Chapter 10

(Tape 23 / Ps: 1-64)

Today’s chapter is on the immaterial states, that is on the formless jhÈnas. We are still in the realm of concentration. This book was written on the three broad subjects of sÊla (morality), samÈdhi (concentration), and paÒÒÈ (wisdom). We are still in concentration. This chapter deals with four jhÈnas, the absorptions of immaterial or formless states.

A person who wants to attain these immaterial states or brahmÈ vihÈras must have already attained the four or five form jhÈnas or material jhÈnas. Without getting those jhÈnas one will not be able to attain the immaterial states.

“One who wants firstly to develop the base consisting of boundless space sees in gross physical matter danger through the wielding of sticks, etc., because of the words.” In order to go to the immaterial states or in order to attain the formless jhÈnas one needs to find fault with matter. So here he sees danger in gross physical matter. That means he sees danger in the physical body.

Then he sees danger in it through the thousand afflictions beginning with eye disease and so on. When we have this physical body we may quarrel with some other person. We may come to blows and take up knives. Also this physical body is the place of many diseases beginning with eye disease, ear disease and so on. So thus he finds fault with the physical body.

In order to surmount that he enters upon the fourth form (r|pÈvacara) jhÈna with any of the nine kasiÓas beginning with the earth kasiÓa and omitting the limited space kasiÓa. You know there are nine kasiÓas. If you want to go on to the ar|pÈvacara jhÈnas, you cannot practice limited space kasiÓa because that kasiÓa is already space and space cannot be removed. So only nine kasiÓas are mentioned here, the first nine kasiÓas.

“Now although he has already surmounted gross physical matter by means of the fourth jhÈna of the fine material sphere, nevertheless he still wants also to surmount the kasiÓa materiality since it is the counterpart of the former.” When he is in the jhÈnas, he is said to be out of physical matters, but still he wants to surmount the kasiÓa materiality.

Let us take the fourth jhÈna. If he practices with earth kasiÓa meditation, then his fourth jhÈna takes earth kasiÓa as object. So the fourth jhÈna takes earth kasiÓa or the sign of earth kasiÓa which is materiality as object. So when he, let us say, hates matter, he hates any matter, whether it is the object of the jhÈna or any other matter. So he wants to surmount the kasiÓa materiality.

It is like a person who sees a snake or who is pursued by a snake and he is afraid. Even after that when he sees a rope or a crack in the earth, he is afraid of that. In the same way since this meditator hates matter, he hates the kasiÓa materiality also. So he wants to surmount the kasiÓa matter too. The simile given is that it is like the man pursued by the snake.

The other similes are the dog attacked by a boar and the pisÈca goblin and the timid man. Actually it means a man afraid of pisÈcas. It is not a goblin and a timid man, but it is just a man who is afraid of ghosts. A man who is afraid of ghosts sees something in the dark. Then he thinks it is a ghost. So he is afraid of that too. It is something like that.

Even those who have never seen a ghost in their life are afraid of ghosts because they have heard from other people about ghosts. A person who is afraid of ghosts may be afraid of a tree stump or even his own shadow.

“So when he has become disgusted with (dispassionate towards) the kasiÓa materiality, the object of the fourth jhÈna, and wants to get away from it, he achieves mastery in the five ways.” So he must achieve mastery in the five ways mentioned in the earlier chapters.

“Then on emerging from the now familiar fourth jhÈna of the fine material sphere” - so he enters into the fourth jhÈna with which he is very, very familiar. He gets into the jhÈna and emerges from it.

“He sees the danger in that jhÈna in this way. ‘This makes its object the materiality with which I have become disgusted’, and ‘It has joy as its near enemy’.” Now he finds fault with the fourth r|pÈvacara jhÈna. He says with reference to this fourth r|pÈvacara jhÈna, “This makes its object the materiality with which I have become disgusted.” That means this is a friend of my enemy, so I hate him too. It is something like that.

“ ‘It has joy as its near enemy’ and ‘it is grosser than the peaceful liberations’.” ‘Peaceful liberations’ means the immaterial jhÈnas or the ar|pÈvacara jhÈnas.

“There is, however, no [comparative] grossness of factors here [as in the case of the four fine material jhÈnas]; for the immaterial states have the same two factors as this fine material [jhÈna].” In the material jhÈnas one material jhÈna is different from another material jhÈna by the number of jhÈna factors and also by the grossness or subtleness of the jhÈna factors. But here all four immaterial jhÈnas have the same number of jhÈna factors. So there is no difference in the number of factors in these four immaterial states. So there is no comparative grossness of jhÈna in the four immaterial jhÈnas.

“When he has seen the danger in that in this way and has ended his attachment to it, he gives his attention to the base consisting of boundless spaced as peacefulness. Then, when he has spread out the kasiÓa to the limit of the world sphere” - that means he enters into the jhÈna. His fourth material jhÈna takes the kasiÓa sign as object. Then he expands this kasiÓa sign in his mind. He expands the kasiÓa sign as much as he likes to the limit of the world sphere or as far as he likes. Then he removes that sign because he does not like that sign. He doesn’t want to be attached to that sign. So he removes that sign by giving his attention to the space touched by it or covered by it regarding that as or saying to himself “space, space, space” or “boundless space, boundless space, boundless space.”

“When he is removing it, he neither folds it up like a mat nor withdraws it like a cake from a tin.” Actually it is from a pan. ‘A cake’ here means a flat cake or pancake. You take a pancake from a pan with a spatula. It is not like that. He does not pay attention to it. He does not review it.

“It is simply that he does not advert or give attention to it or review it; it is when he neither adverts to it nor gives attention to it nor reviews it, but gives attention exclusively to the space touched by it [regarding that] as ‘space, space’, that he is said to ‘remove the kasiÓa’.” When he wants to remove the kasiÓa or the sign of kasiÓa, he just stops paying attention to that sign. When he does not pay attention to that sign, that sign disappears. In its place there is void. There is just space left. That space he takes as object for his immaterial jhÈna.

“And when the kasiÓa is being removed, it does not roll up or roll away. It is simply that it is called ‘removed’ on account of his non-attention to it, his attention being given to ‘space, space’. This is conceptualized as the mere space left by the removal of the kasiÓa.” This kind of space is called ‘space left by the removal of the kasiÓa’.

“Whether it is called ‘space left by the removal of the kasiÓa’ or ‘space touched by the kasiÓa’ or ‘space secluded from the kasiÓa’, it is all the same.” You can call it with any name you like, but it is the same whether it is called ‘space left by the removal of the kasiÓa’, or ‘space touched by the kasiÓa’, or ‘space secluded from the kasiÓa’. So the kasiÓa sign disappears. In its place there is space. There is void. The meditator takes that space (It is conceptualized space.) as his object of meditation. He dwells upon it again and again.

“He adverts again and again to the sign of the space left by the removal of the kasiÓa as ‘space, space’, and he strikes at it with thought and applied thought.” That means he pays attention to it again and again and again.

“As he adverts to it again and again and strikes at it with thought and applied thought the hindrances are suppressed, mindfulness is established and his mind concentrated in access. He cultivates that sign again and again, develops and repeatedly practices it.” Then he attains the first ar|pÈvacara jhÈna.

When he attains the ar|pÈvacara jhÈna there is a thought process. That thought process is mentioned briefly here in paragraph 10, the second half of the paragraph. “And here too in the prior stage there are either three or four sensual sphere impulsions associated with equanimous feeling.” That means there are three or four moments of javana, or impulsions, or sense-sphere consciousness. They are parikamma, upacÈra, anuloma, and gotrabh| (preliminary, access, adaptation, and change of lineage). These four moments precede the ar|pÈvacara jhÈna consciousness. Next comes the immaterial or ar|pÈvacara consciousness.

“The rest is the same as in the case of the earth kasiÓa. There is however, this difference. When the immaterial sphere consciousness has arisen in this way, the bhikkhu, who has been formerly looking at the kasiÓa disk with the jhÈna eye, finds himself looking at only space (because the kasiÓa has disappeared) after that sign has been abruptly removed by the attention given in the preliminary work thus ‘space, space’. He is like a man who has plugged an opening in a [covered] vehicle, a sack or a pot with a piece of blue rag or with a piece of rag of some such color as yellow, red or white and is looking at that, and then when the rag is removed by the force of the wind or by some other agency, he finds himself looking at space.”

The first ar|pÈvacara consciousness takes space as an object. It is not ordinary space or general space, but it is the space obtained or left after the removal of the kasiÓa sign.

Now comes the text. “With the complete surmounting of perceptions of matter, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, with non-attention to perceptions of variety, [aware of] ‘unbounded space’, he enters upon and dwells in the base consisting of boundless space.”

I have not talked about ‘base consisting of boundless space’ because it is not accurate. How many perceptions do we have here? There are 1. ‘complete surmounting of perceptions of matter’, 2. ‘the disappearance of the perceptions of resistance’, 3. ‘non-attention to perceptions of variety’. The first kind of perception is called ‘r|pa saÒÒÈ’ in the PÈÄi Texts. ‘R|pa saÒÒÈ’ really means the five material jhÈnas and their objects. It is a little complicated. The word ‘saÒÒÈ’ (perception) is used quite often in the Suttas to represent not only saÒÒÈ but all mental states. The word used is ‘saÒÒÈ’, but what we must understand is that it means all mental states. So here ‘r|pa saÒÒÈ’ really means five material jhÈnas and their objects. The material jhÈnas take kasiÓas as their objects. KasiÓas are matter. So ‘perception of matter’ here means the five or four material jhÈnas and also by play of the word ‘saÒÒÈ’ their objects. That is explained here. First complete surmounting of perceptions of matter is explained. Perceptions of matter is explained in two ways here.

Student: Bhante, I have a question. I thought there were only four or five jhÈnas including the ar|pÈvacara jhÈnas.

Teacher: There are eight or nine. If you take r|pÈvacara jhÈnas to be four, there are eight, four r|pÈvacara jhÈnas and four ar|pÈvacara jhÈnas. If you take r|pÈvacara jhÈnas to be five, there are nine jhÈnas.

When it means fine material jhÈnas, then it is defined as saÒÒÈ (perception) of matter. ‘Perception of matter’ means perception taking matter as object and here it means jhÈnas. So ‘perception’ here means not only saÒÒÈ but the whole jhÈna.

Why does this word also signify their objects? Here the word is explained in another way. The word ‘saÒÒÈ’ is taken to mean a name or in this book it is translated as a label. ‘SaÒÒÈ’ can also mean name. The word ‘r|pa saÒÒÈ’ is explained to mean something that has the name ‘r|pa’. So they come to be the objects of jhÈna. The objects of jhÈnas are kasiÓas - earth kasiÓa, water kasiÓa and so on. They are also called ‘r|pa saÒÒÈ’ because they are of matter and so they have the name ‘matter’. They all have the name ‘matter’ so they are called ‘r|pa saÒÒÈ’. The word ‘r|pa saÒÒÈ’ or ‘perception of matter’ is explained in two ways in the Visuddhi Magga. The first one is saÒÒÈ of r|pa. The second one is something which has the name ‘r|pa’. That is why in the footnote the author says “This explanation depends on a play on the word ‘saÒÒÈ’ as the (subjective) perception and as the (objective) sign, signal or label perceived.”

Surmounting both the fine material jhÈnas and their objects - that means he no longer pays attention to the objects of the five jhÈnas. If he is still paying attention to them, he will not be able to surmount them. Now he wants to surmount the five or four material jhÈnas. So he has to forsake all of them.

The next is what? “With the disappearance of perceptions or resistance” - ‘perceptions of resistance’ means perception of something where there is something like friction. When you see an object, there is said to be friction of the visible object and your eye. These two come together. When the visible object comes into the avenue of your eye, it is said to strike your eye. So it is called ‘friction’ but in the translation it is called ‘resistance’. The PÈÄi word is ‘paÔigha saÒÒÈ’. There is resistance or friction. Where can there be friction? There is friction between visible object and the eye, audible object and the ear, the smell and the nose, taste and tongue, tactile object and the body. So there are five kinds of paÔigha saÒÒÈ. They are r|pa saÒÒÈ (‘R|pa’ means visible object.), sadda saÒÒÈ (sound), gandha saÒÒÈ (smell), rasa saÒÒÈ (taste), phoÔÔabba saÒÒÈ (touch). So it is saÒÒÈ associated with two seeing consciousnesses, two hearing consciousnesses. Actually there are ten kinds of saÒÒÈ.

Among the eighteen types of rootless consciousness there are ten (five pairs of two each) - seeing consciousness, hearing consciousness, smelling consciousness, tasting consciousness, and touching consciousness. These are called here ‘paÔigha saÒÒÈ’. ‘Disappearance of the perceptions of resistance’ or ‘disappearance of the perceptions of friction’ means disappearance of these types of consciousness - seeing consciousness and so on. When you have entered into the jhÈna, only jhÈna consciousness arises again and again for a long period - one hour, two hours, three hours or one day, two days and so on. At that time no seeing consciousness, no hearing consciousness and so on arise. So they are said to have disappeared.

(SayÈdaw refers to a citta chart.)

These two are seeing consciousness. One is the result of bad kamma and one is the result of good kamma. If you see an ugly thing, then you see with this type of consciousness (cakkhuviÒÒÈÓa that is vipÈka of akusala). When you see a beautiful thing, a desirable object, then you see with this consciousness (cakkhuviÒÒÈÓa that is vipÈka of kusala). There are two seeing consciousnesses, two hearing, two smelling, two tasting, and two touching. They are called ‘paÔigha saÒÒÈ’. They do not arise when you are in jhÈna. That is paragraph 16.

Let’s go back a little to paragraph 14 with the surmounting, with the fading away, and with the cessation. “Both because of the fading away and because of the cessation, either in all aspects or without exception, of these perceptions of matter, reckoned as jhÈna, which number fifteen with the [five each of the] profitable, resultant and functional.” These fifteen are the five r|pÈvacara kusala, the five r|pÈvacara vipÈka and the five r|pÈvacara kiriya.

In the footnote the numbers of the types of consciousness are given. Those numbers are according to table two at the end of the book. The sequence is not the same as this chart. In the footnote they are 9-13, 57-61, and 81-85.

Now we come to paragraph 16. “With the disappearance of perception of resistance” - that means with the disappearance of saÒÒÈ accompanying the ten kinds of consciousness just shown.

Now paragraph 17 “Of course, these are not to be found in one who has entered upon the first jhÈna, etc., either.” They do not arise in one who has entered the first jhÈna. “For consciousness at that time does not occur by way of the five doors.” When you are in jhÈna, you don’t see, you don’t hear, you don’t smell or whatever. You are completely in the mental world or something like that. They don’t arise even when you are in the first jhÈna.

“Still the mention of them here should be understood as a recommendation of this jhÈna for the purpose of arousing interest in it.” That is are praising it: ‘It is good. There are no perceptions of resistance in this’. It is something like that.

“Just as in the case of the fourth jhÈna there is mention of the pleasure and pain already abandoned elsewhere.” So pleasure and pain are abandoned in the previous jhÈna, but in the description of the fourth jhÈna they are also mentioned. That is to recommend the fourth jhÈna, that it is good.

“And in the case of the third Path there is mention of the [false] view of personality, etc., already abandoned earlier.” When describing the third enlightened person, the Buddha said that with the extinction of the five lower fetters and three of those five are abandoned at the first stage of enlightenment. So they are mentioned again with the person who has reached the third stage of attainment, just to recommend it or just to praise it. In the same way here although the perceptions of resistance are not arising when one is even in the first jhÈna, yet they are mentioned here to praise this jhÈna.

“Or alternatively, though these are also not to be found in one who has attained the fine material sphere, still their not being there is not due to their having been abandoned; for development of the fine material sphere does not lead to fading of greed for materiality, and the occurrence of these [fine material jhÈnas] is actually dependent on materiality.” That means that they are not there not because they are abandoned all together, for only through enlightenment can these be abandoned all together. So it is not that they are abandoned all together that they do not arise here. They are something like pushed back.

“But this development [of the immaterial] does lead to the fading of greed for materiality. Therefore it is allowable to say that they are actually abandoned here; and not only to say it, but to maintain it absolutely.” It is a way of forcing you to accept.

“In fact it is because they have not been abandoned already before this that it was said by the Blessed One that sound is a thorn to one who has the first jhÈna.” If they were really abandoned, sound could not be a thorn to the first jhÈna.

“And it is precisely because they are abandoned here that the imperturbability of the immaterial attainments and their state of peaceful liberation are mentioned, and that ŒlÈra KÈlÈma neither saw the five hundred carts that passed close by him nor heard the sound of them while he was in an immaterial attainment.” Once he was sitting in immaterial attainment (ar|pÈvacara). Then 500 carts passed close to him making noise, throwing up dust and so on. Later on his disciples came to him and asked if he had heard the carts going by. He said “No, I did not.”

When this was told to the Buddha, Buddha said “Which is more difficult or which is more amazing, a man who did not know that 500 carts passed by him or a man who did not know while there was lightning and thunder and many people were killed by lightning, and he did not know anything about that?” The man said that the latter was more difficult, more wonderful. The Buddha said that once he was like that. He was in an immaterial state and there was thunder and lightning and people died. Later on a man came to him and said “Don’t you know anything about that?” The Buddha replied that he did not. You may read this in Dialogues of the Buddha, volume 2, page 141. In Thus Have I Heard, translated by Maurice Walsh it is on page 258.

When one is in the immaterial state (ar|pÈvacara jhÈna) you will not know anything.

Student: So at a retreat you won’t hear the bell?

Teacher: No.

Student: Until you get out of it?

Teacher: Yes. Before attaining it the meditator makes up his mind ‘I want to be or let me be in this state for one hour, two hours” and so on.

Student: Seven days is the maximum?

Teacher: Yes, seven days.

“With non-attention to perceptions of variety” - ‘perceptions of variety’ means perceptions that take a variety of objects or perceptions that are themselves varied. So it is explained in or perceptions that are themselves varied. So it is explained in two ways: either to perceptions occurring with variety - that means as their domain. Sometimes the word ‘domain’ is not a good word for the PÈÄi word ‘gocara’. It is simply as their object. They take many, many different objects so they are called ‘perceptions of variety’.

“Or to perceptions themselves various” - that means one perception is different from another perception. Although we are all human beings, one is still different from the other. We are all individually different. So in the same way although saÒÒÈ is one, there are different saÒÒÈs - saÒÒÈs taking visible objects, saÒÒÈs taking sounds and so on. SaÒÒÈs themselves are varied and take varied objects. That is why in PÈÄi they are called ‘nÈnatta saÒÒÈ (perceptions of variety)’. In paragraph 20 you see the word ‘domain’. When you see the word ‘domain’, please take it to mean object.

In about the middle of the paragraph you can see that 44 kinds of perception are given. “And secondly, because 44 kinds of perception - that is to say, eight kinds of sense-sphere profitable perception and so on - themselves have variety, have various individual essences, and are dissimilar from each other. With the complete non-attention to, non-adverting to, non-reaction to (That means not paying attention to.), non-reviewing of, these perceptions of variety; what is meant is that because he does not advert to them, give them attention or review them, therefore and so on.” The 44 perceptions are given in detail here. But the author does not give the numbers of the types of consciousness at the end of the book. Do you want to write them down? The eight kinds of sense-sphere profitable perception are 1-8. The twelve kinds of unprofitable perception are 22-33. The eleven kinds of sense-sphere profitable resultant perception are 39-41 and then 42-49. The two kinds of unprofitable resultant perception are 55 and 56. The eleven kinds of sense-sphere functional perception are 70-72 and 73-80. Eight kinds of sense-sphere profitable perception - ‘sense-sphere profitable’ means wholesome. ‘The twelve kinds of unprofitable perception’ means unwholesome. The eleven kinds of sense-sphere profitable resultant perception are the eight kÈmÈvacara sobhana vipÈka and the two santÊraÓas which are wholesome resultants. The two kinds of unprofitable resultant perception are the sampaÔicchana and the santÊrana which are unwholesome resultants. The eleven kinds of sense-sphere functional perception are paÒcadvÈrÈvajjana, manodvÈrÈvajjana, hasituppÈda and the eight kÈmÈvacara kiriya. (SayÈdaw was actually pointing at citta chart during this explanation.) Actually these are the 54 sense-sphere consciousnesses minus the dvipaÒcaviÒÒÈÓa. ‘NÈnatta saÒÒÈ’ or ‘perception of variety’ means saÒÒÈ accompanying these 44 types of consciousness.

“And [two things] should be understood: firstly, that their absence is stated here in two ways as ‘surmounting’ and ‘disappearance’ because the earlier perceptions of matter and perceptions of resistance do not exist even in the kind of existence produced by this jhÈna on rebirth, let alone when this jhÈna is entered upon and dwelt in that existence.” That means the earlier two kinds of perception, perceptions of matter and perceptions of resistance, do not exist in the kind of existence produced by this jhÈna. That means that they do not exist in the r|pÈvacara world in the r|pÈvacara brahmÈs. So in that realm they do not exist. They also do not exist when the jhÈnas are entered upon and dwelt in.

“And secondly, in the case of perceptions of variety (the third one), ‘non-attention’ to them is said because 27 kinds of perception still exist in the kind of existence produced by this jhÈna.” The 27 kinds of perception are existent in the ar|pÈvacara realm. That’s why here he does not say ‘surmounting’, but he just says ‘non-attention’. There it says ‘surmounting’ because they are non-existent, but here they have to be given no attention, non-attention because they are there but they are not paid attention to. That is the difference.

The 27 kinds of perception are the eight kinds of sense-sphere profitable perception (1-8), the nine kinds of functional perception (72 and 73-80), and the ten kinds of unprofitable perception (22-29, 32 and 33).

“For when he enters upon and dwells in this jhÈna, there too, he does so by non-attention to them also, but he has not attained when he does give attention to them.” So here it is just not paying attention to them. It is not surmounting them.

In paragraph 22 we have a very brief account of the meaning of the words. ‘With the surmounting of perception of matter’, what does it mean? Abandoning of all fine material is signified. By the words ‘with the surmounting of perceptions of matter’ is meant the surmounting of the fine material jhÈnas.

By the words ‘with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance’ and so on, what is meant? Non-attention to all sense-sphere consciousness, to all kÈmÈvacara consciousness. So in fact when a person enters into the ar|pÈvacara consciousness, there are no r|pÈvacara consciousnesses and no kÈmÈvacara consciousnesses. Surmounting some and not paying attention to some he enters into the immaterial jhÈna. When the meditator is in the immaterial jhÈna, there are no r|pÈvacara jhÈnas and no kÈmÈvacara consciousnesses. Actually when one gets the ar|pÈvacara jhÈna the r|pÈvacara jhÈnas disappear.

Unbounded space is not difficult to understand. It is ‘unbounded’ because it has neither and end as to its arising nor to its end, as to its disappearing - no arising, no disappearing. Therefore it is called ‘boundless’.

Paragraph 24 “He enters upon and dwells in the base consisting of boundless space.” Now we must examine this because ‘base consisting of boundless space’ is not an accurate translation. What do you understand by ‘base consisting of boundless space’? It really means the first ar|pÈvacara jhÈna and its concomitants. The first ar|pÈvacara jhÈna is called ‘ÈkÈsÈnaÒcÈyatana’. It is a long name. The word is composed of two parts, ÈkÈsÈnaÒca and Èyatana. ŒkÈsÈnaÒca is derived from ÈkÈsÈnanta. This is PÈÄi grammar. ŒkÈsÈnaÒca and ÈkÈsÈnanta have the same meaning, namely, boundless space.

Now the word ‘Èyatana’ means base in the sense of habitat here. So jhÈna citta and its concomitants are called ‘ÈkÈsÈnaÒcÈyatana’ because they have boundless space as their habitat. That means as their object. It is not the base, but something that has the base; that is what is meant by the word ‘ÈkÈsÈnaÒcÈyatana’. The translation of ‘base consisting of boundless space’ is not accurate. Actually it is something which has boundless space as a base. ‘Base’ here means object.

Student: So this is similar to the two senses where you talked about saÒÒÈ being both -

Teacher: Right. Because the word ‘ÈkÈsÈnaÒcÈyatana’ belongs to a kind of compound where the compound word signifies something other than those denoted by the individual words, not qualified by them, thereby denoting possession, habitation and so on. This is PÈÄi grammar. The individual words mean something and the compound word means another thing connected with them but not them.

Twenty Nine Palms is a good example. There is a community called ‘Twenty Nine Palms’ in Southern California. Why is that city called ‘Twenty Nine Palms’? Because there are 29 palms there. Maybe there are more than 29 palms now, but that is another thing. A city called ‘Twenty Nine Palms’ means a city where there are 29 palms. So the word ‘Twenty Nine Palms’ does not mean 29 palms. It means a city where there are 29 palms. So 29 is 29 and palms are palms. But when these words are used as a compound, they do not mean 29 palms, but a place which has or where there are 29 palms.

In the same way ÈkÈsÈnaÒca and Èyatana here - ‘ÈkÈsÈnaÒca’ means boundless space and ‘Èyatana’ means base. But when they are compounded and when they become a compound noun, they do not mean ‘boundless space as a base’ but they mean ‘something which has boundless space as a base’ and ‘base’ here means object. So it is not a base, but something which has that base. That is important. So we will have to understand this whenever we see ‘base consisting of boundless space’. The other three jhÈnas are also the same. It is not ‘base’ but ‘something that has the base’.

Sometimes the word ‘Èyatana’ means habitat, where something is born, where something is found or originated like the ‘base for the deities’. Do you know the ‘base for the deities’? What’s that? Actually in our countries we offer something to the deities or the spirits. We build houses for them. That is called ‘devÈyatana’. A shrine for the deities is called ‘devÈyatana’ in PÈÄi. Œyatana is that. ‘Habitat’ just means a place.

Student: It can also be a tree.

Teacher: Oh, yes.

In paragraph 24 “That ‘boundless space’ is a base in the sense of habitat for the jhÈna whose nature it is to be associated with it.” That is not accurate. We should strike out the words ‘whose nature it is to be associated with it’ and replace that as ‘with its associated states’. So the sentence should read “in the sense of habitat for the jhÈna with its associated states.” You will find these words in paragraph 49 of this chapter. Please go to paragraph 49 and you will see them there.

Student: At the beginning of the paragraph?

Teacher: Yes. The PÈÄi word is the same. He misunderstood the PÈÄi word ‘dhamma’. I’ve told you that the word ‘dhamma’ is very difficult to translate. You cannot translate that word with one word every time that you meet it. ‘Dhamma’ here means just the dhamma, the states, mental states and sometimes physical states, but here mental states. He took dhamma to mean nature. It doesn’t mean nature here. Sometimes it does mean nature as in the words ‘vaya dhamma sa~khÈra’. That means the formations have the nature of disintegrating or the nature of disappearing. In that context the word ‘dhamma’ means nature. But here sampayutta dhamma - if you are familiar with Abhidhamma, reading PÈÄi books, you will be familiar with this word. ‘Sampayutta dhamma’ means associated states. So the jhÈna with its associated states is called ‘ÈkÈsÈnaÒcÈyatana’. So not only the jhÈna but the associated states as well are called ‘ÈkÈsÈnaÒcÈyatana’.

Now we have the second one, the base consisting of boundless consciousness. We will have to modify that too. When you want to get the second ar|pÈvacara jhÈna, you find fault with the first ar|pÈvacara jhÈna and so on. You practice meditation again and again and get the second ar|pÈvacara jhÈna.

In paragraph 27, the Text, “By completely, surmounting the base consisting of boundless space (That means by completely surmounting the first ar|pÈvacara jhÈna.), then you practice ‘unbounded consciousness, unbounded consciousness’,” he enters upon and dwells in the base consisting of boundless consciousness.” That is a description of the second ar|pÈvacara jhÈna. The second ar|pÈvacara jhÈna takes the first ar|pÈvacara citta as object. That is why we have here ‘unbounded consciousness, unbounded consciousness’.

You want to surmount the first ar|pÈvacara jhÈna, but you dwell upon it. You pay attention to it and say ‘unbounded consciousness, unbounded consciousness’. Then you surmount it.

Here the word is viÒÒÈÓaÒcÈyatana. So there is viÒÒÈÓaÒca and Èyatana. So viÒÓÈÓaÒcÈyatana comes from viÒÒÈÓa, anaÒca and Èyatana. ViÒÒÈÓaÒca is also a compound of viÒÒÈÓa and anaÒca. ‘AnaÒca’ means boundless and ‘viÒÒÈÓa’ means consciousness. So we have boundless consciousness. Here ‘boundless consciousness’ means the consciousness of the first ar|pÈvacara jhÈna. ‘Œyatana’ means a base in the sense of habitat. Here jhÈna citta and its concomitants are called ‘viÒÒÈÓaÒcÈyatana’ because they have boundless first ar|pÈvacara citta as their habitat or as their object. So it is not the base, but the jhÈna and its concomitants which are called ‘viÒÒÈÓaÒcÈyatana’.

Paragraph 30 “For it is said in the Vibhanga: ‘Unbounded consciousness: he gives attention to that same space pervaded by consciousness, he pervades boundlessly, hence unbounded consciousness is said’. But in that passage (taÑ yeva ÈkÈsaÑ viÒÒÈÓena phutaÑ) the instrumental case ‘by consciousness’ must be understood in the sense of accusative.” Although the case is instrumental, the meaning is not instrumental. The meaning is accusative. Actually what is meant here is ‘not space pervaded by consciousness’, but ‘consciousness pervading the space’. That is the actual meaning that you have to take. Literally translated it means space pervaded by consciousness. The actual meaning here however is consciousness pervading the space. This second ar|pÈvacara jhÈna takes the consciousness of the first ar|pÈvacara jhÈna as object, not space as object. So here ‘consciousness’ must be understood in the accusative sense. That means he gives attention to consciousness which pervades the space or pervading the space. ViÒÒÈÓaÒcÈyatana is explained here, but should be understood according to the explanation that I have given.

Now the third one, nothingness. Now we come to nothingness. The third one takes the absence or the nothingness of the first as an object. After getting the second ar|pÈvacara jhÈna the meditator wants to go on to the third. In order to get the third ar|pÈvacara jhÈna the meditator dwells on the absence of the first ar|pÈvacara jhÈna. When he gets the second ar|pÈvacara jhÈna, the first ar|pÈvacara is gone. After getting the second ar|pÈvacara jhÈna, the first is said to be non-existent. When he wants to get to the third ar|pÈvacara jhÈna, he takes that absence, the nothingness of the first ar|pÈvacara jhÈna as object. That is conceptualized nothingness. It is real nothingness. It is not like ‘void of permanency, happiness’ and so on. In many cases when the word ‘void’ or ‘suÒÒa’ in PÈÄi is used, it means it is void of permanency and so on. But here the word is used as void, or secluded and so on. What is meant here is that nothingness, that non-existence, that absence of the first ar|pÈvacara jhÈna. So he dwells on the absence of the first ar|pÈvacara jhÈna saying ‘void, void’ or ‘secluded, secluded’. He dwells upon it again and again until he gets the third ar|pÈvacara jhÈna.

There is a simile here “Suppose a man sees a community of bhikkhus” and so on. Then there is the Text and Commentary.

“By completely surmounting the base consisting of boundless consciousness (That is the second ar|pÈvacara jhÈna.), [aware that] ‘There is nothing’, he enters upon and dwells in the ‘base consisting of nothingness’.”

“By surmounting the base consisting of boundless consciousness - here too the jhÈna is called ‘the base consisting of boundless consciousness’ - in the way already stated, and its object is so-called too.” So here ‘boundless consciousness’ means the jhÈna and the object of jhÈna.

“It is its ‘base’ in the sense of locality of the species, as KambojÈ is the ‘base’ of horses.” KambojÈ is a country maybe in the northwest of India. Good horses are said to be raised there. You get good horses when you go to KambojÈ. Nowadays what do you say about horses? It is a place of well-bred or expensive horses? KambojÈ is a country or a place where good horses are raised or where good horses come from. In the same way ‘base’ or ‘Èyatana’ is used.

The third ar|pÈvacara jhÈna and its concomitants are called ‘ÈkiÒcaÒÒÈyatana’. There is ÈkiÒcaÒÒa and Èyatana. ŒkiÒcaÒÒa comes from akiÒcana. The word ‘kiÒcana’ is translated as owning in this book (paragraph 39). Actually ‘kiÒcana’ is explained here in the Sub-Commentary as just nothing. The word ‘kiÒcana’ has two meanings. One meaning is concern, concern for something. That is called ‘kiÒcana’. One who has no concern for anything, who has no worry is called ‘akiÒcana’ An Arahant is described as akiÒcana because he has no worry and because he has nothing to be concerned about. That is one meaning.

Here ‘kiÒcana’, the same word, means nothing whatsoever, not concerned, not owning. So here we say ‘akiÒcana’ and that means nothing, nothing, nothing. It means the state of having nothing or simply nothingness, which here means nothingness or absence of the first ar|pÈvacara citta. ‘Œyatana’ means base, the same. JhÈna citta and its concomitants are called ‘ÈkiÒcaÒÒÈyatana’ because they have nothingness or absence of the first ar|pÈvacara citta as their habitat or as their object. The third ar|pÈvacara takes the nothingness of or the absence of the first ar|pÈvacara citta as object. It is not just a base, but something that has nothingness as a base, nothingness as an object.

So these three words are the same. The PÈÄi words for the first, second and third ar|pÈvacara jhÈnas belong to the same kind of compound. So in the compound they mean something other than that which is denoted by the individual words. The last one is different.

The last one is called ‘neither perception nor non-perception’. It is a very strange expression, neither perception nor non-perception. You find fault with the third ar|pÈvacara jhÈna. Then you dwell upon the third ar|pÈvacara jhÈna saying ‘It is good. It is peaceful’. So you take the third ar|pÈvacara jhÈna as object and you say that it is good and that it is peaceful. Then you gain the fourth ar|pÈvacara jhÈna.

The fourth ar|pÈvacara jhÈna is called ‘nevasaÒÒÈnÈsaÒÒÈyatana’ (neither perception nor non-perception). That word is explained in two ways. Do you see the difference between #1 and #2 on the sheet? The PÈÄi words are nevasaÒÒÈ, nÈsaÒÒaÑ plus Èyatana. Do they look the same to you? Do you see the difference? Where?

Student: the last ‘A’.

Teacher: The last ‘A’, right. In #1 the last ‘A’ is short and in #2 the last ‘Œ’ is long. Very good.

Student: And if you saw this, you would know that?

Teacher: Yes. They can mean two quite different things, the one with short ‘A’ and the one with long ‘Œ’. Now #1 nevasaÒÒÈnÈsaÒÒaÑ - ‘nevasaÒÒÈ’ means having no saÒÒÈ and ‘nÈsaÒÒa’ means not having no saÒÒÈ. Now here jhÈna citta and its concomitants are called ‘nevasaÒÒÈnÈsaÒÒÈ’, not nevasaÒÒanÈsaÒÒa. That is because they have no gross saÒÒÈ, but they are not completely without subtle saÒÒÈ. ‘SaÒÒa’ means perception and ‘saÒÒÈ’ means something that has perception. So here jhÈna citta and its concomitants are called ‘nevasaÒÒÈnÈsaÒÒa because they do not have gross saÒÒÈ. Yet they are not completely without subtle saÒÒÈ. Here ‘nevasaÒÒÈnÈsaÒÒa’ means the jhÈna and its concomitants.

So in this compound Èyatana, a base, is the same as nevasaÒÒÈnÈsaÒÒa. One is the adjective of the other. One qualifies the other. By Èyatana or base are meant the jhÈna citta and its concomitants. They are called ‘base’ because they are respectively included in the mana base and the dhamma base among the twelve bases.

There are twelve bases taught in Abhidhamma. Two of the bases are manÈyatana (mind base) and dhammÈyatana (dhamma base). ‘ManÈyatana’ just means types of consciousness. ‘DhammÈyatana’ means cetasikas and some kinds of r|pa and others. NibbÈna is also included here.

So here nevasaÒÒÈ and nÈsaÒÒa and nÈsaÒÒa and Èyatana both mean the same thing. ‘NÈsaÒÒa’ means jhÈna citta and its concomitants and ‘Èyatana’ also means jhÈna citta and its concomitants. So it is different. This compound is different. The jhÈna citta and its concomitants are called ‘nevasaÒÒÈnÈsaÒÒÈyatana’ because they have no gross saÒÒa nor do they not have subtle saÒÒÈ and at the same time they are bases.

This compound is different from the other three compounds. “Unlike the three previous words the word ‘nevasaÒÒÈnÈsaÒÒÈyatana’ is another kind of compound where the whole compound means what is signified by the individual members, one qualifying the other.”

The second meaning is ‘nevasaÒÒÈ (neither saÒÒÈ), nÈsaÒÒÈ (nor non-saÒÒÈ) Èyatana (base). Here ‘saÒÒÈ’ is called ‘nevasaÒÒÈnÈsaÒÒÈyatana’. The whole word means saÒÒÈ here because it is neither full saÒÒÈ nor non-saÒÒÈ and at the same time it is a base. It cannot function as full saÒÒÈ but it is still saÒÒÈ. So it is called ‘nevasaÒÒÈnÈsaÒÒÈ’. It is saÒÒÈ, but it does not function as a full-fledged saÒÒÈ. Although it does not function as full-fledged saÒÒÈ, it is still saÒÒÈ, a very subtle saÒÒÈ. So it is called ‘nevasaÒÒÈnÈsaÒÒÈyatana’ and ‘Èyatana’ means the same thing.

“Here saÒÒÈ is called ‘nevasaÒÒÈnÈsaÒÒÈyatana’ because it is neither full saÒÒÈ nor non-saÒÒÈ and at the same time it is a base or it is included in the dhamma base, or it is dhamma base. But here the presentation is done in the terms of saÒÒÈ, which means saÒÒÈ here is representative of nÈma, and not saÒÒÈ only. Therefore we are to understand that ‘nevasaÒÒÈnÈsaÒÒÈyatana’ means jhÈna citta and its concomitants, not saÒÒÈ only.” So the explanations here are very complicated.

The whole word means saÒÒÈ, but we must understand that it is not only saÒÒÈ that is meant. SaÒÒÈ is meant along with the other mental states.

In this fourth ar|pÈvacara jhÈna saÒÒÈ becomes so subtle that it cannot function as full saÒÒÈ, but since there is still a form of subtle saÒÒÈ, we cannot call it ‘no saÒÒÈ at all’. So it is neither saÒÒÈ nor no saÒÒÈ. Then the similes are given.

Student: So the object is saÒÒÈ?

Teacher: No. The object of this jhÈna is the third ar|pÈvacara jhÈna. This fourth ar|pÈvacara jhÈna is called ‘nevasaÒÒÈnÈsaÒÒÈyatana’. Although the word is saÒÒÈ, we must understand that it means not only saÒÒÈ but saÒÒÈ and other mental states.

The similes given here are the smearing of oil on the bowl, and a teacher and his pupil going on a journey and so on.

Paragraph 52 “But in this context what is perception’s function? It is the perceiving of the object, and it is the production of dispassion if [that attainment and its object are] made the objective field of insight.” What does that mean? Now perception (saÒÒÈ) - saÒÒÈ’s function is to perceive the object. So its function here is perceiving the object. The other function is to become the object of vipassanÈ. That is what is meant here.

“It is the production of dispassion if made the objective field of insight.” That means it can produce dispassion if it is made the object of vipassanÈ. When you practice vipassanÈ, you can watch saÒÒÈ itself. You see saÒÒÈ arising and disappearing, so you become dispassioned towards saÒÒÈ.

But it is not able to make the function of perceiving decisive, as the heat element in tepid water is not able to make the function of burning decisive; and it is not able to produce dispassion by treatment of its objective field with insight in the way that perception is in the case of other attainments.” In tepid water there is heat element, but it is not able to burn or to heat. In the same way there is saÒÒÈ here, but it cannot function in a decisive way or it cannot function fully.

“There is in fact no bhikkhu capable of reaching dispassion by comprehension of aggregates connected with the base consisting of neither perception nor non-perception unless he has already done his interpreting with other aggregates.” There is nobody, even if he is the Venerable SÈriputta capable of reaching dispassion by comprehension of aggregates. That means he must have practiced vipassanÈ meditation and then contemplating on the impermanence, suffering and soulless nature of things, of all phenomena group by group, one by one. Only after that will he be capable of reaching dispassion, otherwise no. Even if he is Venerable SÈriputta, he will not be able to reach. Those words are missing here. So we should insert the words “There is in fact no bhikkhu even if he is the Venerable SÈriputta capable of reaching dispassion” and so on.

“And furthermore, when the Venerable SÈriputta, or someone very wise and naturally gifted with insight as he was, is able to do so, even he has to do it by means of comprehension by groups.” Here also the meaning is something like this. One who has practiced vipassanÈ in the usual way (That means beginning with contemplating on the aggregates and so on.), such a person who is a wise one, who is as wise as Venerable SÈriputta, should be able to do so only by comprehension of groups. So even if one has practiced vipassanÈ meditation in the usual way beginning with the comprehension of impermanence and so on of mind and matter, even such a person has to do it by means of comprehension of groups, not comprehension of individual states. One must take the whole group as an object of meditation and not the individual members.

“ ‘So it seems, these states, not having been, come to be; having come to be, they vanish’ and not by means of [actual direct] insight into states one by one as they arise, such is the subtlety that this attainment reaches.” Even if one is an experienced practitioner of vipassanÈ, one can do so only by groups, but one cannot observe states one by one.

“This meaning should be illustrated by the simile of the water on the road.” This simile is similar to smearing the bowl with oil.

Now comes the general explanation. First is what? The first is that the ar|pÈvacara jhÈnas have to surmount the object rather than the jhÈna factors. That means ar|pÈvacara jhÈnas have different objects rather than different jhÈna factors. They have the same jhÈna factors, two jhÈna factors (upekkhÈ and ekaggatÈ). All of them have two jhÈna factors. So when you want to reach the higher ar|pÈvacara jhÈna, you have to surmount the object and not the factors. That means you cannot eliminate jhÈna factors, but you must surmount the object. That means you have to take another object. That is the first one.

The second one is in paragraph 59. It is just a simile of how one is more subtle than the other. The example of a very fine piece of cloth weighing maybe one ounce, two ounces and so on is given. This means that the second is more subtle than the first, the third is more subtle than the second and so on. These are not difficult to understand.

The next one is in paragraph 64. The fourth ar|pÈvacara jhÈna takes the third ar|pÈvacara jhÈna as object. When you want to obtain the fourth ar|pÈvacara jhÈna, you say “Oh this third ar|pÈvacara is good. It is peaceful. It is good.” You contemplate like that. If you say that it is good and that it is peaceful, it would seem that you are attached to it, that you like it. Right? But the answer here is “no”. It is similar to you finding fault with the king. There is nothing to do. You just follow him.

“It takes this for the object since

There is no other one as good,

As men depend upon a king,

Whose fault they see, for livelihood.”

The person cannot get away from the king because his livelihood depends upon the king. Although he does not like him, he has to be with him. It is something like that.

Then the last one, paragraph 66, gives how one has to hold on or take as object the third one. “As one who mounts a lofty stair leans on its railing for a prop” - so when you climb stairs, you have to lean on the railing. “As one who climbs an airy peak leans on the mountain’s very top” - so when you go up a mountain, you have to hold onto the top. “As one who stands on a crag’s edge leans for support on his own knees” - sometimes you have to lean on your own knees. “Each jhÈna rests on that below; for so it is with each of these.” One jhÈna depends upon another.

So this is the end of the fourth ar|pÈvacara jhÈna. I had to rush through. The explanations sometimes are very involved. The word explanations also are complicated. Sometimes there is some ambiguity in PÈÄi words. You can make a word mean something other than what the word seems to mean. For example one may say this is an adjectival compound, but I may say no that it is another kind of compound and I can explain it. Therein lies the ambiguity of many words.

You know we have lost the accents in PÈÄi, but there were accents in the older Sanskrit, in Vedic Sanskrit. In the older Sanskrit the accents differentiate words. One and the same word can be an adjectival compound and another kind of compound. The word is the same, but the accent may be on the first word or the second word in the compound. By the accent they designate that this is the adjectival compound and not any other thing. In later Sanskrit and in PÈÄi we have lost the accents. When there is no accent, there is no way of asserting that this is this only and not that. So there comes confusion about words. I can explain it any way I like if I am familiar with these grammatical manipulations. Many words are explained in that way in the Commentaries. So the word ‘r|pasaÒÒÈ’ is made to mean the jhÈnas and also the objects. So it is truly said here that it is a play upon words. OK.

SÈdhu! SÈdhu! SÈdhu!

We offer this transcription of a Dhamma class with Venerable U SÊlÈnanda with the hope that it will be beneficial for your understanding of the Buddha’s teachings. This transcription has not been edited. It is the record of spontaneous exchanges between the teacher and students. Therefore it is possible that there are some errors. We are certain that such errors are infrequent and minimal. SayÈdaw is a meticulous and careful teacher and offers these teachings in this manner out of compassion for those people who are interested in the serious study and practice of meditation and Buddhism.