English
Because he is worthy of praise. For because, even in the third jhāna, which has reached the pinnacle of pleasure, an exceedingly sweet pleasure, he is equanimous, he is not drawn by attachment to that pleasure, just as joy does not arise. Thus, by virtue of established mindfulness, he is mindful. And because he experiences with the mental body a pleasure that is dear to the Noble Ones, served by the Noble Ones, and undefiled, therefore he is worthy of praise. Thus, because he is worthy of praise, the Noble Ones, proclaiming these qualities which are the cause of praise, praise him thus: "Equanimous, mindful, dwelling in pleasure." This should be understood. "Third" means third in numerical order. It is also "third" in that one attains this third (jhāna). And here, "jhāna" is like the second... By clarity and so on, it is four-factored; thus this is five-factored by equanimity and so on. As it is said: "Jhāna means equanimity, mindfulness, clear comprehension, happiness, one-pointedness of mind." This is indeed a figurative way. But setting aside equanimity, mindfulness, and clear comprehension, it is truly two-factored. As it is said: "What is the two-factored jhāna at that time? Happiness, one-pointedness of mind." The rest is in the manner already stated. The discourse on the Third Jhāna is finished. Discourse on the Fourth Jhāna "From the abandoning of pleasure and the abandoning of pain" means the abandoning of bodily pleasure and bodily pain. "Beforehand" that indeed is beforehand, not at the moment of the fourth jhāna. "From the disappearance of joy and sorrow" means the disappearance of mental pleasure and mental pain, and it is said that these two also disappear and are abandoned beforehand. When then is their abandoning? At the access moment of the four jhānas. For joy is abandoned at the access moment of the fourth jhāna itself, and pain, sorrow, and happiness at the access moments of the first, second, and third. Thus, for these, not stated in the order of abandoning, but stated here in the order of enumeration of the faculties in the Indriya-vibhaṅga, the abandoning of pleasure, pain, joy, and sorrow should be understood. If these are abandoned at the access moment of each respective jhāna, then why is it said that "Where does the faculty of pain, having arisen, cease without remainder? Here, monks, a monk, quite secluded from sensual pleasures... having entered and remained in the first jhāna, the faculty of pain, having arisen there, ceases without remainder. Where does the faculty of sorrow... the faculty of pleasure... the faculty of joy, having arisen, cease without remainder? Here, monks, a monk, from the abandoning of pleasure... having entered and remained in the fourth jhāna, the faculty of joy, having arisen there, ceases without remainder." Why is cessation thus stated only in the jhānas? Due to extreme cessation. itself. For them, it is the extreme cessation in the first jhāna and so on, not just cessation. But it is just cessation in the access moment, not extreme cessation. Thus, in the access to the first jhāna, which avoids various things, even though the faculty of suffering has ceased, it might arise due to contact with gnats and mosquitoes, or due to the discomfort of an uneven seat, but not in absorption. Or, even if it has ceased in access, it is not completely ceased, because it is not overcome by its opponent. But in absorption, with the suffusion of rapture, the whole body is pervaded with pleasure. And for a body pervaded with pleasure, the faculty of suffering is completely ceased, because it is overcome by its opponent. And in the access to the second jhāna, which avoids various things, the faculty of displeasure has been abandoned. Since this arises when there is mental fatigue and mental affliction due to applied thought and sustained thought, it does not arise when applied thought and sustained thought are absent. But where it does arise, it is in the presence of applied thought and sustained thought. And since applied thought and sustained thought are not abandoned in the access to the second jhāna, it might arise there, because its causes are not abandoned. But not in the second jhāna, because its causes are abandoned. Similarly, in the access to the third jhāna, even though the faculty of pleasure has been abandoned, it might arise for a body pervaded with refined form arising from rapture, but not in the third jhāna. For in the third jhāna, rapture, which is the cause of pleasure, has completely ceased. Similarly, in the access to the fourth jhāna, even though the faculty of joy has been abandoned, it might arise due to proximity, and due to the absence of equanimity that has reached absorption, and due to not being properly transcended. But not in the fourth jhāna. That is why the phrase "the faculty of suffering arising here ceases without remainder" is used in those places, indicating "without remainder." Here it is asked: "If so, why are these feelings, even though abandoned in the access to each of those jhānas, collected here?" For the purpose of grasping pleasure. For this feeling of neither-pain-nor-pleasure, which is called "neither-pain-nor-pleasure" here, is subtle and extremely difficult to discern; it cannot be easily grasped. Therefore, just as a bad person, or as it is, Or, for the purpose of catching a bull that could not be caught by approaching it, a cowherd gathers all the cows into one pen. Then, leading them out one by one, when one comes in turn, he says, "This is it, catch it!" and has it caught. In the same way, the Blessed One gathered all these for easy comprehension. For, having gathered and shown these, it is possible to make one grasp, "That which is neither pleasure nor pain, neither joy nor sorrow, this is feeling that is neither painful nor pleasant." Moreover, it should be understood that these were also spoken to show the condition for liberation of mind through neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling. For the abandonment of pleasure, etc., are its conditions. As it is said: "There are, friends, four conditions for the attainment of liberation of mind through neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling. Here, friends, a monk, by the abandonment of pleasure... (etc.)... enters upon and abides in the fourth jhana. These, friends, are the four conditions for the attainment of liberation of mind through neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling." Or, just as elsewhere, even though wrong views, etc., are abandoned, they are said to be abandoned there for the purpose of praising the third path; similarly, it should be understood that these are spoken here for the purpose of praising this jhana. Or, it should be understood that these are spoken here to show the extreme remoteness of passion and hatred by the destruction of their conditions. For among these, pleasure is the condition for joy, joy for passion; pain is the condition for sorrow, sorrow for hatred. And by the destruction of pleasure, etc., those passion and hatred with their conditions are destroyed, and thus become extremely remote. "Neither painful nor pleasant" means not painful due to the absence of pain, and not pleasant due to the absence of pleasure. By this, it indicates the third feeling, which is the opposite of pain and pleasure, not merely the absence of pain and pleasure. The third feeling is called neither-painful-nor-pleasant, or equanimity. It should be understood as having the characteristic of experiencing what is contrary to agreeable and disagreeable, having the flavor of neutrality, having a non-manifest manifestation, and having the cessation of pleasure as its proximate cause. "Purity of mindfulness due to equanimity" means the purity of mindfulness generated by equanimity. For in this jhana, mindfulness is perfectly pure. That And with that mindfulness, there is purity, that is made by equanimity, not by anything else; therefore, this is called "purity of mindfulness through equanimity." It is also said in the Vibhaṅga – "This mindfulness, by this equanimity, becomes clear, pure, and cleansed; therefore, it is said, 'purity of mindfulness through equanimity.'" And the equanimity by which there is purity of mindfulness here, that is to be understood as equanimity (tatramajjhattatā) in its true sense. And not only is mindfulness pure by that here, but also all the conjoined phenomena; but the teaching is stated with mindfulness as the head. Here, although this equanimity is also found in the three lower jhānas, just as in the daytime, due to being overcome by the sun's radiance, and due to its gentle nature, or due to not obtaining its kindred night, the moon's disk, though present in the daytime, is impure and uncleansed; even so, this moon's disk of equanimity (tatramajjhattupekkhā), due to being overcome by the power of opposing phenomena like initial application and sustained application, and due to not obtaining its kindred night of equanimous feeling, though present in the first and other jhānas, is impure. And just as the light of an impure moon's disk in the daytime, so too, mindfulness and other co-arisen phenomena are impure; therefore, none of them is called "purity of mindfulness through equanimity." Here, however, due to the absence of being overcome by the power of opposing phenomena like initial application, and due to the attainment of its kindred night of equanimous feeling, this moon's disk of equanimity (tatramajjhattupekkhā) is exceedingly pure; due to its purity, just like the light of a pure moon's disk, mindfulness and other co-arisen phenomena are pure and cleansed; therefore, it is to be understood that this alone is called "purity of mindfulness through equanimity." "Fourth" means fourth in the order of counting. This is "fourth" because one attains the fourth. "Jhāna" here, just as the third is five-factored with equanimity and so on; similarly, this is three-factored with equanimity and so on.