context, refers specifically to the quality of mind in the second jhāna. Second, the ‘bojjhaṅga process formula’ connects the arousal of upekkhā with the attainment of the third jhāna. Third, the entrance into the third jhāna is brought about by the practice of observing one of the satipaṭṭhānas, namely, the mind (citta). Fourth, although upekkhā is aroused as a bojjhaṅga in the third jhāna, it is only fulfilled as one in the fourth and final jhāna.

  To conclude, in this chapter I attempted to show an essential connection and interdependency between two unique Buddhist models: the fourfold jhāna model and the ‘bojjhaṅga process formula’. Given this analysis, I hope I have shown that it is possible to argue convincingly that the attainment of the jhānas is interlinked and interconnected with the development of the seven factors of awakening. That is, the development and fulfilment of the qualities of the seven bojjhaṅgas, as ‘factors of awakening’, are mutually connected with the attainment of the jhānas. It may be deduced, based on this premise, that the development of the bojjhaṅgas and the attainment of the jhānas are parallel models of spiritual ascension, different formulations of the same spiritual process.

  Notes

  1 Gethin 2001, 168.

  2 Gethin 2001, 170. On page 181, he also states that the bojjhaṅga list ‘links directly into arrange of ideas associated with the jhānas and is intended to characterize a particular variety of jhāna’.

  3 For a comprehensive treatment of the seven factors of awakening in the Nikāyas, see Gethin 2001, 146–83. I will parallel the formulaic description of the jhānas to the bojjhaṅga process formula, and not only the ‘introduction to the jhāna formula’ (e.g., DN I.73).

  4 Gethin 2001, 170–1, 181.

  5 This process is depicted in other suttas as well. Gethin has pointed out that ‘the process formula should be regarded as a significant and characteristic treatment of the bojjhaṅga is surely confirmed by the way the Vibhaṅga singles it out at the opening of the suttantabhājaniya for the bojjhaṅgas’ (Vibh 227) (Gethin 2001, 169).

  6 By a ‘bare’ list, I mean a list of the bojjhaṅgas without any explanation to their development or an elaboration as to their relation with each other. See, for example, MN II.12.

  7 SN V.72: “While one is developing these seven factors of awakening, one’s mind is liberated from the āsava of attachment for sensual pleasures, from the āsava of becoming, from the āsava of ignorance… They lead to awakening, bhikkhu, therefore they are called factors of awakening (tassime sattabojjhaṅge bhāvayato kāmāsavāpi cittaṃ vimuccati.” Bhavāsavāpi cittaṃ vimuccati. Avijjāsavāpi cittaṃ vimuccati… bodhāya saṃvattantīti kho bhikkhu, tasmā bojjhaṅgāti vuccantīti). See also SN V.81–2; 87–8; 97–8.

  8 E.g., AN V.212.

  9 We should bear in mind that according to the Ānāpānasati Sutta, ‘when mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated… it fulfils the four satipaṭṭhānas’ (MN III.82).

  10 The same is repeated with regard to observing the other three satipaṭṭhānas. Therefore, it seems that one can choose any of the four satipaṭṭhānas as a vehicle for the establishment of mindfulness. However, it should be noted that the ‘bojjhaṅga process formula’ also indicates that for arousing upekkhā as an awakening factor, one has to observe the mind. This will be discussed later on in this chapter.

  11 SN V.331: kathaṃ bhāvitā ca ānanda, cattāro satipaṭṭhānā kathaṃ bahulīkatā sattasambojjhaṅge paripūrenti. Yasmiṃ samaye ānanda, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati upaṭṭhitā tassa tasmiṃ samaye sati hoti asammuṭṭhā. Yasmiṃ samaye ānanda, bhikkhuno upaṭṭhitā sati hoti asammuṭṭhā, satisambojjhaṅgo tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhuno āraddho hoti. Satisambojjhaṅgaṃ tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhu bhāveti. Satisambojjhaṅgo tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhuno bhāvanāpāripūriṃ gacchati.

  12 This recognition is part of the practice given in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (MN I.61–2).

  13 Note, however, that this is only a preliminary meaning of the term sati. When it is further developed, it can be described as ‘mindfulness’ and even ‘present awareness’.

  14 See the discussion on this path structure in the chapter on the first jhāna.

  15 E.g., MN I.181. See also MN III.3. In other descriptions of the jhānas, the Buddha makes a declaration about mindfulness before he enters the first jhāna that ‘mindfulness was established and not lost’ (upaṭṭhitā sati asamuṭṭhā); e.g., MN I.21, 117.

  16 The proximate cause for entering into the first jhāna is the abandonment the five hindrances; for abandoning the hindrances, one has to develop mindfulness through observing phenomena and their characteristics.

  17 Note our previous discussion on sammā-sati as the foundation of sammā-samādhi, which means that sati is a preliminary quality to the attainment of the jhānas.

  18 See, for example, SN V.150–1, which states that if the bhikkhu’s mind does not become samādhiyati, his corruptions (upakkilesa) are not abandoned and he does not realize the characteristic of that (i.e., the characteristic of body, feeling, mind and dhammas). Through the observation of the four satipaṭṭhānas, ‘that foolish, unaccomplished, unskillful bhikkhu does not gain pleasant abiding in this very life, nor does he gain the awakening factor of mindfulness’ (sa kho so bhikkhave, bālo avyatto akusalo bhikkhu naceva lābhī hoti diṭṭhadhammasukhavihārānaṃ, na lābhī satisambojjhaṅgassa). Note that the VRI edition reads satisampajañña instead of satisambojjhaṅga. However, both seem to suggest that through the development of the four satipaṭṭhānas one attains samādhi and then, it would seem, attains the third jhāna.

  19 Note Gethin’s observation that it is not clear to what ‘that dhamma’ is referring. In his notes he mentions that Vibh-a 312 refers taṃ dhammaṃ back to the initial satisambojjhaṅga (Gethin 2001, 147).

  20 SN V.331: yasmiṃ samaye ānanda, bhikkhu tathā sato viharanto taṃ dhammaṃ paññāya pavicināti. Pavicarati parivīmaṃsamāpajjati… dhammavicayasambojjhaṅgaṃ tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhu bhāveti.

  21 See Gethin’s observation about the translation of vicaya as ‘discrimination’ rather than ‘investigation’ (Gethin 2001, 152).

  22 MMW.

  23 ‘Indeed friends, when that bhikkhu is developing and cultivating the four establishments of mindfulness, it is impossible that he will give up the training and return to the lower life. For what reason? Because for a long time his mind has slanted, sloped, and inclined towards viveka’ (SN V.301).

  24 See also SN V.104, which states that the nutriment for the arising of dhammavicaya is the discrimination between the wholesome and unwholesome and so forth.

  25 I think that the quality of dhamma-vicaya and viveka connote the process of discerning what is present and absent from the mind. In the context of the first jhāna, one discerns that the unwholesome (akusala) has been abandoned (i.e., the five hindrances), while certain wholesome (kusala) qualities are present. This type of discernment is discursive in nature.

  26 E.g., MN III.136 and SN V.96.

  27 SN V.97: pañcime bhikkhave, nīvaraṇā andhakaraṇā acakkhukaraṇā aññāṇakaraṇā paññānirodhiyā vighātapakkhiyā anibbānasaṃvattanikā. See also MN I.323.

  28 I believe that the reference here to dhamma in the singular is to the investigation of each of the four satipaṭṭhāna separately.

  29 See also SN V.121–4, which describes the hindrances as those qualities that obstruct one from knowing and seeing as it really is one’s own good,
or the good of others, or the good of both.

  30 SN V.105–6.

  31 SN V.104: atthi bhikkhave, ārambhadhātu nikkhamadhātu parakkamadhātu. Tattha yonisomanasikārabahulīkāro, ayamāhāro anuppannassa vā viriyasambojjhaṅgassa uppādāya uppannassa vā viriyasambojjhaṅgassa bhāvanāpāripūriyā.

  32 SN V.332: Yasmiṃ samaye ānanda, bhikkhuno āraddhaviriyassa uppajjati pīti nirāmisā, pītisambojjhaṅgo tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhuno āraddho hoti. Pītisambojjhaṅgaṃ tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhu bhāveti.

  33 SN IV.236.

  34 SN V.332: yasmiṃ samaye ānanda, bhikkhuno pītimanassa kāyopi passambhati, cittampi passambhati, passaddhisambojjhaṅgo tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhuno āraddho hoti.

  35 It is interesting to note in this regard SN IV.59 (and the identical sutta from Ud 81) where the Buddha describes the attainment of nibbāna as a process: ‘When there is no wavering, there is tranquillity (passaddhi); when there is tranquillity, there is no inclination (nati); where there is no inclination, there is no coming and going; where there is no coming and going, there is no passing away and being reborn; there is neither here nor beyond nor in between the two. This itself is the end of suffering.’ Tranquillity is a mental state that arises when one sees reality clearly. That is, when the mind does not waver and nothing obstructs clear seeing (e.g., SN V.123). Furthermore, this tranquillity is the cause and condition for the cessation of the inclinations (nati). According to SN II.67, the inclinations are the cause for the ‘whole mass of suffering’.

  36 Note that in AN I.43 the Buddha states that mindfulness of body results in tranquillity of both body and mind (kāyopi passambhati, cittampi passambhati), and to the quieting of vitakka and vicāra. Although MN I.301 states that vedanā and saññā are cittasaṅkhāra, this statement, to the best of my knowledge, appears only in this sutta. I would argue that it is a bit odd and should be taken cautiously; instead, I would suggest that it is more reasonable that ‘tranquillity of mind’ (cittampi passambhati) refers to the quieting of vitakka and vicāra rather than to tranquillity of vedanā and saññā. What is more, it seems reasonable to suggest that the description from the bojjhaṅga process formula parallels the instructions on developing mindfulness of breathing (ānāpāna-sati). In this practice, it seems that tranquilization (passambhayaṃ) of body and mind corresponds to the practice (sikkhati) of breathing in and out while tranquilizing body and mental formation (kāya saṅkhāra and citta-saṅkhāra). For mindfulness of breathing, See, for example, MN III.82–3; MN I.425; SN V.311–2.

  37 A similar description of a successive development of wholesome qualities is depicted in a slightly different way in other suttas. It occurs in relation to the entrance into the first jhāna (e.g., DN I.73) and in connection with the ‘spheres of liberation’. These spheres of liberation refers to the understanding of the spirit and letter of the Dhamma: ‘Bhikkhus, there are these five spheres of liberation where the un-liberated mind of a monk dwelling attentive, ardent and resolute finds liberation, or where the āsavas that are not yet wholly destroyed become wholly destroyed, where the unsurpassed and unattained security from bondage is attained… gladness (pāmojjaṃ) arises; on account of this gladness, [mental] happiness (pīti) arises; on account of pīti, the body becomes tranquil (passaddha-kāya); on account of a tranquil body, the practitioner experiences [spiritual bodily] pleasure (sukha); on account of sukha, the mind attains samādhi’ (AN III.21, DN III.241–4 and DN III.288).

  38 SN V.332: yasmiṃ samaye ānanda, bhikkhuno passaddhakāyassa sukhino cittaṃ samādhiyati, samādhisambojjhaṅgo tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhuno āraddho hoti. Samādhisambojjhaṅgaṃ tasmiṃ samayo bhikkhu bhāveti.

  39 Note that Buddhaghosa considers that when bodily and mental tranquillity matures, it perfects ‘threefold concentration, that is, momentary concentration, access concentration and absorption concentration’ (Vism IV.99). This means that for perfecting the samādhi bojjhaṅga one does not need to attain the jhānas, as momentary concentration or access concentration are enough.

  40 Note that the ‘awakening factor of tranquillity’ refers to both mental and physical tranquillity.

  41 In other contexts, sukha might refer to nibbāna (MN I.508). However, in the context of the jhānas (and the ‘bojjhaṅga process formula’), it is clear that sukha is a type of vedanā.

  42 The description of the third jhāna explicitly states that one experiences ‘pleasure with the body’ (sukhañca kāyena paṭisaṃvedeti) (e.g., MN I.174).

  43 My suggestion here is different from the Dhammasaṅgaṇi’s classification, which considers kāya-passaddhi as tranquillity of vedanā, saññā and saṅkhāra. See Gethin 2001, 155.

  44 I avoided translating the terms ajjhupekkhitā as ‘one who closely looks on with equanimity’, because it is more of a figurative translation. The root meaning of ikkhati means to ‘look’ or ‘observe’. The compound ajjhupekkhitar is composed from adhi+upa+ikkh. Adhi is a prefix of direction and it can mean ‘here’, while the prefix upa denotes nearness or close touch. Thus, I have translated ajjhupekkhitar as ‘one who observes closely’.

  45 SN V.332: samādhisambojjhaṅgo tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhuno bhāvanāpāripūriṃ gacchati. So tathā samāhitaṃ cittaṃ sādhukaṃ ajjhupekkhitā hoti. yasmiṃ samaye ānanda, bhikkhu tathā samāhitaṃ cittaṃ sādhukaṃ ajjhupekkhitā hoti, upekhāsambojjhaṅgo tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhuno āraddho hoti. Upekhāsambojjhaṅgaṃ tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhu bhāveti. Upekhāsambojjhaṅgo tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhuno bhāvanāpāripūriṃ gacchati.

  46 Note, however, that both upekkhā and sati seem to be aroused as awakening factors in the third jhāna; it is only in the fourth jhāna that they are fulfilled and perfected (pāripūri) as ones.

  47 See the discussion on SN V.144 in the previous chapter.

  48 E.g., MN I.21; AN II.14–15; AN IV.176;

  5

  The Third Jhāna

  Establishing a specialized form of awareness

  With the fading away of joy, a bhikkhu abides in equanimity, mindful and fully knowing. [Still] experiencing pleasure with the body, he enters upon and abides in the third jhāna, on account of which the noble ones announce: ‘abiding in pleasure, one is equanimous and mindful’.1

  The previous chapters that analyzed the first and second jhānas have also argued for their liberative value in the path to awakening. This was made possible by analyzing diverse passages on the nature of these two jhāna attainments (and their specific factors). Unfortunately, the Nikāyas contain only a few explicit references to the liberative value of the third jhāna. However, we do have some interesting references that can shed light on the nature of this attainment and through which we can extract some illuminating conclusions on its liberative value. In this chapter I will explore further the preliminary inquiry and tentative arguments I put forth in the previous chapter concerning the final account from the ‘bojjhaṅga process formula’. This will assist in understanding the nature of this attainment as the intensification of insight engendered by observing the jhānic mind. A close analysis of the final account from the bojjhaṅga process formula will also clarify the way one progresses from the second to the third jhāna; analysis of this progression reinforces my argument that the jhānas are the fruit of insight.

  The first part of this chapter will attempt to show that the third jhāna marks the moment in the Buddhist path when the last factor of awakening is aroused (although not yet fully fulfilled), namely, the awakening factor of equanimity (upekkhā-sambojjhaṅga). I will suggest that it is aroused as a bojjhaṅga together with the establishment of mindfulness as a ‘factor of awakening’. I will argue that the final account from the bojjhaṅga process formula indicates that progression from the second jhāna to the third is brought about by the actualization of insight. As I have already argued and continue to do so in this chapter, the progression from one jhāna to the next is the way by which one develops and fulfils gradually the seven bojjhaṅgas as ‘awakening factors’. I propose to look at this
spiritual ascension as a process of ‘resetting’ the mind to wholesomeness; a process in which the mind is purified from mental states that obstruct clear seeing until the mind is free from reinforcing the latent tendencies (anusaya), from affective reactions rooted in desire and aversion, and from wrong perception of experience. This process actualizes the full manifestation of the awakening factors, enabling them to be fully obvious. In the second part of this chapter, I will offer a theory regarding the nature and liberative value of the third jhāna, by considering various textual materials that seem to delineate this jhānic attainment.

  Before proceeding to demonstrate the essential connection between the arousal of upekkhā as a factor of awakening and the attainment of the third jhāna, I would like to reflect for a moment on the relation between the second and third jhānas and what it can expose about the misconceived idea, in my view, that the Nikāyas present two meditative procedures, that is, samatha meditation (as the jhānas) and vipassanā meditation (as the observation of the four satipaṭṭhānas). It is important to notice that the jhānas themselves contain qualities that are traditionally associated with both types of meditation. The second jhāna is characterized by qualities associated traditionally with samatha meditation (samādhi and ekodibhāvaṃ), while the third and fourth jhānas are characterized by qualities associated with vipassanā meditation (sati, sampajāna and upekkhā). The Nikāyas’ path-structure becomes more intricate and interesting, when these observations about the second and third jhānas are coupled with the analysis from the previous chapter. Analysis in previous chapters clearly showed, first, that the development of sammā-sati (as the fruit of observing the four satipaṭṭhānas) functions as a foundation and condition for the establishment of sammā-samādhi (i.e., the attainment of the four jhānas); second, that the establishment of mindfulness proper is linked with the attainment of the jhānas.2 I believe it becomes gradually evident that the jhānas are integral to the Nikāyas’ vision of liberation, and that the structure of the path is more complex than the common hierarchal-polarized model of the path in which the development of the jhānas is preliminary, at best, to the practice of vipassanā. The following discussion will attempt to show further that these path elements – satipaṭṭhāna and the jhānas – are woven together in a complex structure of successive interdependent development, development through which the mind is in inclined towards the attainment of nibbāna.