Jhāna and Systems of Thought

[Ceisiwr]

I sometimes come across the view that in order to enter any of the Jhānas you first have to have the correct theoretical understanding of them and the Dhamma in general in terms of a certain system of thought. For example someone can only enter Jhāna if they first understanding things in terms of an Abhidharma (Theravāda, Yogācāra etc), Phenomenology, Madhyamaka or even Vedanta. I think this is a mistake. In the suttas we are told that the Jhānas aren't unique to Buddhadhamma. That other ascetics at the time could attain them. Are we to believe that these ascetics were Ābhidhammikas, Phenomenologists, Yogācārins or Madhyamikas? It doesn't seem likely and whilst some likely were following in the Upanishadic tradition, its very likely many others were not. Some perhaps weren't following any tradition or system of thought at all (The Buddha didn't himself). How then are we to understand the Jhānas? I would suggest it's by looking at them from a more lose and less technical perspective, keeping in mind the colloquial language that the Buddha was found of using. Whilst I think it is also likely the parsing of samādhi into 4 distinct Jhānas was an innovation of the Buddha, other ascetics might distinguish them differently, or just have a notion of "samādhi" in various shades, they are still set out in a way that other ascetics and fellow Buddhists would understand. That is to say, they are not highly technical terms set within a highly technical system. What can we learn then from this approach. If we were to sit down with the Buddha and be instructed, what would we likely here? Well, we know that the Jhānas were considered to be rather joyous and full of pleasure and we know that other ascetics took them for being nibbāna (the Buddha even says they are a sort of mini nibbāna). We also know that nibbāna was thought of as a being a state where one was content and was not negatively affected by things. Trying to keep in mind the more general language, i would read the Jhānas in the following way

Paṭhamajjhāna

"Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati."


I would read "eva" here as "just" and so we have "just secluded from". Kāmehi I would understand to mean both sensual desire for things (pleasing sights, physical sensations etc) and the objects themselves. I think this ties in well with the "bodily and mental" seclusion that we see in the suttas, and the need for there to be an appropriate setting to meditate (forest, empty hut etc). One physical removes oneself from a distracting environment, and mentally secludes oneself from the desire for experiences. The akusalehi dhammehi I would read as the other hindrances of ill-will etc. The rapture and pleasure I would read as being somanassa and sukha, mental and bodily pleasant feeling. I would do so because whilst rapture is an emotion, in an everyday understanding such an emotion is a pleasant mental experience. Sukha I would read a physical ease, because the ease (my preferred choice of translation for sukha) comes after tranquillity of both mind and body. A quick digression on tranquillity. Tradition has it that tranquillity here is tranquillity of the mental aggregates. They do that, because they see the awakening factors as only applying to the path moment. The idea of a path moment though is a later technical idea. It's not something a Brahmin or Jain, who can also enter Jhāna, would recognise. That said in the commentaries it does mention that some Theras argued that the awakening factors also apply to "mundane" Jhāna, although I can't remember if that means tranquillity is then viewed differently. With all that said, even with bodily tranquillity and tranquillity of the heart-mind (citta) there still would be tranquillity of the mental aggregates too. Now, we are left with vitakka-vicāra. From reading the suttas its clear that vitakka-vicāra means something like "initial thought and contemplation". The suttas however also use V&V as a synonym for saṅkappa, even in the context of the Jhānas. Saṅkappa also means "thought" but has more to do with "planning" or "resolve". In the Upanishads it is said that if a Brahmin performs a sacrifice without saṅkappa then it is meaningless, but with saṅkappa it is valid. Whilst we can't directly interpret Pāli words based on Sanskrit, I think think we can here see a common usage of the word between the two languages. The colloquial use of V&V then seems to have been something like intentional thoughts, or resolves or determinations. Interestingly, there is a sutta (AN 3.101) which supports the view that in the 1st Jhāna V&V/saṅkappa means something like "intentions"

"Tasmiṁ pahīne tasmiṁ byantīkate athāparaṁ dhammavitakkāvasissanti. So hoti samādhi na ceva santo na ca paṇīto nappaṭippassaddhaladdho na ekodibhāvādhigato sasaṅkhāraniggayhavāritagato

When they’ve been given up and eliminated, only thoughts about the teaching are left. That immersion is not peaceful or sublime or tranquil or unified, but is sasaṅkhāraniggayhavāritagato"

Sasaṅkhāraniggayhavāritagato is an interesting word. It's made up of sa + saṅkhāra + niggayha + vārita + gata. Saṅkhāra of course is notoriously hard to translate, but here I think it takes on the meaning of "intention" like it does in the 2nd link of dependent origination. This then would give us a translation of

"When they’ve been given up and eliminated, only thoughts about the teaching are left. That immersion is not peaceful or sublime or tranquil or unified but is held in place and restrained by intention"

or

"When they’ve been given up and eliminated, only thoughts about the teaching are left. That immersion is not peaceful or sublime or tranquil or unified but is intentionally managed and controlled"

Now we know that in order to enter the 1st Jhāna we need to replace thoughts of sensual desire, ill-will and cruelty (or annoyance) with thoughts of renunciation, good-will and harmlessness (or non-annoyance, acceptance). If we accept then that V&V are intentional thoughts, or resolves or, we might say even, sincere thoughts and we accept that AN 3.101 is referring to the 1st Jhāna here then it looks like the Buddha is saying that whilst in the 1st Jhāna one is still actively repelling the hindrances. When a thought of sensual desire, or desirous objects (past or future) comes up, one renounces it. When pain comes up, one accepts it with loving-kindness and acceptance. One has contentment (muditā) to overcome any boredom, and so on. This then is likely why it is only in the 2nd Jhāna that we see "ekodibhāva". In the 2nd Jhāna one no longer has to intentionally repel the hindrances anymore, and so the mind is more content and peaceful. Some final words on ekodibhāva and samādhi. Samādhi can be translated as "to gather together", and we see in the verb form "Samādahati" which means "puts together". It can also mean "kindling a fire", where the fuel etc are brought together. Ekodi is slightly more obscure, but it seems to mean "weave into one" based on Sanskrit sources. The general sense I get here is that samādhi means something like "collected" and so ekodibhāva means "become collected, composed". This would tie into the general thrust of the Buddha's teaching on Jhāna. Jhāna can only be entered when virtue and sense-restraint have been developed. This is where we stop reacting negatively to sense experience, or chasing after sense experience. At this level of practice the mind is already starting to become calm, composed and settled by not being pulled this way or that by sense experience. When we sit down to formally meditate then, say on the breath or elements etc, the remaining hindrances are dispelled through continually dispelling them (whilst meditating) with the wholesome intentional thoughts of good will, renunciation etc. The success of the effort leads to rapture, as we become delighted in seeing the success (or we could say, we recollect our virtue) and in the peace and freedom that comes from not being pulled this way or that by the hindrances. This leads to pleasure of the mind, tranquillity of the mind and body and so ease (sukha). With these wholesome dhammas, and by being away from the disturbance of the hindrances, the mind becomes exceedingly calm, still, tranquil, content and collected or composed in itself. The 1st Jhāna then is to be perfectly content with the present moment, just breathing in and breathing out mindfully aware and alert with a bright mind, neither wanting nor averting.

I should add that I don't think every Ābhidhammika, or Yogācārin or Phenomenological Buddhist thinks in the manner that I touched upon in my opening paragraph. I would also like to say that on nimittas, it's still possible that they will occur. They are widely attested to across a range of different schools, not all of them teaching "absorption". What I wanted to outline here was what I think is the basic outline of how Jhāna was originally understood.

[auto]

Now we know that in order to enter the 1st Jhāna we need to replace thoughts of sensual desire, ill-will and cruelty (or annoyance) with thoughts of renunciation, good-will and harmlessness (or non-annoyance, acceptance). If we accept then that V&V are intentional thoughts, or resolves or, we might say even, sincere thoughts and we accept that AN 3.101 is referring to the 1st Jhāna here then it looks like the Buddha is saying that whilst in the 1st Jhāna one is still actively repelling the hindrances. When a thought of sensual desire, or desirous objects (past or future) comes up, one renounces it. When pain comes up, one accepts it with loving-kindness and acceptance. One has contentment (muditā) to overcome any boredom, and so on.

It is about fulfilling supplementary regulations,

In the same way, a mendicant who is committed to the higher mind has coarse corruptions: bad bodily, verbal, and mental conduct. A sincere, capable mendicant gives these up, gets rid of, eliminates, and obliterates them.
Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, santi adhicittamanuyuttassa bhikkhuno oḷārikā upakkilesā kāyaduccaritaṁ vacīduccaritaṁ manoduccaritaṁ, tamenaṁ sacetaso bhikkhu dabbajātiko pajahati vinodeti byantīkaroti anabhāvaṁ gameti.

carita above is translated as conduct, i think its this,

Without fulfilling the practice dealing with supplementary regulations, it’s impossible to fulfill the practice of a trainee.
‘Ābhisamācārikaṁ dhammaṁ aparipūretvā sekhaṁ dhammaṁ paripūressatī’ti netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.

next

When they’ve been given up and eliminated, there are middling corruptions: sensual, malicious, or cruel thoughts. A sincere, capable mendicant gives these up, gets rid of, eliminates, and obliterates them.

above refers to anagami state, perfect trainee(per an4.5),

Without fulfilling the practice of a trainee, it’s impossible to fulfill ethics.
‘Sekhaṁ dhammaṁ aparipūretvā sīlāni paripūressatī’ti netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.

I mean these sutta 3.101 quotes so far is about becoming anagami. And thus it is vitakkavicara only in question(per mn117 it is what is factor of a path). Whereas thoughts of renunciation, good-will aren't(factor of a path).
In short i think there is a plot hole in the write-up.

[auto]

carita,

4. Carita signifies the intrinsic nature of a person, which is revealed when one is in a normal
state without being preoccupied with anything. The temperaments of people differ owing to the
diversity of their actions or Kammas. Habitual actions tend to form particular temperaments.

Rāga (lust) is predominant in some, while dosa (anger, hatred or ill will), in others. Most people
belong to these two categories. There are a few others who lack intelligence and are more or less
ignorant (moha-carita). Akin to the ignorant are those whose minds oscillate, unable to focus
their attention deliberately on one thing (vitakka-carita). By nature some are exceptionally
devout (saddhā-carita), while others are exceptionally intelligent (buddhi-carita).

Thus, in brief, there are six kinds of temperaments.
By combining them with one another, we get 63 types. With the inclusion of ditthi-carita
(speculative temperament) there are 64.

5. The preliminary stages of mental development are termed parikamma-bhāvanā. Mental
culture, from the moment one develops the conceptualized image and temporarily inhibits the
Hindrances, until the gotrabhū thought-moment in the jhāna javana process, is termed upacārabhāvanā.

The thought-moment that immediately follows the gotrabhū thought-moment is called appanā,
ecstatic concentration, because vitakka (initial application), the foremost jhāna constituent,
persists as if firmly fixed upon the object of concentration.
Jhāna Thought-Process: manodvārāvajjana / parikamma, upacāra, anuloma, gotrabhū, appanā /
bhavanga.

[Eko Care]

" .. vivicceva kāmehi .. "

I guess this part alone give the clue while trying to focus on a single object as " .. savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ ."

I would read "eva" here as "just" and so we have "just secluded from".

Generally "eva" means "emphasis". (I don't know the proper term in English)
It may be something like:
"Definitely/necessarily separated from sensual-pleasures"

[justindesilva]

" .. vivicceva kāmehi .. "

I guess this part alone give the clue while trying to focus on a single object as " .. savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ ."

I would read "eva" here as "just" and so we have "just secluded from".

Generally "eva" means "emphasis". (I don't know the proper term in English)
It may be something like:
"Definitely/necessarily separated from sensual-pleasures"

Vivicceva Kamehi , really means " quite secluded from sensual preoccupations "
per a translated article by Ajaan Suvat Suvaco , translated by bikkhu Thanissaro as Right concentration. I wish to mention summarily that it refers to 8 steps of arya ashtanga maegaya to be in application with sammaditthi along with yoniso manasikara . One may download this by name Right concentration from access to insight, a very long essay worth reading .
I once again specify thay the essay is on application of arya ashtanga marga for samma samadhi . Sammaditthi hence is essential to startwith.
With metta .