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B01030212jhānavibhaṅgo (meditation analysis treatise)

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English

12. Analysis of Jhāna 1. Discourse Section 508. Here, a bhikkhu lives restrained by the restraint of the Pātimokkha, endowed with good conduct and resort, seeing danger in the slightest faults, undertaking and training in the training rules. He guards the doors of his senses, is moderate in eating, devoted to wakefulness in the first and last watches of the night, constantly and diligently devoted to the development of the qualities conducive to awakening. He acts with full awareness when going forward and returning, when looking ahead and looking around, when bending and stretching, when wearing his robes, bowl, and outer robe, when eating, drinking, chewing, and tasting, when defecating and urinating, when walking, standing, sitting, sleeping, waking, speaking, and remaining silent. He resorts to a secluded dwelling: a forest, the root of a tree, a mountain, a ravine, a mountain cave, a charnel ground, a jungle thicket, an open space, a heap of straw. It is quiet, free from noise, secluded from people, suitable for retreat. He, having gone to the forest, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut, sits down, crosses his legs, holds his body erect, and establishes mindfulness in front of him. He abandons covetousness for the world, and lives with a mind free from covetousness, purifying his mind from covetousness. He abandons ill will and hatred, and lives with a mind free from ill will, compassionate for all living beings, purifying his mind from ill will and hatred. He abandons sloth and torpor, and lives free from sloth and torpor, perceiving light, mindful and fully aware, purifying his mind from sloth and torpor. He abandons restlessness and remorse, and lives unagitated, with his mind inwardly peaceful, purifying his mind from restlessness and remorse. He abandons doubt, and lives having overcome doubt, without perplexity regarding wholesome states, purifying his mind from doubt. He, having abandoned these five hindrances, the corruptions of the mind, He, having weakened the defilements with wisdom, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by initial application and sustained application, born of seclusion, with rapture and pleasure. With the subsiding of initial and sustained application, with the internal pacification and unification of mind, he enters and dwells in the second jhāna, which is without initial application and sustained application, born of concentration, with rapture and pleasure. With the fading away of rapture, he dwells equanimous, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experiences pleasure with the body, that of which the Noble Ones declare: "Equanimous, mindful, one who dwells in pleasure." He enters and dwells in the third jhāna. With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and sorrow, he enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna, which is neither painful nor pleasant, and is purified by equanimity and mindfulness. With the complete transcending of perceptions of form, with the disappearance of perceptions of sensory impingement, with not attending to perceptions of diversity, (thinking) "Space is infinite," he enters and dwells in the sphere of infinite space. With the complete transcending of the sphere of infinite space, (thinking) "Consciousness is infinite," he enters and dwells in the sphere of infinite consciousness. With the complete transcending of the sphere of infinite consciousness, (thinking) "There is nothing," he enters and dwells in the sphere of nothingness. With the complete transcending of the sphere of nothingness, he enters and dwells in the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception. Matrix 509. "Herein" means: in this view, in this acceptance, in this liking, in this grasping, in this Dhamma, in this Vinaya, in this Dhamma-Vinaya, in this teaching, in this holy life, in this Teacher's Dispensation. Therefore it is called "herein". 510. "Monk" means: a monk by designation, a monk by profession, one who begs, thus a monk, one who is a beggar, thus a monk, one who has undertaken the alms-round, thus a monk, one who wears torn robes, thus a monk, one who breaks evil unwholesome states, thus a monk, one who has broken evil unwholesome states, thus a monk, one who has abandoned defilements completely, thus a monk, a A monk who has abandoned defilements without residue, a learner monk, a perfected monk, a monk who is neither a learner nor perfected, a foremost monk, a good monk, a distinguished monk, an excellent monk, a monk who has received full ordination by a unanimous Sangha through a declaration-and-three-motions act, which is unshakeable and worthy of being established. 511. "Pātimokkha" means: virtue, foundation, beginning, conduct, restraint, control, liberation, foremost, for the attainment of wholesome states. "Restraint" means: non-transgression by body, non-transgression by speech, non-transgression by body and speech. "Restrained" means: one is endowed, fully endowed, approached, fully approached, established, accomplished, possessed of this Pātimokkha restraint. Therefore, one is called "restrained by Pātimokkha restraint." 512. "Dwells" means: moves, acts, maintains, spends, passes, conducts oneself, dwells. Therefore, one is called "dwells." 513. "Endowed with good conduct and resort" means: there is good conduct, there is bad conduct. Among these, what is bad conduct? Transgression by body, transgression by speech, transgression by body and speech – this is called "bad conduct." All immorality is bad conduct. Herein, some person sustains life by giving bamboo, or by giving leaves, or by giving flowers, or by giving fruits, or by giving bathing powder, or by giving tooth-sticks, or by flattery, or by fawning, or by acting as a go-between, or by running errands, or by any other wrong livelihood condemned by the Buddha – this is called "bad conduct." Among these, what is good conduct? Non-transgression by body, non-transgression by speech, non-transgression by body and speech – this is called "good conduct." All restraint of virtue is good conduct. Herein, some person does not sustain life by giving bamboo, nor by giving leaves, nor by giving flowers, nor by giving fruits, nor by giving bathing powder, nor by giving tooth-sticks, nor by flattery, nor by fawning, nor by acting as a go-between, nor by running errands, nor by any other wrong livelihood condemned by the Buddha – this is called good conduct. is called “conduct.” 514. As for “resort,” there is resort, and there is non-resort. Among these, what is non-resort? Here, some individual resorts to prostitutes, or resorts to widows, or resorts to mature maidens, or resorts to eunuchs, or resorts to bhikkhunīs, or resorts to taverns. He lives entangled with kings, with royal ministers, with sectarians, with sectarian disciples, with an inappropriate entanglement. Or, those families that are faithless, unconfident, not like a watering place, abusive, reviling, not wishing for welfare, not wishing for benefit, not wishing for comfort, not wishing for security for bhikkhus, bhikkhunīs, male lay followers, female lay followers—he associates with, frequents, and attends upon such families. This is called “non-resort.” Among these, what is resort? Here, some individual does not resort to prostitutes, does not resort to widows, does not resort to mature maidens, does not resort to eunuchs, does not resort to bhikkhunīs, does not resort to taverns. He lives disentangled with kings, with royal ministers, with sectarians, with sectarian disciples, with an inappropriate entanglement. Or, those families that are faithful, confident, like a watering place, shining like the saffron robe, like the wind of ascetics, wishing for welfare, wishing for benefit, wishing for comfort, wishing for security for bhikkhus, bhikkhunīs, male lay followers, female lay followers—he associates with, frequents, and attends upon such families. This is called “resort.” Thus, he is endowed with this conduct and with this resort… and possessed of it. Therefore, he is called “endowed with conduct and resort.” 515. As for “seeing danger in the slightest faults,” among these, what are the slightest faults? Those faults that are trifling, minor, light, considered light, to be restrained, to be guarded against, to be generated by thought, bound to attention—these are called “slightest faults.” Thus, in these slightest faults, he sees them as faults, and sees them as danger, and sees them as drawback, and sees them as escape. Therefore, he is called “seeing danger in the slightest faults.” "He undertakes and trains in the precepts." What is training there? There are four trainings: the training of monks for monks, the training of nuns for nuns, the training of laymen for laymen, the training of laywomen for laywomen. These are called 'trainings'. Thus, in these trainings, in every way, completely, entirely, without remainder, without omission, one undertakes and acts. Therefore, it is said: "He undertakes and trains in the precepts." "Guarded in the sense-doors." There is guardedness in the sense-doors, and there is unguardedness. What is unguardedness in the sense-doors there? Here, someone, having seen a form with the eye, grasps at its general appearance, grasps at its details. Because of which, while the eye-faculty dwells unguarded, evil unwholesome states of covetousness and displeasure might flow in upon him; he does not practice for its restraint, he does not guard the eye-faculty, he does not undertake restraint in the eye-faculty. Having heard a sound with the ear... (and so on) ... having smelled an odor with the nose... (and so on) ... having tasted a flavor with the tongue... (and so on) ... having felt a tactile sensation with the body... (and so on) ... having cognized a mental phenomenon with the mind, he grasps at its general appearance,

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