kitztack wrote:
And what is it, friends, is the method of becoming high that when developed and made much of results in knowing and seeing?[6]
Here, friends a beggar focuses his mind on the perception of light. Fixing on the perception of day, as by day, so by night, as by night so by day. Thus he unblindfolds the heart and reveals a mind of surpassing brilliance.
This, friends, is that method of becoming high that when developed and made much of results in knowing and seeing.
DN33
http://obo.genaud.net/dhamma-vinaya/bd/ ... lds.bd.htm
Are their alternative translations of the Sangiti Sutta available?
is the perception off light mentioned here the light of a purified and concentrated mind?
is this passage referring to 'knowing with the heart' and 'seeing with the mind?
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This is the first time I've ever seen "samādhibhāvanā" translated as a "becoming high" rather than something more conventional like "development of concentration" though it's arguably correct from a very literal perspective. Similarly, while the choice is not entirely unfounded, the choice of translating "bhikkhu" as "beggar" is rather unconventional as well. It's also rather atypical though not entirely unfounded that the first through fourth Jhanas are translated as the "First Burning" through the "Fourth Burning". That same source has a link to an
Alternate translation that appears to use more conventional terms for translation. Also, consulting sutta central shows the original Pāḷi which does not appear to reference the organ of heart. This is one of the confusing things about translations of "citta" not having a clear equivalent word in english. Notably the word "hadaya" (physical heart) does not occur in the Pāḷi. The word "citta" is sometimes translated as "heart" and sometimes translated as "mind" depending on the translator. It can be helpful to try to understand what the translator is doing in such cases, as the word "hadaya" might be translated as heart and the word "mana" might be translated as mind in other cases.
DN 33: Saṅgīti Sutta wrote:
Katamā cāvuso, samādhibhāvanā bhāvitā bahulīkatā ñāṇadassanapaṭilābhāya saṃvattati? Idhāvuso, bhikkhu ālokasaññaṃ manasi karoti, divāsaññaṃ adhiṭṭhāti yathā divā tathā rattiṃ, yathā rattiṃ tathā divā. Iti vivaṭena cetasā apariyonaddhena sappabhāsaṃ cittaṃ bhāveti. Ayaṃ, āvuso, samādhibhāvanā bhāvitā bahulīkatā ñāṇadassanapaṭilābhāya saṃvattati.
Four developments of concentration,[5] to wit, that which when practised and expanded, conduces to (1) pleasure in this life; (2) acquisition of intuition and insight; (3) mindfulness and well-awareness; (4) destruction of 'spiritual intoxicants.
Which are these severally? (1) is the Fourfold Jhāna. (2) is when a brother attends to the sensation of light, sustains the perception of daylight, and attends to light no less in the nighttime, and thus, withopen and unmuffled consciousness, creates a radiant luminous mind. (3) is the understanding of each feeling, or perception or thought, as they severally arise, remain present and vanish. (4) is the keeping watchover the five aggregates of grasping, as they rise and cease:--'This is material ... this is the appearance of somethng material ... this is the vanishing, and so on.'