Jhanas Solved? Part IV

In part III, the second jhāna was described as an ecstatic experience of quelled thoughts with a movement of the mind into oneness.

In this part, the third and fourth jhānas will be discussed and analyzed within the context of the jhānas as a whole. From this discussion, I will argue that the jhānas are facets of one meditative process rather than a sequence of distinct stages and the purpose of the jhānas is a succesive activity of relinquishment.

In the Maha-Saccaka Sutta, the Buddha describes the third jhāna:

With the fading of rapture I remained equanimous, mindful, & alert, and sensed pleasure with the body. I entered & remained in the third jhana.

In the third jhāna, the “rapture” experienced in the second jhāna fades and in its place is a frame of mind that is “equanimous, mindful (sato) & alert (sampajano)” with pleasure still remaining.

The Buddha goes on to describe the fourth jhāna:

But the pleasant feeling that arose in this way did not invade my mind or remain. With the abandoning of pleasure & pain . . . I entered & remained in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain.

Here in the final fourth jhāna, pleasure (sukha) is now abandoned and we are left with mindfulness and equanimity (upekkha-sati) as in the third jhāna but now purified (parisuddhim) in relation to the third.

Having expounded the stock passages of the third and fourth jhāna it is essential at this point to look at these specific jhānas alongside the first two jhānas within the context of the Maha-Saccaka Sutta. In the sutta the Buddha is talking to a Jain ascetic about the severe acetic strivings he performed that left him almost dead from starvation without being any closer to enlightenment.

The Buddha relates in this sutta that the turning point came in his quest for awakening when he recalled having a blissful experience as a boy relaxing under a Rose Apple tree. This remembrance sparked the insight that the relentless striving and pushing of the body and mind to the extreme was not the way, but rather an opposite type activity was required; an activity characterized by relinquishment, pleasure and relaxation.

And this is the essence of the jhanas: an activity that allows for relinquishment to take place in a successive manner.

The first jhāna begins with the relinquishment of external disturbances or “seclusion” which leads to a blissful feeling. The second jhāna continues with the relinquishment of internal disturbances in terms of thoughts and evaluations resulting in an ultimate absorption in ecstasy. The third jhāna continues with the relinquishment or “fading” of this ecstasy or “rapture” with only pleasure remaining. And even this pleasure relinquished or “abandon[ed]” in the final fourth jhāna.

From this perspective, we can now see more clearly that the jhānas are a single successive process of letting go rather than independent, compartmentalized stages which scholastic numbering provides the illusion for.

Also from this perspective we can a better idea of what the third and fourth jhānas consist of which is simply the relinquishment of the qualities gained by the first two jhāna with the exception of the new development of mindfulness (sati) and equanimity (upekkha) which will be explored later.

In conclusion, the Buddha is telling the Jain ascetic in Maha-Saccaka Sutta that the path to enlightenment is not by controlling and dominating the body to one’s will, but it is rather the relinquishment of all striving that respects the body and welcomes blameless inner pleasure.

But what exactly was it that after the Buddha reached the fourth jhāna that led him to enlightenment? Well, that is in the next post.

Dog Duty Ascetic and Rebirth -- Part II

In part I, I looked at the Kukkuravatika Sutta, or the Dog Duty Ascetic sutta, to see if it did the support the argument that the Buddha believed in literal rebirth.

By examining the context of the sutta, I pointed out that the Buddha was most likely using skillful means to communicate with the two ascetics by telling them that if they continued to mimic animal behavior they would be born as that animal and not as a god.

His use of skillful means is further illustrated in the later part of the sutta when he gives a short discourse on the four types of kammas after being begged by one of the tearful ascetics who has just come to the realization of the utter uselessness of their animal acts.

The Buddha first elaborates dark kamma which is then followed by bright kamma:

Here someone produces a (kammic) bodily process not (bound up) with affliction, he produces a (kammic) verbal process not (bound up) with affliction, he produces a (kammic) mental process not (bound up) with affliction. By doing so, he reappears in a world without affliction. When that happens, unafflicting contacts touch him. Being touched by these, he feels unafflicting feelings entirely pleasant as in the case of the Subhakinha, the gods of Refulgent Glory.

The Buddha explains that the result of bright kamma is the arising (upapajjati) in an unafflictive “world” (loka) where one experiences, “unafflicting feelings entirely pleasant as in the case of the Subhakinha, the gods of Refulgent Glory.” This is Vedic language. The phrase about arising in a “world” is a Vedic term, which besides denoting a metaphorical space, also has a psychological meaning. In the final sentence of the passage, the Buddha invokes the Vedic folk god Subhakinha.

What is interesting is that the Buddha does not say that one will become that god through such actions, but only that one can experience such feelings worthy of that god.

The Buddha here is essentially telling the ascetics how to obtain their original goal of companionship with god but in a different way. The Buddha is saying that one who is able to experience the same state that a god would experience is to effectively be that god; to enter the state of being of that god is to be it.

By the Buddha giving a psychological dimension to a metaphysical belief system, the Buddha opens up a new perspective and hope for the distraught men. The one ascetic is weeping because he is convinced by the Buddha that he has wasted enormous time in his beastly practices. By offering them a way they can taste their original goal by experiencing it in this life, he turns their despair into happiness by pointing them on a more productive path.

Conclusion

The further elucidation of this sutta should help convince those that claim this sutta clearly shows the Buddha’s belief in rebirth is not the only interpretation. Like in many of the suttas in the Pali Canon, the Buddha uses skillful means to communicate with the various different peoples he meets. This is just one more interesting example of this trend where the Buddha takes on his interlocutor’s language and view point in order to lead them to a different understanding of the world.

Dog Duty Ascetic and Rebirth -- Part I

Many who argue that the Buddha believed in literal rebirth often refer to the interesting Kukkuravatika Sutta, or the Dog Duty Ascetic sutta, to support their claim.

Even a casual glance of the sutta does appear to lend support to their position that the Buddha not only taught but believed in rebirth. The sutta in question relates the Buddha in conversation with two rather bizarre characters, one of which acts like a bull and the other a dog. The two men ask the Buddha what is the result of acting like such animals and the Buddha reluctantly tells them they will both either enter the “animal womb” or niraya (hell).

If we take the sutta at face value it appears to be straight forward with no real room to interpret it in another fashion. However, before making too hasty a conclusion let us try to better understand the context of the sutta by examining these two characters and at least attempt to understand the motivation behind their actions which may bring some insight as to why the Buddha responded as he did.

Doing some research into the ancient Indian texts that were known during the Buddha’s time presents us with evidence that such behavior was indeed present and even sanctioned by the influential and widespread Vedic religious thought. One particular example can be found in the Jaiminiya Brahmana 2.113 and the Taittiriya-Brahmana 2.7.6 which describes such actions as behaving as a bull and even committing incest with one’s own mother as part of the Gosava rite or “vow of the bull.” The Taittiriya-Brahmana explains that such a rite should be consummated if one wants to obtain svarajya or the power of sovereignty or independent dominion (Narayan Jha, 46). It appears that there was belief that by imitating a bull or some other animal one could somehow gain and transfer its power from the animal realm to the human one. This type of primitive belief is very reminiscent of shamanistic beliefs systems shared in many small scale societies.

Why specifically the bull was one of the animals chosen to imitate is not altogether clear, but it is interesting to note that in the Vedas the bull is seen as self-ruling and powerful and often associated with one of the most powerful of the ruling gods: Brahma (Kr Singh, 245).

Another possible reason for such behavior is these ascetics are belaboring under the commonly held ascetic view of the time that by engaging in severe hardships one would later experience pleasant existences due to the equalizing force in the universe. The basic idea of suffering now so as to experience happiness later permeated much of ascetic thought during the Buddha’s time (Gombrich, 37).

In the sutta, the two ascetics never announce their motivation directly, but the Buddha does when he explains to them the result of their practices:

Here, Seniya, someone develops the ox duty fully and unstintingly, he develops the ox habit fully and unstintingly, he develops the ox mind fully and unstintingly, he develops the ox behavior fully and unstintingly. Having done that, on the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in the company of oxen. But if his view is such as this: 'By this virtue or duty or asceticism or religious like I shall become a (great) god or some (lesser) god,' that is wrong view in his case.

The Buddha replies in the exact same fashion for the dog ascetic, and we are left to believe that the two characters acted in such a manner in order to arise in a heavenly world as a god or some other higher being.

Maybe the ox performer believed he would become a powerful god like Brahma and the dog ascetic as Sarama -- a high level heavenly dog of Vedic mythology.

Regardless of the exact reasons, both men seem to believe that if they keep with their present course of action they will achieve a better existence as framed within the folds of Vedic belief system.

Now of crucial interest is how the Buddha responds to the question as to what is their final path (abhisamparāya). The Buddha replies that they will either appear in the company or in the companionship (sahavyatā) with the animal imitated or a downward-path (niraya). The fact that the Buddha uses the word companionship, or sahavyatā, is important.

In the Upanishads the ultimate soteriological goal is the union or companionship with Brahma. By the Buddha mentioning companionship with dogs or oxen seems to me to almost poking fun.

The important thing to understand is that the Buddha is using Vedic language to communicate in terms the ascetics are familiar and immersed in. By the Buddha telling the two men that at best they will end up in an oxen or doggy world, he is not just teasing them but pointing out the damage of such beliefs within the fold of the Buddha’s idea of kamma.

By indicating they will end up with animals if they act animals; he is telling them that the results of actions are commensurate with the action itself; by acting like a dog, you becomes a dog and not a god. I also think the Buddha is effectively denying the ascetic belief that by suffering now bliss will be followed later. He is instead saying the opposite is true: by inflicting hardships now will only lead to hardships later.

Understandably the two ascetics are incredibly distraught with the Buddha’s answer and the ox ascetic bursts into tears. In between his weeping, he asks the Buddha a better way to act so he can abandon his ox laden ways.

The Buddha’s answer is very interesting and is the subject of Part II.

References

Gombrich, Richard F. 1996. How Buddhism Began: The Conditioned Genesis of the Early Teachings. London, Althlone Press.

Kr Singh, Nagendra. 1997. Vedic Mythology. New Delhi, A.P.H Publishing Corporation.

Narayan Jha, Dwijendra. 2002. The Myth of the Holy Cow. New Delhi, Verso.

Tull, Herman W. 1989. The Vedic Origins of Karma. Albany, State University of New York Press.