February 28, 2005
By the
contemplative recluse monk Sotapanna Jhanananda (Jeffrey
S, Brooks)
(copyright 2005 all rights reserved)
First I believe we must accept that the Buddha was born into a culture
and a period in which the Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads were the dominant
liturgy. Therefore, Sidharta Gotama was a yogi who practiced within the
context of the yogas. And, he articulated his teaching within that theoretical
construct. Even though the historic Buddha chose not to embrace many of
the concepts of Hinduism, still his philosophy and practice were well within
the constraints of that liturgy. One need only read these three bodies
of literature to find evidence for that fact.
In the yoga sutras the basic theme is one practices meditation to
give rise to absorption states (samadhis), which are numbered in 2 intervals,
savikalpa and nirvikalpa samadhi. Savikalpa samadhi
roughly parallels the Buddha's designation of material absorption (rupa
jhana), which he broke down into four sub categories called jhanas one
through four. He also broke down nirvikalpa samadhi into four sub categories
that are often called the four non-material absorption (arupa jhanas).
The term "Nirvikalpa" is a concept that is both philosophically
and linguistically tied to the Buddhist concept of nirvana/nibbana.
The Pali literature of the Discourses of the Buddha is saturated and
suffused with ecstatic references such as ecstasy (jhana), bliss (piti)
and joy (sukha). In fact the Noble Eight Fold Path specifies Right Meditation
(sama-samadhi). And, right meditation is defined in terms of ecstasy (jhana)
in the Maha-satipatthana
Sutta (DN 22.21).
Often those who adhere to a 'dry' contemplative practice refer to
one of Three Suttas in the Tipitaka that are believed to support their
'dry' practice.
Three Suttas out of 34 suttas in the Digha Nikaya, and 152 in the
Majjhima Nikaya, is only 1.6% of these two key volumes, which seems rather
insignificant support for a rather flimsy claim.
Just because there are three tiny references that appear to support
a 'dry' practice in the whole of the Pali canon, does not mean that Sidharta
Gotama ever taught such a practice. These tiny and insignificant references
could even be considered anomalies that could indicate errors in the Pali
canon, such that the suttas or portions of those suttas in question might
even be apocryphal.
However, if we examine these suttas that are resorted to in support
of a dry practice we find they are speaking of something entirely different
than multiple practice strategies within the Buddha's discourse.
I have found no
evidence in the discourses of the Buddha (sutta pitaka) to support a
belief that the Buddha taught two "paths" or "techniques" which
are commonly understood as the 'moist' absorption (jhana) path and the
'dry' insight (vipassana) path. It is clear to me that the Buddha taught
neither absorption nor insight as distinct practice paths. They are simply
the attainments that one arrives at through the single practice regimen
of right mindfulness (sama-sati), which leads to right absorption (sama-samadhi),
which are the 7th and 8th folds of the Noble Eight Fold Path.
Through experience it has become clear that insight and absorption
are simply two sides of the same coin. One who has absorption has insight,
and one who has insight has absorption. I have found there is no insight
without absorption, and there is no absorption without insight. Insight
(vipassana) is simply the other side of the coin from absorption (jhana).
These are simply different aspects of the same thing.
There is a common
Hindu metaphor for these two aspects of absorption. This common Hindu
metaphor is the fire metaphor. Fire
has two properties,
one is to produce heat, and the other is to produce light. One cannot,
however, separate a fire's capacity to produce heat from its capacity to
produce light. The same is true of absorption (samadhi). Absorption
produces both ecstasy (jhana), and insight (vipassana). One does not come
without the other.
This confusion
in a belief in different "paths" I
believe lies in an assumption that the Buddha was teaching 2 or four
distinct practice
regimen, however there is no clear evidence to support this belief in the
discourses of the Buddha (Sutta Pitaka).
The Samadhi
Sutta
(AN IV.41), is often sited as evidence in support of four distinct practice
paths, because it speaks of the
four products
or fruits of the path. However this sutta certainly does not clearly state
that there are four "paths" nor is there any other place in the
discourses of the Buddha that clearly state there are two or four practice
paths.
We can actually
gain insight into the meaning ogf this suta through its name. The name of the Sutta is the Samadhi Sutta,
not the "Four
Paths Sutta." Therefore I believe it is reasonable to say this sutta
is simply speaking of the four fruits that are a product of the single
practice of mindfulness (sati), which produces absorption (samadhi).
If you recall,
mindfulness or the practice of meditation is the seventh fold of the
Noble Eightfold Path and the Pali term for
that fold is "samma-sati." The
eighth fold of the Nobel Eightfold Path is right absorption and its Pali
term is "samma-samadhi."
I believe the Samadhi sutta is simply trying to express the four results,
or fruits, or products of the attainment of right absorption (sama-samadhi).
And, I believe the confusion lies in a belief that the Buddha was speaking
of different practice paths, however it is clear to me that he was not.
These 4 descriptions must be the four results of the single attainment
of right absorption (sama-samadhi) as a consequence of the skillful practice
of meditation (samma-sati).
How can we know
that he was speaking of four results of the same practice path? Because
first of all the Sati suttas only
speak of a single practice
path, which is based upon the Four Corner Stones of Meditation. That is
mindfulness of the Body, Senses Mental content and Mind states. The result
of right meditation (samma-sati) is absorption (sama-samadhi). Absorption
simply has four characteristics: mindfulness (sati); bliss (piiti) and
joy (sukha), or what the Buddha called "a pleasant abiding in the
here and now " (Di.t.thadhammasukhavihaaraa), insight into seeing things
as they are (vipassana); and knowledge & vision, which are the supramundane,
or psychic abilities (lokuttara balani).
How one can know there are four fruits from the single practice regimen
of Satipatthana is through the attainment of right absorption (sama-samadhi).
It is through attainment that we can find out for certain if there are
four fruits or four paths. All one need do is practice Satipatthana to
its fruition in right absorption (sama-samadhi), and one will find out
whether there are four fruits to the practice or not. I practiced Satipatthana
to its fruition in right absorption (sama-samadhi), and I found that without
seeking these separate fruits or attainments they have come to me purely
as a consequence of the dedicated practice of mindfulness (sati).
In conclusion
I believe it is reasonable to say the practice of concentration (Satipatthana)
leads to mindfulness (Sati),
which leads to absorption (samadhi)
which leads to the fruits of the practice of Satipatthana, mindfulness
(sati), ecstasy (jhana), insight (vipassana), and knowledge & vision,
which are the supramundane abilities (lokuttara balani). Thus there is
poor evidence to support a belief that the Buddha taught a 'dry' insight
practice. If one were to read any volume of the Pali canon I am confident
that one will find absorption (jhana) mentioned in almost every sutta.
Therefore I believe it is reasonable to assume that the ecstatic absorption
states (jhanas/dhyanas) were of central importance to the historic Buddha's
teaching method, and the very means of arrival at cessation (nibbana).
For further reference
please do read the following suttas. Nowhere
in them will one find support for multiple practice strategies as taught
by the Buddha. Instead one will find a single practice strategy that
results in various "fruit" of successful execution of that practice:
Anapanasati Sutta
(MN 118) "Mindfulness of the breath"
Kayagata-sati Sutta
(MN 119) “Mindfulness of the Body"
Satipatthana Sutta
(MN 10) "the Four Cornerstones of Mindfulness"
Maha-satipatthana Sutta
(DN 22), the Great Discourse on the Four Cornerstones of Mindfulness, updated
10-27-04
Samadhi Sutta,
AN IV.41, discourse on absorption
Samana-Mundika Sutta,
MN 78, Mundika the Contemplative
Samaññaphala
Sutta (DN 2) "The Fruits of the Contemplative Life"
May you become enlightened in this very lifetime,
Jhanananda (Jeffrey S. Brooks)
First posted: Sun Feb 29, 2004 4:14
pm
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ecstatic_Buddhism/message/62
This article may be retrieved at this URL:
http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/nodryinsight.htm
