Pulsar wrote: ↑Wed Jan 26, 2022 7:07 pm
Arahants have crossed over the great expanse of sensuality, of existence, of views, and the flood of ignorance,
is no more at the near shore, which is dangerous and fearful.
- Arahants have reached the far shore, attained nibbana
according to this sutta.
They have left behind the raft of the 8-fold path. They do not carry the Raft on their shoulder.
Samma samadhi is part of that Raft.
Why did Buddha have to practice Samma Samadhi, right before passing away? Was he not already beyond the sensory world?
Can you pl. explain?
With love
I'll try my last time to convince you.
To reach Nibbana, you need a tool. You need mind to
experience/perceive Nibbana. Therefore, Nibbana is not without mind or without body. Most people misunderstood about Nibbana. Whether it is 1st jhana or the rest. Arahant has at least 1st jhana on their day to day activity. When they talk, they will be at least at 1st jhana. When they don't talk, it is at least 2nd jhana (if there is no vitakka vicara, they maintain noble silence). But their mind remain in the jhana, they can move their mind around jhana easily by relaxing further (i.e. not moving, just focus on the mind movement up to cessation).
You can see Sariputta and Buddha explain about Nibbana on AN 11.7:
“Could it be, reverend Sāriputta, that a mendicant might gain a state of immersion like this? They wouldn’t perceive earth in earth … And they wouldn’t perceive what is seen, heard, thought, known, attained, sought, or explored by the mind. And yet they would still perceive.”
“It could be, Reverend Ānanda.”
“But how could this be?”
“Ānanda, it’s when a mendicant perceives:
‘This is peaceful; this is sublime—that is, the stilling of all activities, the letting go of all attachments, the ending of craving, fading away, cessation, extinguishment (Nibbana).’
That’s how a mendicant might gain a state of immersion like this. They wouldn’t perceive earth in earth … And they wouldn’t perceive what is seen, heard, thought, known, attained, sought, or explored by the mind. And yet they would still perceive.”
Also for Buddha or Arahant even if they remain in jhana, they don't really identify which jhana etc. They just let the mind still/free/relax. Why? because they have remove conceit, ego, etc to become selfless. See SN 35.69 or SN 28.1
SN 35.69:
So why would there be an impairment in my body or deterioration of my faculties?”
“That must be because Venerable Upasena has long ago totally eradicated ego, possessiveness, and the underlying tendency to conceit.
SN 28.1: (I know you mentioned this Sutta is not original in other posting)
But it didn’t occur to me:
‘I am entering the first jhana’ or ‘I have entered the first jhana’ or ‘I am emerging from the first jhana’.”
“That must be because Venerable Sāriputta has long ago totally eradicated ego, possessiveness, and the underlying tendency to conceit.
You said:
Why did Buddha have to practice Samma Samadhi, right before passing away?
This is not practice, it is just to clear the mind. Only at 4th Jhana the mind is perfectly clear with no feeling of Dukkha and no feeling of Sukha.
When one gets old, it is much more difficult to get to higher jhana. Buddha and the rest of nobles preach to liberate people, they don't just sit and not moving during the day. Although from time to time, they prefer seclusion to rest the mind on higher jhana.
During the final day, if you read the Mahaparinibbana sutta, Buddha and others travel long distance. When one have lot of activities, the body get work out. This means your mind will need to work harder to maintain the peaceful. Hence, It is very difficult for the mind to maintain 4th jhana. The mind will fall back to 3rd jhana or other lower jhana.
Anyway, there will be controversy if I stated this. But this is how I understand.
Each beings has to develop their own path. Your path may be slightly different than mine or others. You might need to develop up to 4th jhana or maybe up to cessation of perception and feeling. Who knows, but only you know about your mind. Especially now, there is no Buddha around to read your mind.
But
The door is still the same, that is Right View. When one has entered and experienced the path, they should say the same way as how Buddha and other noble devotees describe in the Sutta (4 Nikayas some other minor collection). Any deviation, one will know that they might have gone to the wrong path or they haven't know/understand the path yet. Knowledge needs time to mature.