It is during the altered state of awareness that is skilful meditation (samma-samadhi) that this contemplative has found various phenomena occur.  And, through leading a web-based dialog called the Jhana Support Group, which is focused upon the subject of the phenomena of meditation, where a large number (almost 600 people) have reported the phenomena of their meditation experiences, then it is possible to conclude that various phenomena occur to a wide range of contemplatives who have developed skillful meditation.  While it is understood that the religious experience and the phenomena of meditation is not the same for everyone, we have found within this record of experience there are clear commonalities that can be used to build an overarching theory within which to place the phenomena of skilful meditation (sama-samadhi).

It is thus the intention of this article to attempt to bring together three key areas of the phenomena of skilful meditation within the structure of the Buddha's teachings as revealed in the earliest record of his discourses.  The earliest record of the Buddha's discourses is contained within the Sutta Pitaka portion of the Pali Canon.  The three concepts and phenomena that we will explore are: The Buddha's concept of 8 stages of absorption (jhana); Access concentration; luminous orbs that appear to some people during a stage of meditative absorption; and the Out-of-Body (OOB) experience. You will see later why I chose this particular suit of phenomena and concepts to join together.

While every school of Buddhism certainly references the Discourses of the Buddha, we tend to find as we penetrate the teaching of the various schools of Buddhism that they clearly focus more so upon their school's commentarial literature, which very often relies more heavily upon the Abhidhamma and/or a 5^th century commentary called the "Visuddhimagga," than upon the original Discourses of the Buddha (Sutta Pitaka).

The characteristic difference between the commentaries and the Discourses (Sutta Pitaka) is a tendency of the commentaries to look at the four lower absorptions (rupa-jhanas) as lucid non-material absorption states that fully efface the material senses.  And, to address the fact that there are clearly preliminary phenomena that arises prior to the non-material absorption states as "merely access concentration."

The subjective quality of skillful meditation is revealed in the Discourses of the Buddha.  In these discourses the Buddha defined skillful meditation by the use of another Pali term "jhana." In his description of jhana he used terms like "piti and sukha" which refer to a pleasure and joy that emerges from the meditation experience.

The concept of "access concentration," which is known in Pali as "upacara-samadhi," is presented in both the Abhidhamma and in the Buddhist commentaries, it however does not appear in the Discourse of the Buddha. This article will attempt to reveal the reasons why the concept has emerged within the dogma of the three vehicles of Buddhism.  The phenomena of luminous orbs tends to occur for some contemplatives, however, this phenomena was not reported in the Discourse of the Buddha but does appear in the commentaries.  This article will attempt to argue that the concept of access concentration is in part an attempt to grapple with placing the luminous orbs within the context of the Buddha's discourses.  Finally, the Out-of-Body (OOB) experience appears in the Discourse of the Buddha under the Pali term "manomaya," which is typically translated as "mind-made body."

Because the concept of access concentration first appears in the Abhidhamma we can say the idea arrived very early on in Buddhist doctrine, but since this concept is absent from the Discourses of the Buddha we can also say it was most probably not part of the Buddha's original discourses.  Due to this early arrival into Buddhist doctrine this concept is present in all three vehicles of Buddhism.  The questions are: is access concentration a relevant concept; is it an attempt to contextualize phenomena that the Buddha did not explain; or does it represent religious doctrine and myth that only serves to obfuscate the experience of successful meditation (samma-samadhi)?  This article will primarily attempt to grapple with these three issues and conclude by bringing the other two phenomena into focus.

Since the concept of access concentration first emerged in the Abhidhamma we must first gain some perspective on this highly respected document. The Abhidhamma has been generally agreed upon by most scholars of Buddhism as a later addition to the Buddhist Canon. The Buddhist scholar, Dr. K. Jamanadas in his article "Original Buddhism And Brahminic Interference," writes in his section on the first council, "the First Sangiti (council) at Rajgriha convened soon after the parinirvana (death) of the Buddha in 483 BCE...It should be noted that Chulla Vagga mentions the compilation of Dhamma and Vinaya only there being no mention of Abhidhamma." This means the Abhidhamma is most probably apocryphal and cannot thus be relied upon as a primary source for understanding the dhamma.  This is particularly important to a meditative absorption (jhana) informed discourse because there are aspects of the Abhidhamma and commentaries that do not correspond to the experience of meditative absorption (jhana).  The particular issue that finds its earliest reference in the Abhidhamma is the concept of "access concentration" (upacara-samadhi).

Dr. K. Jamanadas suggests the Abhidhamma may have been heavily influenced by Brahmin converts, who may have had an agenda in distancing the Dhamma from the masses who were not of the Brahman cast.  While this seems like a reasonable suggestion, one should ask why Brahmin caste members even converted to Buddhism? In his article Dr. K. Jamanadas makes some rather interesting points about the Brahminization of Buddhism and he offers some rather intriguing suggestions that are relevant to this subject, however, he does not suggest the reason why Brahmin caste members were embracing Buddhism to begin with.

This author would like to suggest that if we consider there were at least two episodes in Indian history when royal patronage fell to Buddhists, then we might find a "smoking gun" to reveal an answer to why Brahman cast members converted to Buddhism. It seems reasonable to propose that if Brahman cast members converted to Buddhism then it was most probably to take advantage of royal patronage.

The most significant periods of royal patronage for Buddhism came during the reigns of King Ashoka and a Greek King, Melinda, who was from what is now Afghanistan. Ashoka lived and reigned during the 3^rd century BCE and Melinda ruled during the 1^st century BCE.  It was at these time periods that the early canon of Buddhism was taking form and when the Abhidhamma was most probably being written.

There is, however, another possible influence in the "Brahminizing" of Buddhism. The "Brahminizing" of Buddhism may not have been so much due to the invasion of Hindu ideas, after all the Buddha was a product of the culture that produced Hinduism, but it might have been more related to the entrenchment of a priest class who's agenda it was to distance the path of enlightenment for the purpose of ensuring their continuation.

The changes in the liturgy and philosophical premises of Buddhism from the earliest period, as reflected in the Discourses of the Buddha (Sutta Pitaka), to the Abhiddhammic period Dr. K. Jamanadas says are reflected in the second council. "After they split, they not only changed the 'Vinaya'... but they also changed the 'Dhamma' and laid down new Dhamma contrary to (the) established one...(in which they) declared Buddha as 'lokottara' - superhuman, having no worldly attributes... (and) changed the summum bonum from Arhanthood to Buddhahood. Thus degrading the arhants" to a lower status and we should note this change would thus make it further possible to reject meditative absorption (jhana) because arhantship is based upon successfully arriving at jhana.

In spite of the dominance that the concept of access concentration has over the various vehicles of Buddhism, in the Discourses of the Buddha, Sidharta Gotama only spoke of 8 stages of meditative absorption, and he did not mention "access concentration" (upacara-samadhi).  The first 4 stages of meditative absorption he called "jhana;" the second series of four states of absorption he tended to refer to by their descriptions, however, in the Abhidhamma and the commentaries they have come to be called the non-material attainments or "arupa-jhana" in Pali.

A few centuries after Sidharta Gotama a Brahman scholar, Patañjali, wrote one of the early commentaries on the Vedas, it was called the "Yoga Sutras." In the Yoga Sutras Patañjali discussed two basic stages of absorption, he called them "samprajana-samadhi" and "asamprajata-samadhi." In his description of these states of meditative absorption, Patañjali said, Samprajana-samadhi is a meditative absorption state in which there is still "object-consciousness," which is known as "rupa-chitta" in both Sanskrit and Pali.

Object-consciousness (rupa-chitta) implies that the contemplative is aware of sensory phenomena.  Thus it seems the Abhidhammic concept of the first four absorptions (jhanas) being material (rupa) appears to be in concert with the Sanskrit term "samprajana-samadhi."  And, in both of these ways of expressing material or object awareness, in which both the author of the Abhidhamma and Patañjali used the Sanskrit term "rupa," it seems reasonable to conclude that both of these ancient mystics believed there was a stage of absorption in which there was still some awareness of the physical senses.

Patañjali called the non-material absorption state "asamprajata-samadhi," because it is a subjective state where there is no longer any object-consciousness (rupa-chitta), or awareness of the material senses.  Sidharta Gotama did not invoke the term "jhana" with respect to the "non-material attainments, however, in the Abhidhamma and the commentaries they are called "arupa-jhana" which simply means "non-material absorption."

On the surface it may seem that Sidharta Gotama, who articulated eight stages of absorption, was aware of six more stages of absorption than was Patañjali who only articulated two stages of absorption. However, the difference between Sidharta Gotama's discourses on absorption seems to be only in revealing subtle shades of distinction in the two major divisions of absorption. It is possible these shades of distinction Patañjali did not think were important enough to make.  It could also imply that the original thesis from which Patañjali was functioning under pre-dated Sidharta Gotama's period, and was thus less articulate.

There seems to be some doubt about the period within which Patañjali lived, however, it is generally accepted that he came after Sidharta Gotama because there seems to be little of the influence of Patañjali upon Sidharta Gotama, however there does seem to be Buddhist influences in the work of Patañjali.  For instance Patañjali's 8 Limbs of Yoga seem like a reframing of the Noble Eightfold Path.

This author would like to suggest that we could determine an end date for the likelihood of Patañjali's life by the absence of the concept of access concentration from his discourses.  We can also suggest that the Abhidhamma most probably came after Patañjali since it contains the concept of access concentration. Inversely we could also suggest that the Abhidhamma may have invoked Patañjali's methodology of drawing the distinction between the two division of absorption based upon the presence or absence of the material senses as reflected in Patañjali's concepts of "samprajana-samadhi" and "asamprajata-samadhi."

In contrast to the Buddha's and Patañjali's method of articulating two major divisions of absorption, we find in the Buddhist commentaries three major divisions of meditative absorption (Samadhi): 1. "upacara Samadhi" or access concentration; 2. "rupa-jhana," or material absorption; and "arupa-jhana" or immaterial absorption.

From the Discourses of the Buddha we find most of the noteworthy disciples developed all 8 stages of absorption (Samadhi). The sutta pitaka also indicates they arrived at other fruits (phala) of the contemplative life, such as opening the divine eye (clairvoyance) and the ability to see past lives before attaining the complete destruction of the "taints" of the aggregates of cognition (skhandas), which produces full enlightenment (nibbana).

In addition to the concept of access concentration it is in the commentary literature where we also see the development of the idea of a "dry insight path." It is also in the commentary where "access concentration" (upacara-samadhi) is suggested to be sufficient for full enlightenment, and not in the suttas.  This discrepancy between the Buddha's Discourses and the commentaries seems rather troubling and suggests an effort to undermine the central construct of the Buddha's eightfold practice strategy, which the Buddha called "magga," and culminating in attainment, which the Buddha called "phala."  Attainment (phala) was defined in terms of the eight stages of meditative absorption (jhana).

Let us first examine how the Discourses of the Buddha describe the first four absorption states to see whether we can support a belief that the first stages of absorption within the Buddha's discourses were in fact lucid non-material states or whether he believed the physical senses were still active.  The meditative absorption states are discussed in numerous suttas however the two key suttas are the Maha-satipatthana Sutta (DN 22) (above) and the Kayagata-sati Sutta (MN 119) (below).

There is more than an intriguing implication of a non-sensory domain in the second line in the Maha-satipatthana Sutta (DN 22) in the 21^st stanza that describes the absorption states (jhanas), where it says, "There is the case where an aspirant is quite withdrawn from sensualityÉ" There is thus at least a suggestion of a non-sensory domain in being "withdrawn from sensuality."  However, if we examine other key Suttas that articulate the absorption states more clearly we find none of them indicate the physical senses have been effaced.  Instead we find in the Kayagata-sati Sutta (MN 119) and the Samaññaphala Sutta (DN 2) this basic formula, "ÉHe permeates and pervades, suffuses and fills this very body with bliss (piti) and joy (sukha) born from withdrawal."  Since the Buddha is quoted as saying the body is pervaded with bliss (piti) and joy (sukha) we can thus conclude that the Buddha indeed recognized a stage of absorption that occurred prior to the full effacement of the material senses. 

The key to the first stages of absorption seems to be in an emphasis upon pleasure, which the Buddha called by the Pali term "piti."  If we examine the Mahaasaccaka sutta (MN 36) in which the Buddha had a recollection of a youthful experience of meditative absorption that he had while seated under a rose apple tree, then we see that he realized it was the pleasure of meditation that is the crucial component to entering the first stages of absorption.  In this sutta he said, "I attained to the first jhana. Then the awareness arose this is the path to enlightenment. I thought, why should I fear this pleasantness, which is other than sensual pleasure and away from thoughts of demerit?"

While the absorption states (jhanas) are frequently mentioned in the suttas, this article should reveal that there is a considerable amount of debate over what actually constitutes skillful meditation or meditative absorption (jhana).  The list below is typically how they are described in the suttas:

The Four Material Ecstasies, meditative absorption states (rupa jhanas) "samprajana-samadhi" where there is awareness of the material senses:

1- The first jhana (Bliss) contains 5 jhana factors and 1 factor of enlightenment, the 6th factor (Piti) is acquired:

2- Second jhana (Tranquility) with no attention or Vitakka & Vicára needed, contains 4 jhana factors and 2 factors of enlightenment, the 3rd factor (Passaddhi) is acquired:

3- Third jhana (Equanimity) contains 5 jhana factors and 3 factors of enlightenment, the 5th factor of enlightenment (Upekkha) is acquired:

4- Fourth jhana [freedom from joy and suffering (asukha and adukkha)] contains 4 jhana factors and 3 factors of enlightenment:

From examining the above chart we can see the first absorption (jhana) is characterized simply by the arising of a pleasurable sensation as a consequence of engaging in the practice of a meditation technique.  This pleasurable sensation Sidharta Gotama called "piti" (1).

So, what constitutes spiritual pleasure (piti)? The English term that is typically used for a pleasure of a spiritual or contemplative origin is "bliss." I believe bliss is the "pleasant abiding in the here and now" that Sidharta Gotama called "Di.t.thadhammasukhavihaaraa" in Pali that is "not born of sense contact" (sensory stimulation) that is the signs of absorption (jhanas-nimitta) that the Buddha described having arrived at as indicators of absorption (jhana). Thus the first stage of absorption is simply finding joy (sukha) and pleasure (piti) from one's meditation practice.  And that spiritual pleasure is characterized by a series of phenomena that typically only occur during meditation. The Buddha called the phenomena that occurs primarily during meditation "Jhana-Nimitta," which means the signs or characteristic of absorption.

The second absorption state is characterized by being able to sustain that pleasant sensation of bliss (piti) and joy (sukha) without the need of maintaining a meditation technique.  Here is where this author must now clarify another error that has been made by modern translators of the Pali canon.  The first two jhanas are defined by the Buddha in part through the use of two Pali terms that he is said to have used, 'vitakka' and 'vicára.' In the translations of the Pali canon vitakka and vicára are too often translated as "applied and sustained thought" or "thinking and reasoning" etc.  This must be an error in translation, because this contemplative has never entered into absorption through "applied and sustained thinking."  This contemplative has instead found absorption arises through the cessation of the cognitive processes, such as thinking and reasoning. (Please see the article, "Understanding the Pali terms, 'vitakka' and 'vicára'."

The correct translation of the Pali terms 'vitakka' and 'vicára,' with respect to the absorptions (jhanas), must be "applied and sustained attention" or "sustained application" of a meditation technique."  This is in fact the very definition of the term "concentration" as native speakers of English typically use that term.

This now brings us to another common error in translation of the Pali canon into English.  The Sanskrit and Pali term 'samadhi' is often inaccurately translated as 'concentration.' This contemplative believes the Sanskrit and Pali term 'Samadhi' is more correctly translated as 'meditative absorption' or 'ecstasy.'  The reason for this clarification is the ecstasies (jhanas) are an attainment (phala) of an altered state of consciousness that one enters into from the skillful application of a concentration technique, which is a practice strategy (magga).  Absorption is not simply an intense level of concentration (magga).  (Please see the article "Concentration leads to Absorption, which leads to Enlightenment:"

There is one more key characteristic of the second stage of absorption (jhana) and that is the arising of tranquility. In Pali tranquility is called "Passaddhi." Tranquility is simply the arising of a calm and still mind, or what Zen practitioners often call "No Mind." Tranquility is the ending, or the cessation, of discursive thought, which is the ending of the internal verbal conversational stream.

The third ecstasy (jhana) is defined by the arising of equanimity. The Pali term for equanimity is "Upekkha."  Equanimity is often interpreted as ambivalence, however that is also in error. In this contemplative's experience equanimity is a subjective state in which the mind does not cling to sensory phenomena. When one is in equanimity sensory phenomena is simply observed on face value, it is not cogitated upon, noted or reacted to.  But, this does not mean that one is ambivalent to sensory phenomena or that the senses are completely effaced, they are simply observed without perception, thinking or reasoning being involved, thus thinking and reasoning fall away by the second stage of absorption and perception falls away by the third stage of absorption.

In the fourth ecstasy (jhana) one arrives at a place where neither pleasant (sukha), nor unpleasant (dukkha) phenomena, is reacted to.  In this place one could receive major dentistry with little pain.  This contemplative has found in this subjective state one can even pass kidney stones without analgesias. I have also found at this stage of absorption the pictorial stream falls away as well, and the mind is left very still and calm.

In summary of the material absorptions, once one enters absorption, the concentration technique is no longer needed, if one is engaged in a technique, then one, by definition, is still in the first absorption (jhana), because applied and sustained attention of the awareness upon an object (vitakka and vicára) is still active. As the absorption deepens the cognitive processes of thinking and reasoning, and perception, as well as the notion of pleasant and unpleasant are eventually suspended.

It has in fact been this contemplative's experience that various phenomena arise during meditation that presage the non-material absorptions.  Thus if a contemplative school forms a belief around stages of absorption that are lucid hyper-real states, then that school would have to come up with an explanation for the observable phenomena that arises prior to the non-material, or hyper-real phase of absorption, which it appears is the origin of the concept of access concentration.

However, in support of those who subscribe to the concept of access concentration these schools very often speak of a stage of absorption in which a spherical light emerges.  The Buddha unfortunately did not speak of these orbs of light.  However, since people do report the experience then there should be a context within which to place the experience of this phenomena.

While studying out-of-body techniques in the 70's in a mystic Coptic Christian sect that was founded by Hamid Bey in the early 20^th century called the Coptic Fellowship, this contemplative encountered spherical luminous orbs.  It was further observed that these orbs elongate into tunnels just prior to exiting from the body.  Also, it seems worth noting that this contemplative found the out-of-body (OOB) experience is a hyper-real subjective experience that fully effaces the material senses.  Sidharta Gotama spoke of the out-of-body experience in a number of suttas, such as the Samaññaphala Sutta (DN 2).  He called the experience "Manomaya" in Pali, which is often translated as "mind-made-body." He said it was "a fruit of the contemplative life, visible here and now" (DN 2.86)

This contemplative has also experienced the hyper-real orbs of the commentarial school of jhana and found this phenomena reside in a similar subjective state as the OOB. Thus the OOB of mystic Coptic Christianity and the luminous orbs of the commentarial schools of Theravadan Buddhism share two things in common, which are the experience of observing a luminous orb and the entry into a hyper-real subjective state that effaces the physical senses.  It is this effacing of the physical senses that is characteristic of the non-material absorption states (arupa-jhanas) described in the Discourse of the Buddha (Sutta Pitaka).

Further this contemplative has found the two phenomena of OOBs and Orbs fall between the four material absorption states (rupa-jhanas) and the non-material absorption states (arupa-jhanas). From this point it seems reasonable to propose these two states lie in a domain that is neither material absorption (rupa-jhana) nor non-material absorption (arupa-jhana). 

It is very probable that the commentarial school has been trying to find a context for the subjective state with the hyper-real orbs and has super imposed that experience upon the material absorptions (rupa-jhanas).  Since the hyper-real orbs are most certainly a noteworthy subjective state but they clearly do not fall within the Buddha's description of the non-material absorptions (arupa-jhana).  If it is true that these transitional phase absorptions are not sanctioned within the Discourses of the Buddha, then we should consider making a new class for the experience of the above phenomena and propose a 9^th stage of absorption that lies mid-way between the two distinct classes of subjective meditation states of material (rupa) and non-material (arupa) absorption (jhana). 

Now we can bring all of the above states together into a single theoretical model.  If the concept of access concentration is a product of confusion over the luminous orbs, then we can accept that the phenomena of access concentration is one and the same as the phenomena of the material absorptions.  And, since the luminous orbs were not mentioned by the Buddha, then we can simply place them along with the OOB (Manomaya) in between the material absorptions (rupa-jhana) and the non-material absorptions (arupa-jhana). Then the non-material attainments (arupa jhanas) remain in common between the commentarial and suttic schools of jhana (please see the new proposed list of absorption states below).

The Four Material Ecstasies, meditative absorption states (rupa jhanas) "samprajana-samadhi" where there is awareness of the material senses:

1- The first jhana (Bliss) contains 5 jhana factors and 1 factor of enlightenment, the 6th factor (Piti) is acquired:

2- Second jhana (Tranquility) with no attention or Vitakka & Vicára needed, contains 4 jhana factors and 2 factors of enlightenment, the 3rd factor (Passaddhi) is acquired:

3- Third jhana (Equanimity) contains 5 jhana factors and 3 factors of enlightenment, the 5th factor of enlightenment (Upekkha) is acquired:

4- Fourth jhana [freedom from joy and suffering (asukha and adukkha)] contains 4 jhana factors and 3 factors of enlightenment:

 

Transitional phase absorption (nerupajhana-nearupajhana) between material (rupa) an immaterial (arupa) absorption (jhana), where OOBs and luminous orbs appear, as well as the recollection of former lives takes place.. No sensory stimuli "contact" contains 7 jhana factors:

The Four Immaterial Attainments trances or raptures (nonmaterial absorptions) (arupa-jhanas) (Jhanas 5-8) "asamprajnata" or "nirvikalpa-samadhi." where there is no awareness of the material senses:

Other absorption states not apparently described in the Buddha's Discourses

We can now conclude this exploration by saying, it seems reasonable to conclude if access concentration was worth mentioning the Buddha would have discussed it. Since the concept does not appear in the suttas (sutras) we can conclude it is most probably an anomaly of later Buddhist literature. Further, it seems reasonable to speculate that the concept of access concentration might be a consequence of an attempt to describe an experience that some contemplatives have that the Buddha did not discuss, which is the observation of a luminous orb within a hyper-real subjective non-material absorption state that does not fall within the canonical description of the non-material absorption states (arupa-jhana). It is also reasonable to speculate that the concept of access concentration may represent religious doctrine and myth that only serves to subvert, appropriate and obfuscate the experience of successful meditation (samma-samadhi).  However, by creating a third class or 9^th stage of meditative subjective states that serves to encapsulate the luminous orb phenomena as well as the OOB experience, then we could finally put to rest a conflict that has confused contemplatives within a Buddhist context for at least 15 centuries by merging the concepts of access concentration (upacara-samadhi) with the material absorption states (rupa-jhanas).

Notes:

1)    The Pali term 'piti' is often translated as 'rapture.' This author has chosen, however, to use the term "bliss," because bliss is the term more typically used for a pleasure of a spiritual or contemplative origin.  On the other hand the term 'rapture' is a Christian contemplative term for a nonmaterial absorption trance-like state. It is also often used to describe the experience of being transported, such as in an Out-of-Body (OOB) experience, which the Buddha called 'manomaya,' which literally means "mind-made body." So, we should really reject the term 'rapture' as a translation for the Pali term 'piti.'

May you be enlightened in this very lifetime,

Jhanananda (Jeffrey S. Brooks)

This document can be retrieved at this URL:

http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/transitionalabsorption.htm

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