Elsewhere a friend asked
"Is it true that Buddha can walk while in jhana'?"
that discussion was about
"Kinds of meditation Buddha engages in?" I wrote something there, in passing.
But my answer was too brief, therefore unclear.
Now I have time. This thread is on Jhana, and folks who read this thread are better informed of the subject, in a buddhist way, un-influenced by other traditions.
Jhana is not something that Buddha, and the jain Mahavira commonly practised.
Their meditations were not similar at all.
According to the pali canon,
the Jains did not practice Buddhist jhana, even though some modern Theravadins insist so.
In the past when I made a mistake on DW, even if it is something as silly as a typo,
someone would pounce on my comment "that my spelling is ike this, because i am from such and such a country"
Does it matter where I am from? I am a scientist, so my English may not be perfect, like that of an English lit. major.
English majors get English right, but Dhamma wrong. I try my best to get Dhamma right.
People get hung up on spelling like
anatta/anattha, without trying to get rid of conceit.
- The conceit that "I am" this is our biggest nemesis
Pali confuses me. I am going to stick with bad english, bad spelling and good Dhamma.
My only interest is in buddhist jhana as practised by Buddha and his close disciples 2600 years ago.
Samma-Sati derived from the 8-fold path, is important to the understanding of Jhana, but not as described in DN 22, and MN 10.
It is admitted that those are late fabrications. Some have even called those frauds. If there are Arupa samapattis that do not matter to the 8-fold path, that would not concern me.
It would not be conducive to the end of suffering. With that, out of the way, let me try to explain how Buddha may have meditated?
Sutta Pitaka says in several instances not to speculate about the Arahant, and I can understand why.
4 jhanas are presented in the suttas, as the way Buddha reached enlightenment.
But once enlightened, why does he have to bother with those at all?
He is in a permanent jhanic mode, no matter what else he does.
The way the 4 buddhist jhanas are described for the novice, would no more apply to the Buddha.
- To understand this one has to have a clear grasp of buddhist jhana, in relation to dependent origination, but many don't.
So when folks comment on stuff like this, pl. be Aware!
Why is there any need for Buddha to go back to square one ie jhana 1 or 2 or even 3?
Even though some suttas write,
Buddha went on alms round, returned, sat down, entered 2nd jhana and so forth, do you believe that?
Do you think all sutta compilers understood jhana as in the 8-fold path?
If they did we would not have any suttas that promote Arupa samapatti, because Buddha frowned upon those.
If so, why would you believe everything sutta compilers wrote is true?
Some suttas are wrong, even according to Vinasp, who posted on DW. i like him.
He offended some by saying that, but why would we be offended by truth.
Do you believe that Buddha went on alms round, came back, sat down and entered 2nd jhana?
I find such statements in the sutta pitaka, to be meaningless.
What makes more sense to me is "The Descent into the Void" as in MN 121, because in that sutta Buddha says to Ananda ..
"this is how I spend my time when I am not interacting with others"
or something similar.
To me it seems there is absolutely no need for Buddha to try to get to 1st to 3rd Jhana.
Perhaps this is exactly what the sutta in question AN 3.63 is saying,
- the sutta that got it right.
an excerpt condensed..
Dwelling in Brahma Vihara ...walking back and forth, sitting, standing lying down....Buddha dwells in jhana....This is Buddha's high and luxurious bed, a simile is used.
So when a friend writes
Jhana is the complete calming of thought & breathing???
is that not very misleading?
If we could ask Vinasp, he would reply "AN 3.63 is about right" regarding this matter.
Buddha can descend into the Void at a moment's notice, writes MN 121, (this would be his meditation).
Void means nothing else but nibbanic peace.
Buddha always dwelled in Nibbanic peace, when away from the maddning crowd.
With love