Vimokkha

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Vimokkha

Releases, Deliverances

See: Nanamoli/Bodhi, The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, Wisdom Pubs, Sutta 77, notes 764-768


Pali	MO	Hare	Horner	Punnaji	Bodhi	Nanamoli	Rhys Davids	(Mrs)Rhys Davids	Thanissaro	Walshe	Woodward
Vimokkha	Release	Deliverances	Release		liberations	liberations	Deliverances		?Freedom	Liberations

**Pali Text Society, Pali English Dictionary (edited entry):**
Vimokkha (and Vimokha): deliverance, release, emancipation, dissociation from the things of the world, Arahantship D II.70, 111); III.34, 35, 230, 288; M I.196 (samaya- and asamaya-); S I.159 (cetaso v.); II.53, 123; III.121; IV.33; A II.87; IV.316; V.11; Vin V.164 (cittassa);...The three vimokkhas are: su¾¾ato v., animitto v., appa¼ihito v....The eight vimokkhas or stages of emancipation, are: the condition of r¬p¨, ar¬pa-sa¾¾¨, recognition of subha, realization of ¤k¤sa-na¾c'¤yatana, of vi¾¾¤¼'a-na¾c'¤yatana, ¤ki¾ca¾¾'¤yatana, neva-sa¾¾¤-n'a-sa¾¾'¤yatana, sa¾¾¤vedayita-nirodha D III.262 (cp. Dial. III.242), A I.40; IV.306;...- In sequence jh¤na vimokkha sam¤dhi sam¤patti (magga phala) at Vin I.97, 104; III.91; IV.25; A III.417, 419; V.34, 38; - See also jh¤na.

University of Chicago PED has no entry for Vimokkha or Vimokha.

Eight Releases:
1. Seeing the materiality of material. This is the first release.
2. Perceiving the personally immaterial one sees external materiality. This is the second release.
3. Thinking "How pure!" he intends to get that. This is the third release.
4. Elevating himself above all perceptions of materiality, allowing perceptions of resistance to subside, not scrutinizing perceptions of diversity, thinking: 'Un-ending is space.' he enters into and makes a habitat of the Space-dimension. This is the fourth release.
5. Elevating himself completely above the Space-dimension, thinking: 'Un-ending is consciousness.' he enters into and makes a habitat of the Consciousness-dimension. This is the fifth release.
6. Elevating himself completely above the Consciousness-dimension, thinking: 'There is nothing.' he enters into and makes a habitat of the No-thing-there dimension. This is the sixth release.
7. Elevating himself completely above the No-thing-there-dimension he enters into and makes a habitat of the Dimension of Neither-perception-nor-non-perception. This is the seventh release.
8. Elevating himself completely above the Dimension of Neither-perception-nor-non-perception, he enters into and makes a habitat of the ending of perception and sense experience. This is the eighth release

Horner notes (M.I.29, pp 243 note) The Eight Releases, as above, are called "samayavimokkha", or release as to things that are worldly, mundane and temporal (citing MA. ii. 232, which I do not have). This is contrasted with "asamayavimokkha" which is described as "the four ways, the four fruits and nibbana." I think this is all just made up in the minds of the commentators and that the both amount to the same thing but are describing different stages. The important clue here is the term "knows and sees," which is a matter of understanding the Four Noble Truths with regard to these objects.