Ānāpānasati in the Visuddhimagga

Exploring the Dhamma, as understood from the perspective of the ancient Pali commentaries.
Post Reply
User avatar
Ceisiwr
Posts: 22383
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2009 2:36 am
Location: Wales

Ānāpānasati in the Visuddhimagga

Post by Ceisiwr »

In Ven. Buddhaghosa's Visuddhimagga he outlines the practice of the 3rd tetrad as follows:
231. (ix) In the third tetrad the experiencing of the [manner of] consciousness must be understood to be through four jhánas.

(x) Gladdening the [manner of] consciousness: he trains thus: “Making the mind glad, instilling gladness into it, cheering it, rejoicing it, I shall breathe in, shall breathe out.” Herein, there is gladdening in two ways, through concentration and through insight. How through concentration? He attains the two jhánas in which happiness is present. At the time when he has actually entered upon them he inspires the mind with gladness, instils gladness into it, by means of the happiness associated with the jhána. How through insight? After entering upon and emerging from one of the two jhánas accompanied by happiness, he comprehends with insight that happiness associated with the jhána as liable to destruction and to fall; thus at the actual time of insight he inspires the mind with gladness, instils gladness into it, by making the happiness associated with the jhána the object. It is of one progressing in this way that the words, “He trains thus: ‘I shall breathe in … shall breathe out gladdening the [manner of] consciousness,’” are said.

232. (xi) Concentrating (samádahaí) the [manner of] consciousness: evenly (samaí) placing (ádahanto) the mind, evenly putting it on its object by means of the first jhána and so on. Or alternatively, when, having entered upon those jhánas and emerged from them, he comprehends with insight the consciousness associated with the jhána as liable to destruction and to fall, then at the actual time of insight momentary unification of the mind64 arises through the penetration of the characteristics [of impermanence, and so on]. Thus the words, “He trains thus: ‘I shall breathe in … shall breathe out concentrating the [manner of] consciousness,’” are said also of one who evenly places the mind, evenly puts it on its object by means of the momentary unification of the mind arisen thus.

233. (xii) Liberating the [manner of] consciousness: he both breathes in and breathes out delivering, liberating, the mind from the hindrances by means of the first jhána, from applied and sustained thought by means of the second, from happiness by means of the third, from pleasure and pain by means of the fourth. Or alternatively, when, having entered upon those jhánas and emerged from them, he comprehends with insight the consciousness associated with the jhána as liable to destruction and to fall, then at the actual time of insight he delivers, liberates, the mind from the perception of permanence by means of the contemplation of impermanence, from the perception of pleasure by means of the contemplation of pain, from the perception of self by means of the contemplation of not self, from delight by means of the contemplation of dispassion, from greed by means of the contemplation of fading away, from arousing by means of the contemplation of cessation, from grasping by means of the contemplation of relinquishment. Hence it is said: [290] “He trains thus: ‘I shall breathe in … shall breathe out liberating the [manner of] consciousness.65 ’” So this tetrad should be understood to deal with contemplation of mind.
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/aut ... on2011.pdf

I've always struggled to see the point of this practice within this scheme? For example, the Visuddhimagga has the attainment of all 4 Jhāna at the end of the 1st tetrad. This is followed by generating piti and sukha in the next and gaining insight based off that, so why then does the meditator then go back to concentrating the mind and liberating the mind from hindrances when they have already achieved all of that prior? It seems a bit redundant to me at the moment, so I was hoping if there was any further explanation as to what the point of the 3rd tetrad is here?
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
Post Reply