Higher Jhāna and Formless Transitions

The gross-characteristic in all these lower planes — up through the ākiñcanyāyatana — is, in summary, twofold: the greater-painful, non-calm abiding-quality [vihāritā] of the lower-and-lower planes, and the lesser-life-span-quality [alpāyuṣkatarā]. Thus this twofold gross-characteristic. He investigates by the six investigation-subjects, as appropriate. For whichever plane he wishes to make dispassion toward, the calm-characteristic is the plane above it, as appropriate — up through the practice-culminating-fruit attention. Then he is 'secluded from sense-pleasures,' or at higher levels, secluded from the analogous gross-content.

Sense-desires are twofold: kleśa-kāmas (defilement-desires) and vastu-kāmas (object-desires). Sense-desire-vitarka too is twofold: association-seclusion (saṁprayoga-viveka) and object-seclusion (ālambana-viveka). 'Separated from evil unwholesome dharmas' — [these are] the secondary defilements caused by sense-desire, the unwholesome dharmas — namely: bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, mental misconduct; [as well as] stick-taking, weapon-taking; [and] quarrel, dispute, contention, controversy, deceit, fraud, cunning, lying — [these] arise. From the abandonment of these [is] 'separated from evil unwholesome dharmas': by [seeing] no fault in non-discursive, non-investigative vitarkas, [and] by stage-pertinent vitarkas and vicāras that are antidotes to sense-desire, [that are] wholesome. 'With vitarka, with vicāra' — the consummation-of-engagement attention is the seclusion-from-sense-desires that arises immediately upon it. Caused by it, conditioned by it — by which [the Blessed One] said: 'born of seclusion' — having attained the desired-and-aspired-for goal; or from seeing fault in joy. From the departure of all dauṣṭhulya, and by abundant serenity in mind-body workability, of one counting [accumulating] joy-and-pleasure successively — first from the leaving-behind of the realm of sense-desire, from right resting-on-the-object, from the binding-up of one-pointed mindfulness — the dhyāna [is reached], from the prayoga-niṣṭhā-phala state attained. And further, by the abundant-cultivation that produces [the result] — [he becomes] one who gains at will (nikāma-lābhī), one who gains without trouble (akṛcchra-lābhī), one who gains without difficulty (akisara-lābhī) — and thus by the dhyāna-attainment he passes the night [in dhyāna], also the day, as long as he wishes, up to seven days-and-nights, by which it is said 'he dwells [in dhyāna].'

[At the 1st→2nd transition:] Turning the mind away from the savitarka-savicāra objects, he binds the mind to avitarka-avicāra-samādhi-nimittas. Withdrawing from the distractedly-moving object, in the non-distractedly-moving object, by single-dharma-character, calm, settled, the mind proceeds. He establishes it. Therefore: 'By the calming of vitarka and vicāra, by inward-confidence' — by the practice of avitarka-avicāra-samādhi, transcending the interrupted state, he attains the uninterrupted state. Therefore: 'By one-pointedness of mind' — by completely abandoning vitarka-vicāra in every way, the avitarka-avicāra practice-culminating attention is the samādhi. Immediately following, conditioned by it, the next arises. Therefore: 'Born from concentration' — from the attainment of the desired, blameless object, or from seeing the fault in prīti coming next. Pacifying gone-to-elation and gone-to-dejection, by the disappearance of all encumbrance belonging to the vitarka-vicāra-first-dhyāna-defilement side, the counter-action of which is praśrabdhi, the workableness of mind-and-body — 'Rapture-and-happiness' — by the same understanding as before. By progression, the second comes to be. Everything else as before.

He sees the fault in the rapture-signs. Therefore: 'From dispassion-toward-rapture.' At that time, he has recognized two mind-disturbing obstructions: when placing the mind in the raptureless third dhyāna, in the second dhyāna there were vitarka-vicāra; here it is rapture. Therefore: 'He abides in equanimity.' Both these dharmas are mind-disturbance-makers, obstructors of uninterrupted equanimity. In the first dhyāna there are vitarka-vicāra, by which uninterrupted equanimity does not proceed. In the second dhyāna there is rapture, by which here too uninterrupted equanimity does not proceed. Therefore in this contemplator, in the first and second dhyānas, equanimity is not yet; for which reason in the third dhyāna 'he abides in equanimity' is said. He, abiding in equanimity, abides thus with mindfulness established. As perception-and-attention conjoined-with-rapture occur — if, due to non-cultivation of the third dhyāna, by lapse-of-mindfulness, occasionally perception-and-attention conjoined-with-rapture occur in the mind — those, those, lightly, lightly indeed, by wisdom he penetrates. He properly understands. As they arise, arise, he does not endorse them. He abandons, dispels; pushes out; equanimously regards the mind. Therefore: 'Mindful and clearly-knowing.'

By that equanimity, by frequent practice, what is conjoined with rapture is abandoned. That mind-agitating factor [is abandoned]; raptureless, calm, fully-calmed feeling arises in the mind. By counter-action to rapture, at that time, in the form-body and the mind-body, happiness and praśrabdhi-happiness are experienced. From the third dhyāna below, that form-happiness does not exist; nor does uninterrupted equanimity. From the third dhyāna upward, although equanimity is found, happiness is not. Below, sense-pleasure-equanimity is absent; above, happiness is absent. This is that base — the third dhyāna — which the noble ones declare. In dependence on this, the attaining-and-abiding person who is mindful and the happy-abider attains and abides in the third dhyāna — so the noble ones, the elders, the elder disciples say.

Because it is not of the same class, the counteragent for abandoning sukha is not separately stated. Only the abandoning of sukha brought about by that counteragent is stated.

What further is that antidote?

It is equanimity-mindfulness-clear-knowing. By practicing this, he drops out from the third-dhyāna plane where sukha is present, and abandons that sukha. Therefore: '[Damaged/Conjectural: By abandoning sukha and abandoning duḥkha], and previously by the disappearance of saumanasya and daurmanasya.' In the fourth-dhyāna-attainment-time, that contemplator attains the transcendence of pleasure-and-pain. Of what was previously abandoned, of what is now abandoned, making the summation, he says: 'From the abandoning of pleasure, from the abandoning of pain, from the previous disappearance of joy and dejection.' Sukha is not abandoned only at the time of fourth-dhyāna attainment: duḥkha [was abandoned] at the time of second-dhyāna attainment, saumanasya disappeared at the time of third-dhyāna attainment, and daurmanasya at the time of first-dhyāna attainment. Thus, from the abandoning of pleasure-and-pain, he has neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, but it is not yet distinctive. Therefore: 'Neither-painful-nor-pleasant' — at that time, taking the first dhyāna as the starting reference, all the lower-plane obstructions are abandoned. Namely: vitarka-vicāra, prīti, in-and-out-breaths. By the abandoning of these, the equanimity there arising, and the mindfulness — that becomes purified, fully clarified. By which his mind, having attained the fourth dhyāna, stands without movement — sphere of all-non-perturbation. Therefore: 'By the purity of equanimity-and-mindfulness.'

Of one whose mind is resolved on space, the form-perception — connected with blue-yellow-red-white etc. — is transcended by indifference-toward and dispassion-toward. Therefore: 'From the transcendence of form-perceptions' — for the cause of the mind proceeding to the limit. The obstruction-perceptions of various kinds, many-and-varied, caused by the accumulation-of-color, those go away. Therefore: 'From the disappearance of obstruction-perceptions.' Or, by the cause-of-disappearance of those, the abundance-perception proceeding in the remaining superior aggregations — namely, perceptions of food, drink, clothing, ornaments, house, garden, forest, army, mountain, etc. — in those, all and every directed-effort no longer proceeds. Therefore: 'From non-attention to manifold-perceptions.' Having thus cultivated [release from] form-, obstruction-, and manifold-perceptions, he becomes resolved on space by the infinity-aspect. Therefore: 'Infinite space' — taking the immediate-vicinity, transcending — from the practice-culminating attention to the high-practice-culminating-fruit, he attains the basic attainment. Therefore: 'Having attained, he abides in the infinity-of-space-base.'

Until the basic attainment is not attained, for the attainer of the space-as-object stage, that and the other aggregates are own-plane; the immediate-vicinity ones are also lower-plane aggregates. By a moment of consciousness, infinite space is resolved-on. That very consciousness, with the infinite-aspect of space-resolve — wishing to attain the vijñānānantyāyatana — having turned away the ākāśānantyāyatana-perception, that very consciousness is resolved-on with the infinite-aspect. With its immediate-vicinity, the basic ākāśānantyāyatana is transcended. Therefore: 'Transcending the ākāśānantyāyatana completely, infinite consciousness.' He, transcending the immediate-vicinity of vijñānānantyāyatana, from the practice-culminating attention to the basic-practice-culminating-fruit, attains. Therefore: 'Having attained, he abides in the vijñānānantyāyatana.'

He, dropping out from the vijñānānantyāyatana, searching for an object beyond consciousness, does not find one — neither connected with form, nor formless. Not finding that object, transcending the vijñānānantyāyatana-with-its-immediate-vicinity, he resolves: 'There is nothing else as an object.' He becomes resolved on the perception of nothingness. By the abundance of this perception-resolve, transcending the ākiñcanyāyatana-immediate-vicinity, from the practice-culminating attention, he attains the basic practice-culminating-fruit. Therefore: 'Transcending the vijñānānantyāyatana completely, there is nothing, the ākiñcanyāyatana — having attained, he abides.'

Therefore: 'Perceiving' — namely, dropping out from the ākiñcanyāyatana, gross-perceiving, fault-perceiving the perception-of-nothingness, he turns away the ākiñcanyāyatana-perception. By that previous ākiñcanyāyatana-attainment-time, the perception-of-nothingness was transcended; now the non-perception-of-nothingness has come to be transcended. Therefore: 'Perceiving' — [Damaged/Conjectural: neither with perception of something, nor with perception of nothingness, nor with complete non-perception]. Not, however, that all and every perception of his is ceased. As in the non-perception-attainment or the cessation-attainment — but here, a subtle perception proceeds, with sign-as-object. 'Neither perception nor non-perception.' Thus resolved on that sphere, having transcended the sāmantaka and maula sphere of nothingness, [proceeding] from the sāmantaka of the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception up through the prayoganiṣṭha attentions, he attains the prayoganiṣṭhāphala maula. By this he says: 'Having entirely transcended the sphere of nothingness, having attained the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, he abides [in it].' There, at the time of dhyāna-attainment, [the sign is] as if descending downward into the underworld — the bodily-clarity sign (kāya-samprakhyāna-liṅga). At the time of ārūpya-attainment, [the sign is] as if falling from space. There [in both cases], right engagement [comes] from the equanimous attention at the śamatha-time.

There are two non-conscious attainments: the non-perception attainment and the cessation attainment. The non-perception attainment is entered by an ordinary person using perception-turned-away attention; the cessation attainment, however, is entered only by a noble one. By two attentions, entry into these two attainments occurs: namely, into the non-perception attainment by perception-turned-away attention; into the cessation attainment by attention dropping-out from naivasaṁjñā-nāsaṁjñā and resolving-on-cessation-of-object. Now, perception is illness, perception is a boil, perception is an arrow — this is peace, this is the sublime, namely the unperceptional [attainment]. Taking up an attention turned away from perception, [one] follows the non-attention to perception [as each impulse of] memory of perception arises and arises. Through cultivation, on the path of preparation, there is a state still with mind. And to one who has entered the attainment along with [its supporting] attention, mind no longer functions. Thus, by an attention preceded by the perception of escape, in one free of passion for the [Śubha-]kṛtsna [and] free of passion for the bṛhatphala [heavens], the cessation of mind and mental dharmas — this is called the unperceptional attainment. And this is how it is obtained. Then, the noble one who has gained the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, wishing to abide in a further peaceful abode, raises [his] mind out of the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. That mind, [thus] raised, does not find an object. Not finding [one], it ceases. It does not proceed. Thus, for a trainee or an arhat free of passion for the sphere of nothingness, by an attention preceded by the perception of [peaceful] abiding, the cessation of mind and mental dharmas — this is called the cessation-attainment; and this is how it is obtained.

By the basis of dhyāna, the manifestation of the five higher knowledges occurs.

How does it occur?

Just as the contemplator becomes an attainer of pure dhyāna. Relying on that pure dhyāna: whatever dharma he has heard, grasped, fully obtained — bearing on the higher-knowledge-predominant, namely the range-of-supernormal-power, recollection-of-past-abodes, divine-ear, divine-eye, knowledge-of-others'-minds — that very dharma he attends to with concentrated-plane-attention. He becomes meaning-knower and dharma-knower. Of that meaning-knowing, dharma-knowing practitioner, shaping the mind in such-and-such ways through frequent cultivation — there comes a time and occasion when his fruits of cultivation, the five higher knowledges, arise.

Moreover, the one expert in meaning and in dharma, in order to bring forth all the abhijñās, cultivates twelve saṁjñās. Namely: the perception of lightness, the perception of softness, the perception of the space-element, the perception of body-mind co-presence, the perception of resolve, the perception of recollecting past-experienced conduct in sequence, the perception of the assembled noise of various kinds of sound, the perception of luminous-form-signs, the perception of form-changes produced by defilements, the perception of resolve, the perception of the abhibhvāyatanas, and the perception of the kṛtsnāyatanas.

Now, in the perception of lightness, one resolves oneself as light. As a tuft of cotton-wool, or a tuft of kapok. Or one [resolves oneself] upon a wind-disk; thus resolved, one impels [oneself] there by attention conjoined with resolve. As from couch to seat to couch — so from couch to grass-mat to couch. Then the perception of softness: one resolves the body as soft. As silk-cotton, or fine cotton, or down. Thus the perception of softness nourishes and supports the perception of lightness, by which the latter — supported — comes to extension, growth, and amplitude. Then the perception of the space-element: by this perception, one resolves oneself as light and soft. If one wishes to go somewhere, one resolves the [intervening] obstructive form-spaces as [open] space, for passage through them. [All this] by an attention conjoined with resolve. Then the perception of body-mind co-presence: by which one sets the mind into the body, or the body into the mind, whereby the body becomes lighter, softer, more workable, more luminous. [The body becomes] mind-conforming, mind-bound, proceeding in dependence on mind. Then the perception of resolve: by which one resolves the distant as near, the near as distant, the small as large, the large as small, earth as water, water as earth — thus making each of the great elements interchangeable with the others. And in detail, one similarly resolves [things] as transformed, [whether] form-transformations or sound-transformations. By these five saṁjñās, perfected through cultivation, one experiences various kinds of supernatural feats — being one, manifesting [oneself as] many; namely, by the resolve-perception of creation, manifesting [oneself as] many, then becoming one again. Namely, by the resolve-perception of disappearance of the creation, one passes through walls, through ramparts, with body unhindered; by which one goes [through them]; one performs emerging and submerging in the earth as if in water, [or] one goes through the water with a [parted-water] current as if it were broken. Likewise one walks cross-legged on space as if on earth. Like a winged bird; or one touches with the hand even these so-mighty, so-powerful sun and moon. One handles them. Up to the Brahmā world one wields the body. By the resolve-perception, taken together with the perceptions of lightness, softness, space-element, and body-mind co-presence, one accomplishes all this. As is appropriate. Now this twofold mastery of the Brahmā-world, by body and by going, [is to be understood] as wielding. Just as by resolve, or the [downward] wish to go from the Brahmā-world to beings [there], and to the form-derivative [substance] of one of them. Then the perception of recollecting past-experienced conduct in sequence: by which, from the state of childhood onward, wherever one's memory functions, [where it is] not obstructed, wherever the noble one has gone, stood, sat, lain — recollecting in detail all past-experienced conduct in coarse sequence, without skipping, one knows it. Through cultivation, the fruit of cultivation: one recollects manifold past abodes, even back through saṁsāra, with their distinctive marks, in detail. Then the perception of the assembled noise of various kinds of sound: in a village, a town, a guild, a corporation, an assembly, a wide hall, or a chamber — the various assembled and gathered noise — mingled, varied, [a sound that] issues forth, called the hubbub-sound. Or the roar of a great flowing river: taking the sign there, the cultivation of perception by which, with attention based in the concentrated stage, one directs [attention] to noble and ignoble sounds, divine and human, far and near. Through cultivation, one gains the divine ear as the fruit of cultivation, by which one hears divine and human sounds, both those that are far and those that are near. Then the perception of luminous-form-signs: as before, taking the light-sign, one attends to that very sign. This is the perception of luminous-form-signs. Through cultivation, one gains the knowledge of passing-away-and-rebirth as the fruit of cultivation, by which one sees, with the divine eye purified, beings — in detail — being reborn at the breakup of the body in good destinies, in heavenly worlds, among the gods. Then the perception of form-changes produced by defilements: by which one observes the form-state of beings stained by lust, by aversion, by delusion — beings with minds bound by anger, resentment, burning, shamelessness, unconcern, defilements, and secondary defilements — one analyzes [it]. Thus is the form-state of one enraged by [some] form, [its] form-modification: namely, agitation of the senses, smiling face. Thus is the form-state of one disgusted by [some] form, [its] form-modification: namely, paleness of face, stammering voice, knit brow. Thus is the form-state of one deluded, [its] form-modification: namely, muteness, failure to engage in the determination of meaning, ordinary or extraordinary speech-utterance. By these aspects of such kinds — up through one bound by shamelessness and unconcern — whatever form-state arises, [its] form-modification: taking the sign of that, one attends. Through cultivation, the knowledge of others' minds arises as the fruit of cultivation, by which one knows the applied-thought, sustained-thought, and mind of other beings and persons — mind by mind, as it actually is. Then the cultivation of perceptions of vimokṣa, abhibhvāyatana, and kṛtsnāyatana is to be understood as before. Namely, in the concentrated stage. By this cultivation, one accomplishes noble supernatural power — [the power] of transforming things, of creation, of resolve. Namely, araṇā, praṇidhi-jñāna, and the four pratisaṁvids: discrimination of dharma, discrimination of meaning, discrimination of language, and discrimination of expression.

Now this is the distinction of noble supernatural power from ignoble: by noble supernatural power, whatever object one transforms, whatever sign one creates, it becomes just so, not otherwise. By it, in every way, the task can be accomplished. By ignoble [supernatural power], on the other hand, it does not become so; rather, as with an illusionist's display, only a mere showing is manifested.