The Medium Discourses

Chapter 1: The Sevens

Notes

1. For the source text, cf. T26.1.422a18-c8. Direct parallels to this sūtra include AN 7.69, EĀ 39.2, and T28. [back]

2. Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. C. 三十三天, G. trayatriśa, P. tāvatiṃsa, S. trāyastriṃśa. The C. translates S. trāyastriṃśa lit. as “Heaven of the Thirty-Three.” This was a Buddhist heaven where thirty-two Vedic gods and Indra reside at the top of Mount Sumeru. [back]

3. pārijāta. C. 晝度 (EMC tɪəu-do), G. ?, P. pāricchattaka, S. pārijātaka. Previously, I believed that the C. was perhaps a partial transliteration (-jāta), based on the Mandarin pronunciation of 晝度 (M. zhòudù), but the EMC pronunciation (EMC tɪəu-do) doesn’t support this idea. It seems instead to be an interpretive translation that means lit. “day liberation,” which we find in EĀ, too. In any case, I’ve decided to replace the C. with the S. name.

   This is also the present-day name for Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, which is commonly called the night-flowering jasmine tree in English. Perhaps more relevant to this sūtra, however, is the sacred Parijat tree located in the modern village of Kintoor of Uttar Pradesh in India. This Parijat tree is actually a Baobab tree estimated to be 800 years old and from a species native to Africa. Local Hindu legends claim that it descends from a tree brought from the heavens by Arjun, or that it was a gift made by Lord Krishna. It’s existence suggests that there was a sacred tree tradition that dates back at least to classical times. This sūtra may be a Buddhist adaptation of this Vedic tradition. While Buddhists created their own sacred tree connected to the Buddha’s awakening, they incorporated this sacred tree as well that was connected to the Vedic gods. [back]

4. grows a web of buds. C. 生網. The Pali parallel reads: Na cirass’eva dāni jālakajāto bhavissati. Bhikkhu Bodhi reports that the Manorathapūraṇī commentary says: “The occasion when the tree gives birth to webs of leaves and flower, which come forth together.” C. 網 can also mean “web.” I take it to describe the overall appearance of a budding tree, so I’ve added “buds” to my translation. [back]

5. grow into bird beaks. C. 生如鳥喙. Pali: Na cirass’eva dani kharakajato bhavissati. Bhikkhu Bodhi translates the commentary as: “The occasion when it becomes possessed of a web of leaves and of flowers well divided and growing separately.” The C. 鳥喙 lit. means “bird beak;” presumably, it refers to the shape of the buds as they grow larger and prepare to open. [back]

6. hundred yojanas. C. 百由延 (EMC “hundred” + yiəu-yiɛn = G. śada yoyan[a]). S. yojana was an ancient Indic measure of distance. Traditional accounts of a yojana’s length range from 7 to 9 miles. [back]

7. shave off their hair and beard, put on the reddish-brown robes, become a believer, and leave home to train on the path in homelessness. C. 剃除鬚髮，著袈裟衣，至信，捨家，無家，學道, P. kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito, S. keśaśmaśru avatārya kāṣāyāṇi vastrāṇy ācchādya samyag eva śraddhayā agārād anagārikāṁ pravrajitaḥ

   This standard description of a faithful man going forth to become a monk is nearly identical with the P. version: 剃除鬚髮 = kesamassuṁ ohāretvā, 著袈裟衣 = kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā, 捨家無家 = agārād anagārikāṁ, 學道 = pabbajito. The exception is “becoming a believer” (至信, lit. “utmost faith”), and this addition is found in SĀ and extant S. sources like the Avadānaśataka as well. On the other hand, there is a shorter version of this pericope in DĀ that reads: “shave off their hair and beard, put on the three-piece robe, and leave home to cultivate the path” (剃除鬚髮，服三法衣，出家修道). [back]

8. first meditation. C. 初禪 (EMC. “first” + ʒɪɛn = G. paḍhama j̄ana), G. paḍhama j̄ana, P. paṭhama jhāna, S. prathama dhyāna.

   C. 聖弟子離欲，離惡、不善之法。有覺、有觀，離生喜樂，得初禪成就遊, P. vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati, S. viviktaṁ kāmair viviktaṁ pāpakair akuśalair dharmaiḥ vivekajaṁ prītisukhaṁ prathamaṁ dhyānam upasaṁpadya viharati.

   While this and the attainments that follow were called “four meditations,” they are better thought of as a process of establishing and stabilizing samādhi, which has been divided into four steps or stages. Samādhi itself is a difficult word to translate to English because it combines both the idea of concentration with that of an undisturbed state of mind. This results in the ability to attend to a single thing for long periods of time without interruption. What exactly that subject of attention was varied. Some Buddhist sources describe contemplations of different Dharma topics, like the seven factors of awakening, others describe contemplation of visual objects, and some describe contemplation of metaphysical entities like nirvāṇa.

   The extant Sarvāstivāda exegetical tradition is quite large, and this topic was covered by most of the definitive texts. Here, I will summarize the commentary found in the Abhidharma Dharmaskandha, which is one of the foundational commentaries of Sarvāstivāda Buddhism. It was translated to Chinese by Xuanzang in 659 CE, and a portion of it has survived in Sanskrit.

   secluded from desires and secluded from bad and unskillful things. C. 離欲，離惡、不善之法, P. vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi, S. viviktaṁ kāmair viviktaṁ pāpakair akuśalair dharmaiḥ. The commentary first notes that the word “desires” (欲) can refer to three things: Greed (貪), the desire realm (欲界), or the field of five excellent desires (五妙欲境). Of these, the third is what’s intended. This term appears to be equivalent to P. pañca kāmaguṇā. The commentator spends time discussing these five sensory desires and notes that they are not the actual substance of desire. Rather, they are the objects of desire. The seclusion from desires is discussed at length as well, going so far as to present four kinds of seclusion (physical, mental, neither, and both). The word “seclusion” (離) is glossed as meaning “far away from, quite far away from, empty, and unobtainable” (遠離、極遠離、空、不可得).

   The commentator also equates “bad and unskillful things” (惡、不善之法) with the five hindrances (五蓋), which are greed (貪欲), hate (瞋恚), stupor (惛沈) and drowsiness (睡眠), agitation (掉舉), and doubt (疑).

   while they notice and examine things. C. 有覺、有觀, P. savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ, S. savitarkaṁ savicāraṁ. This expression lit. means “having noticing and having examination.” Being that it describes a mode of practice, I’ve inserted the implied subject, a generic direct object, and used a preposition that indicates a continuing condition.

   Xuanzang translated vitarka and vicāra as 尋 and 伺, which mean “seeking" and “examining.” 尋 has the connotation of “quick, hasty,” while 伺 can also mean “to wait in ambush.” Thus, the two terms have a sense of short and long attention spans, which agrees with the idea of initial and sustained thought in some Theravāda interpretations of vitakka and vicāra.

   The Dharmaskandha commentary describes vitarka in this way: “Once one is secluded from desires and bad and unskillful things, their mind seeks things, seeking everywhere and seeking nearby. Their mind is apparent, quite apparent, directly apparent. They speculate, postulate, think, and discern things. This is generally called seeking.” (離欲惡不善法者，心尋求、遍尋求、近尋求。心顯了、極顯了、現前顯了。推度搆畫、思惟分別，總名為尋。)

   Vicāra is described in this way: “Once one is secluded from desires and bad and unskillful things, their mind examines things, examining everywhere and examining nearby. It follows actions, follows developments, follows streams, and follows relationships. This is generally called examining.” (離欲惡不善法者，心伺察、遍伺察、近伺察。隨行隨轉、隨流隨屬，總名為伺。)

   These two words are very similar in meaning. The question naturally arises: What is the difference between them? The commentary’s answer is that vitarka makes thoughts that are crude in nature, and vicāra makes thoughts that are fine in nature (令心麁性是尋，令心細性是伺). This is illustrated this with several concrete metaphors: When a temple bell is struck, the sound is crude in the initial moment, and then a finer sound developments afterward. The crude sound is like vitarka, and the finer sound is like vicāra. It’s the same with the sounds made by shaking a hand bell, knocking a bowl, blowing a conch, hitting a drum, shooting an arrow, and a thunderclap. It’s also likened to a flock of birds flying in the sky. The flapping of their wings is like vitarka, and the lifting of their bodies is like vicāra.

   After this discussion, the whole expression “having seeking and having examining” is described in this way: “Once one is secluded from desires and bad and unskillful things, their mind seeks and examines associated requisites.” (離欲惡不善法者，心相應品具有尋伺。)

   this seclusion produces joy and happiness in them. C. 離生喜樂, P. vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ, S. vivekajaṁ prītisukhaṁ. The commentary lists several things that seclusion (離) means: Being secluded from desires, being secluded from bad and unskillful things, having left home, the form realm’s roots of goodness, and the first meditation. The commentator takes the intended meaning to be the last option.

   Joy (喜) is described as being delighted, pleased, gladdened, joyous, exultant, and satisfied. In combination with happiness, it makes a person celebrate and rejoice. Happiness (樂) is described as a lack of heaviness and unsuitability in body and mind, as well as gaining smoothness, easiness, suitability, seclusion from the hindrances, serenity, being untroubled, and gentleness in body and mind.

   Finally, the commentary gives a thorough gloss of “giving rise to,” saying that it means causing, being based upon, being established by, power being derived from, birth, coming about, and manifestation. In these ways, the practitioner’s seclusion brings about joy and happiness.

   they accomplish and dwell in the first meditation. C. 得初禪成就遊, P. paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati, S. prathamaṁ dhyānam upasaṁpadya viharati. The commentary on this final portion of the first meditation’s description is mainly devoted to explaining the meaning of meditation (禪). In S., this word was dhyāna, meaning “thought, reflection, profound meditation, insensibility, dullness.” The verb form was dhyāyati, meaning “meditate deeply, be thoughtful, recollect, call to mind, contemplate, think, imagine, muse” and so forth.

   The early C. translit. of this word was 禪 (which sounded like jhān-). It became a borrow word that represented dhyāna (or, Prakrit jāna) and synomynous with Buddhist meditation. The original meaning of 禪 was to level a place for a sacrificial ritual, or a royal ceremony to consecrate land. Thus, 禪 was chosen both for its connotation of sacredness and its pronunciation.

   Xuanzang, however, chose to translate dhyāna as 靜慮, which lit. meant “quiet deliberation.” This agreed with the S. reading of dhyāna as “meditation” in general.

   Turning to the commentary in the Dharmaskandha, it begins by placing this first meditation in the context of the nine successive samādhis, which begin with the four meditations. This is the beginning of that series of attainments. The word meditation is itself glossed simply as “being in these samādhis” (靜慮者，謂在此定中). When a meditation consists of seeking, examining, joy, happiness, and one-pointedness of mind, it is the first meditation.

   The commentary continues by describing the mental activity in this meditation, which makes it clear that one-pointedness didn’t mean a stillness of mind, but rather a continuous subject of contemplation. The commentary says that in this samādhi there are thoughts, mind, and awareness that occur together in the first meditation. This is glossed with a series of words for various mental actitivies such as thinking (思), forming thoughts (造心), and mental actions (意業). The commentary adds that this meditation involves such things as feeling, conception, desire, attention, recollection, samādhi, and wisdom. Thus, it was considered to be focused reflection or deliberation in the absence of desires and the five hindrances. [cf. T1537.26.482b10-4a15] [back]

9. second meditation. C. 覺、觀已息，内靜、一心。無覺、無觀，定生喜樂，得第二禪成就遊, P. vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā ajjhattaṁ sampasādanaṁ cetaso ekodibhāvaṁ avitakkaṁ avicāraṁ samādhijaṁ pītisukhaṁ dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati, S. vitarkavicārāṇāṃ vyupaśamād adhyātmasaṃprasādāc cetasa ekotībhāvād avitarkam avicāraṃ samādhijaṃ prītisukhaṃ dvitīyaṃ dhyānam upasaṃpadya viharati.

   Samādhi is established in the second meditation when the cognitive distractions caused by noticing and examining thoughts and perceptions stop. Below is a summary of the Dharmaskandha commentary on this description.

   once noticing and examining things has subsided. C. 覺、觀已息, P. vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā, S. vitarkavicārāṇāṃ vyupaśamād. The commentator refers us to the definitions for vitarka and vicāra given for the first meditation. The term vyupaśama was trans. as 息 (“to subside, stop”) here in MĀ and 寂靜 (“to quiet, still”) by Xuanzang. The commentary glosses it as meaning: “these two things are quieted, quieted everywhere, quieted nearby, have become empty, and inexistent” (此二寂靜、遍寂靜、近寂靜、空、無所有). We can surmise that this was considered a natural subsidence or calming, and not a sudden stop to this cognitive activity.

   the noble disciple has inner calm and a unified mind. C. 聖弟子⋯内靜、一心, P. ajjhattaṁ sampasādanaṁ cetaso ekodibhāvaṁ, S. adhyātmasaṃprasādāc cetasa ekotībhāvād. The Indic term trans. here as 内靜 appears to have varied some between sources. It consists of S. adhyātma (“in oneself”) and saṃprasāda (“serenity, confidence”). However, the second word is sampasādana (“calming, confidence”) in P. sources. The latter seems to be less ambiguous in meaning “calming” rather than “confidence.”

   Xuanzang translates this term adhyātmasaṃprasāda as “inner and even clarity (or purity)” (內等淨). This reads the prefix saṃ- and prasāda as two separate words. The commentary in the Dharmaskandha interprets adhyātmasaṃprasāda in this way: “With the subsidence of seeking and examining, one is confident, of a confident nature, of a directly confident nature, and one accords with what is confirmed. They are loving, of a loving nature, and their mind is clarified and purified. This is generally called inner and even clarity.” (尋伺寂靜故，諸信信性、現前信性、隨順印可。愛慕愛慕性、心澄心淨。總名內等淨。) This certainly doesn’t agree with a narrow reading of saṃprasāda as “calming,” as it includes the word’s other positive meanings.

   Xuanzang translated S. cetasa ekotībhāva as “mind with a single inclination” (心一趣性). This was glossed in this way: “Because of the subsidence of seeking and examining things, the mind is not scattered, not confused, and not flowing. It securely rests on a single point, so it’s called mind with a single inclination.” (尋伺寂靜故，心不散不亂不流。安住一境，故名心一趣性。)

   without noticing or examining things, samādhi produces joy and happiness, and they accomplish and dwell in the second meditation. C. 無覺、無觀，定生喜樂，得第二禪成就遊, P. avitakkaṁ avicāraṁ samādhijaṁ pītisukhaṁ dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati, S. avitarkam avicāraṃ samādhijaṃ prītisukhaṃ dvitīyaṃ dhyānam upasaṃpadya viharati. In this second stage of meditation, the wandering mind settles down. This allows samādhi to be established, which causes a renewed joy and happiness to arise.

   without noticing or examining things. C. 無覺、無觀, P. avitakkaṁ avicāraṁ, S. avitarkam avicāraṃ. The commentary elaborates by saying that in the second meditation seeking and examining is not found, is not actively manifest, and doesn’t exist.

   samādhi produces joy and happiness. C. 定生喜樂, P. samādhijaṃ prītisukhaṃ, S. samādhijaṃ prītisukhaṃ.

   The C. translation of samādhi was 定, which meant “fixed, established, settled, stabilized,” but English translators typically disregard this and translate 定 as “concentration.” In Buddhist language, which was not very different from Sanskrit literature in this case, samādhi meant fixing the mind on one subject without distraction, which was considered a purification of mind. It was also described as the merging of the subject and object in the mind. Given this special usage, I’ve chosen not to translate the term to English.

   The commentary in the Dharmaskandha describes samādhi as the mind resting, completely resting, resting nearby, and resting securely in someone in whom seeking and examining has subsided. Their mind is not scattered or distracted. It’s collected and fully maintained, and it has a single-pointed nature.

   Joy and happiness are defined in the same way as they were in the first meditation, except that here it is the subsiding of seeking and examining that produces the samādhi that produces this joy and happiness.

   Finally, the commentary defines this second meditation as consisting of four factors: an inner and even clarity, joy, happiness, and a one-pointedness of mind. Interestingly, despite the subsidence of seeking and examining, meditation is defined as involving all the same cognitive activities as were mentioned in the first meditation. It would seem that vitarka and vicāra represented the habitual cognitive distractions that ordinarily impede samādhi. [cf. T1537.26.484a16-b17] [back]

10. third meditation. C. (MĀ) 聖弟子離於喜欲，捨、無求遊。正念、正智而身覺樂，謂聖所説，聖所捨、念、樂住、空。得第三禪成就遊, C. (DhSk) 離喜住捨。正念正知，身受樂，聖說應捨。第三靜慮具足住, C. (T1547) 比丘離喜欲，無求遊。念住、正智，覺受身樂，謂彼聖說、捨、念、安樂遊處。三禪成就遊處, P. pītiyā ca virāgā upekkhako ca viharati sato ca sampajāno, sukhañca kāyena paṭisaṁvedeti, yaṁ taṁ ariyā ācikkhanti: ‘upekkhako satimā sukhavihārī’ti tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. , S. sa tatprārthayamānas taddhetos tatsaṃvartanīyaṃ prīter virāgād upekṣako viharati / smṛtaḥ saṃprajānan sukhaṃ ca kāyena pratisaṃvedayate / yat tad āryā ācakṣate upekṣakaḥ smṛtimāṃ sukhavihārīti tṛtīyaṃ dhyānam upasaṃpadya viharati.

    The description for this third meditation is not as consistent across sources as the first and second have been. Comparing versions of this third meditation found in Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese sources, it becomes evident that there was some disagreement on the wordings between traditions. I will, therefore, reference another exegetical source’s explanation of terms not found in the Dharmaskandha commentary. This second source, T1547, was a commentary on the Jñānaprasthāna that had a very similar version of the third meditation that we find translated here in MĀ.

    parting with desire for that joy, the noble disciple lives in equanimity and pursues nothing. C. 聖弟子離於喜欲，捨、無求遊, P. pītiyā ca virāgā upekkhako ca viharati, S. prīter virāgād upekṣako viharati. In the Dharmaskandha version of this phrase, there is no mention of desire. It explains parting with joy (離喜) as the mind being freed from being affected by the joy that was felt in the previous two meditations. T1547 lists many different explanations for the presence of the word desire in its version, which matches this one in MĀ. It says that desire refers to any desire for the second meditation, not just for joy. As to why the two are placed together, it suggests that joy can become problematic for the practitioner, and so they move away from it to achieve the third meditation. (cf. T1547.28.489a8-15)

    The remainder of this phrase says that the practitioner lives in two ways: with equanimity (捨) and without pursuits (無求遊). However, the Dharmaskandha only includes equanimity in its commentary, and T1547 only includes having no pursuits. So, I will combine the two here. Equanimity is explained as the mind becoming even, straightforward, unaroused, and quiet in nature when it parts with joy (離喜時心平等性、心正直性、心無警覺寂靜住性). Having no pursuits is explained as meaning the pracitioner is happy and doesn’t pursue anything else after attaining the third meditation.

    with right mindfulness and right knowledge, they personally experience happiness. C. 正念、正智而身覺樂, P. sato ca sampajāno, sukhañca kāyena paṭisaṁvedeti, S. smṛtaḥ saṃprajānan sukhaṃ ca kāyena pratisaṃvedayate. This passage in our text is very close to that found in the Dharmaskandha.

    In the commentary, right mindfulness (正念) is interpreted in a standard way: thoughts, subsequent thoughts, focused thoughts, and memories that are not forgotten, not lost, not dropped, and not leaked away. Being of an unforgetful nature, the mind has a clear expression. This definition was used for mindfulness in general in other contexts.

    Right knowledge (正智) is glossed with a definition for wisdom in general, which is described as discernment of the Dharma, understanding, comprehension, intelligence, mastery, investigation, perceptiveness, erudition, wise action, and contemplation. Thus, this, combined with mindfulness, describes a state of clear, wise comprehension and awareness after the excitement of the previous joy dissipates.

    The second half of this phrase reads literally: “body perceives happiness” (身覺樂). Read purely from a Chinese point of view, 身 could very easily be read to mean “person” or “individual,” especially when paired with a psychological verb like 覺. Turning to the P. and S., we see that 身 translates kāyena, which is the instrumental singular case of kāya. This would literally mean “bodily” or “with the body.” The word kāya, though, does not necessarily mean a person’s body, but the main part of anything. This point is brought out when we turn to the commentary, which glosses body as meaning the body of mind (意身). It’s this body of mind that has a feeling of happiness. To ensure the reader understands, the commentary adds that the body of the four primary elements (i.e., the physical body) also becomes comfortable. Thus, our intuition from the Chinese reading is essentially correct. The term effectively meant the “whole person” (mind and body) to the author of the Dharmaskandha.

    The commentary in T1547 tells us nothing about the meaning of kāya. It simply says that two kinds of happiness are perceived: serene happiness and felt happiness. The Dharmaskandha similarly defines the happiness of this meditation in both mental and physical terms: It says that happiness means the end to physical and mental heaviness and having a gentleness of mind and body.

    about which the noble ones teach them the noble’s happy abiding place of detachment and mindfulness C. 謂聖所説，聖所捨、念、樂住、空, C. (T1547) 謂彼聖說、捨、念、安樂遊處, C. (DhSk) 聖說應捨, P. yaṁ taṁ ariyā ācikkhanti: ‘upekkhako satimā sukhavihārī’ti, S. yat tad āryā ācakṣate upekṣakaḥ smṛtimāṃ sukhavihārīti. This section of the third meditation displays some variation between Chinese sources, which I will address as I move through the commentaries.

    The first part of this section reads 謂聖所説 in MĀ 2, 謂彼聖說 in T1547, and simply 聖說 in the Dharmaskandha. Here, I would interpret 謂 (“that is to say” or “which is said to be”) as translating an expression like P. yaṁ taṁ and functioning like “which is” in English. The commentaries are silent on this word, given that it’s a straightforward bit of grammar. Nobles (聖) according to the Dharmaskandha refers to the buddhas and their disciples, and teaching (説) refers to teaching others according to T1547.

    In T1547, the question is asked, “Why is the teaching of the noble people mentioned only here in the third meditation?” The answer given is that maintaining the third meditation is difficult because of two things. First, attachment to the joy that was experienced in the second meditation can cause the meditator to retreat back to it. Second, the affect of the sublime happiness of the third meditation, which is the highest form of happiness in all of saṃsāra, can cause the practitioner to become attached to the third meditation. For these reasons, the nobles teach the practitioners to maintain right mindfulness and become detached to guard against these two problems.

    Thus, T1547 interprets the remainder of this section to refer to what the nobles teach meditators: To be detached and mindful as they abide in that happy place. This achieves the third stage of meditation. At this point, we should discuss two textual issues regarding the end of this section.

    The first issue is that in MĀ there is confusion among the various official editions of the text about what the fourth character should be. There are three different versions that occur inconsistently throughout MĀ: The one that CBETA editors chose to adopt adds the word emptiness (空), resulting in the reading: “the noble ones teach the noble’s detachment, mindfulness, happy abiding, and emptiness” (聖所説，聖所捨、念、樂住、空). The other two readings end the passage instead with 定 (samādhi) or 室 (“abode”). Because these three characters are all similarly written, the inconsistencies between different passages are probably the result of typos made by copyists, and this calls into question which is correct. When we consult the versions in T1547, we find this reading: 聖說、捨、念、安樂遊處. Here, 遊 (“wandering”) translates viharati, which is translated as 住 (“abiding”) in MĀ. 處 (“abode, place”) would also be equivalent to 室 (“room, abode”). This gives us concrete evidence that 室 is the correct reading in MĀ. Thus, my translation follows this conclusion.

    The second textual issue is that the Dharmaskandha version of this passage reads 聖說應捨 (“noble people teach that one should be detached”). This reading does not mention the mindfulness or happy abiding found in all the other versions of the third meditation. The commentary explains this expression in this way: The noble ones “discern, reveal, and encourage those cultivating samādhi that they should be detached from its happiness and not indulge in it. They should only abide detached with right mindfulness and right knowledge.” Thus, the interpretation is essentially the same as what we find in T1547.

    they accomplish and dwell in the third meditation. C. 得第三禪成就遊, P. tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati, S. tṛtīyaṃ dhyānam upasaṃpadya viharati. The conclusion of this third stage of meditation is interpreted in the same way as it was for the previous two stages. This third meditation is analyzed as consisting of five factors: Right mindfulness, right knowledge, personally experienced happiness, and one-pointedness of mind. The term meditation is defined in the same way as it was in the other meditations, describing a variety of cognitive activities involved with wisdom. [cf. T1537.26.484b18-c16 and T1547.28.489a8-b6] [back]

11. fourth meditation. C. 聖弟子樂滅，苦滅。喜、憂本已滅，不苦、不樂。捨、念、清淨，得第四禪成就遊, P. Sukhassa ca pahānā dukkhassa ca pahānā pubbeva somanassadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamā adukkhamasukhaṁ upekkhāsatipārisuddhiṁ catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati., S. sa tatprārthayamānas taddhetos tatsaṃvartanīyaṃ sukhasya ca prahāṇād duḥkhasya ca prahāṇāt pūrvam eva ca saumanasyadaurmanasyayor astagamād aduḥkhāsukhaṃ upekṣāsmṛtipariśuddhaṃ caturthaṃ dhyānam upasaṃpadya viharati. This fourth stage of meditation is the point at which the meditator has achieved an undisturbed samadhi after having dispensed with the joy and happiness that the initial entry had created. Detached from those positive reactions to it, they achieve a stable and clear samadhi.

    The descriptions of this fourth meditation are the same across different sources, setting aside the usual translation issues, so here I will cover mainly the Dharmaskandha commentary, turning to T1547 only where it adds more information.

    the noble disciple’s pleasure ceases and their pain ceases. C. 聖弟子樂滅，苦滅, P. sukhassa ca pahānā dukkhassa ca pahānā, S. sukhasya ca prahāṇād duḥkhasya ca prahāṇāt. The Dharmaskandha defines pleasure (樂) as physical and mental pleasure that arises from pleasant contact as well as the happiness experienced in the third meditation. It defines pain (苦) here as physical pain that arises from painful contact. This pleasure and pain are fully known to have ended. Both are far away, subdued, subsided, and disappeared.

    In T1547, the question is raised as to how there could be painful feelings after the bonds of the desire realm and the happiness of the third stage of meditation are gone. The answer given is that pain had already ceased prior to entering the fourth meditation. What the description is saying here is that the meditator becomes aware that they have achieved a cessation of both pleasure and pain, but they did not both cease at the same time. Other explanations are also cited. One is that the meditator realizes that the final end of pleasure and pain will happen in the future. Another explanation is that the happiness of the third meditation is painful in the sense that it is impermanent. A sūtra is quoted in which the Buddha tells the monks that pleasant feelings should be regarded as thorns and neutral feelings as poisonous snakes. Another sūtra passage is cited saying that breathing in and out is considered to be the most painful thing by a noble person, rather than pains of Hell that are considered the worst by ordinary people. This last point no doubt alludes to the cessation of breathing that’s often associated with the fourth meditation. We can see from this discussion in T1547 that this part of the description was understood in a variety of ways.

    their past joy and sorrow having ceased, they feel neither pain nor pleasure. C. 喜、憂本已滅，不苦、不樂, P. pubbeva somanassadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamā adukkhamasukhaṁ, S. pūrvam eva ca saumanasyadaurmanasyayor astagamād aduḥkhāsukhaṃ. The Dharmaskandha commentary simply defines joy and sorrow as mental feelings that arise from joyful or sorrowful contact. These two things have previously subsided. The commentator then says that sorrow was ended upon entering the first meditation, pain ended upon entering the second meditation, and joy ended upon entering the third meditation. Now, upon entering the fourth meditation, pleasure, pain, joy, and sorrow have all ended. This agrees with the point made earlier in T1547. The Dharmaskandha commentary concludes by saying that painful and pleasant feelings have ended, leaving only neutral feelings in the fourth meditation. The commentary on this passage in T1547 specifies that it was the removal of desire realm desires that ended sorrow, and the removal of second meditation desires that ended joy.

    with the purification of their equanimity and mindfulness, they accomplish and dwell in the fourth meditation. C. 捨、念、清淨，得第四禪成就遊, P. upekkhāsatipārisuddhiṁ catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati, S. upekṣāsmṛtipariśuddhaṃ caturthaṃ dhyānam upasaṃpadya viharati. The Dharmaskandha commentary defines equanimity (捨) and mindfulness (念) in the same way as was done in the third meditation. It then states that purification (清淨) here refers to the purification of the meditator’s equanimity and mindfulness as a result of stopping pleasure, pain, joy, sorrow, seeking, and investigation.

    The commentary in T1547 says that equanimity refers to the meditator having stopped breathing and not desiring to pursue any more thoughts. It then says that purification of mindfulness refers to the purity of their mindfulness of eight subjects. These eight subjects aren’t stated there, but the same expression is used to refer to the eight liberations in a later chapter of T1547.

    There is also a discussion in T1547 that explains the essential quality of this fourth meditation: There are no more disturbances to its mindfulness. The first meditation was disturbed by noticing and investigating things, which is like a flame being disturbed. The second meditation was disturbed by joy, which is like a body of water being disturbed by waves produced by wind blowing on it. The third meditation was disturbed by breathing, which is like a wind blowing. This fourth stage of meditation doesn’t have any disturbances. This is why the samādhi achieved at this stage is called imperturbable.

    The Dharmaskandha reiterates the cognitive activity associated with wisdom and understanding that occurs in samādhi. It defines this fourth stage of meditation as consisting of four factors: neutral feeling, equanimity, mindfulness, and one-pointedness of mind. [cf. T1537.26.484c17-485a25 and T1547.28.489b6-c22] [back]

12. once the noble disciple’s contaminants have ended, their mind is liberated, and their wisdom is liberated. In the present life, they accomplish and dwell in their own knowledge, awakening, and direct experience. C. 聖弟子諸漏已盡，心解脱、慧解脱。於現法中，自知、自覺自作證成就遊, P. bhikkhu āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharati, S. āsravāṇāṃ kṣayād anāsravāṃ cetovimuktiṃ prajñāvimuktiṃ dṛṣṭa eva dharme svayam abhijñāya sākṣīkṛtvopasaṃpadya pravedayati kṣīṇā me jātir uṣitaṃ brahmacaryaṃ kṛtaṃ karaṇīyaṃ nāparam asmād bhavaṃ prajānāmi.

    This first half of the C. passage is nearly identical to the P. parallel found in other sources. In AN 7.69, it’s abbreviated, but the full P. passage can be found in other suttas. Here, 諸漏已盡 = āsavānaṁ khayā, 心解脱、慧解脱 = cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ, 於現法中 = diṭṭheva dhamme, 自知 = sayaṁ abhiññā, 自作證 = sacchikatvā, and 成就遊 = upasampajja viharati. The only difference is the addition of the term 自覺. P. abhisambujjhati abhisameti corresponds to 自知、自覺 in the parallel to SN 22.94. It’s possible that one of these synonyms was inserted into MĀ’s version of this often repeated description of a pracitioner realizing they are an arhat.

    The Dharmaskandha doesn’t cover this standard passage, but we do find some commentary for its primary terms offered in other Abhidharma texts. The ending of the contaminants (S. āsrava) is synonymous with becoming an arhat and being assured to no further rebirths in the future. This entire passage was the standardized way of describing this.

    There are three kinds of contaminants ended by an arhat: Those of desire, existence, and ignorance. The Saṅgītiparyāya (cf. T1536.26.383a4) defines these contaminants in this way: The contaminants of desire are the ties, bonds, fetters, tendencies, secondary afflictions, and hindrances that are tied to the desire realm, with the exception of ignorance. The contaminants of existence are the same set of detrimental things that are tied to the form and formless realms. Again, the exception is ignorance tied to those realms. The contaminant of ignorance is the lack of knowledge about the three realms. Taken together, these three types of contaminants represent the defiled mind.

    The Saṅgītiparyāya (cf. T1536.26.376a2) also offers us an interpretation of the two kinds of liberation. It says that one’s mind being liberated (心解脱) refers to the conviction (S. adhimokṣa) that’s associated with the good root of having no greed. One’s wisdom being liberated refers to the conviction that’s associated with the goot root of having no delusion. The Mahāvibhāṣā elaborates on this further: The good roots of having no greed and no delusion are the solutions for greed and delusion. Being freed from greed frees one’s mind, and being freed from delusion frees one’s wisdom (cf. T1545.27.758a5).

    They truly know: ‘Birth has been ended, the religious practice has been established, the task has been accomplished, and I will not again be subject to existence.’ C. 『生已盡，梵行已立，所作已辦。不更受有，』知如眞。, P. ‘Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyā’ti pajānāti. , S. kṣīṇā me jātir uṣitaṃ brahmacaryaṃ kṛtaṃ karaṇīyaṃ nāparam asmād bhavaṃ prajānāmi. This second half of the C. passage is found in P. sources in a nearly identical form, except for the ending. 生已盡 = khīṇā jāti, 梵行已立 = vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, and 所作已辦 = kṛtaṃ karaṇīyaṃ. However, 不更受有 only approximates the meaning of nāparaṁ itthattāyā, which lit. means “no more being here.” Specifically, the last word 有 would mostly likely trans. bhava (“existence”).

    S. sources preserve at least a couple different conclusions to this passage: One reads asmād bhavaṃ (“my existence”) and another ithyātvam (“being here”). They also sometimes match our MĀ passage’s 知如眞 with yathābhūtaṃ prajānāti, where P. sources have a single verb like pajānāti or abbhaññāsi. We can see from this brief survey that the last two parts of the passage varied somewhat between textual traditions.

    In terms of the Sarvāstivāda interpretation of this passage, we can turn to a section of the Jñānaprasthāna. The text depicts a practitioner thinking this about ending birth, establishing the practice, and accomplishing the task: “This is the path; this is the practice. Based on this path and this practice, I have fully known suffering, forever ended its formation, realized its cessation, and cultivated the path.” This is clearly criticized as a form of arrogance in the commentary, but it shows the basic meaning that the passage implied to the author. [back]

13. arhat. C. 阿羅訶 (EMC •a-la-ha = G. araha), P. arahant, S. arhat. The title S. arhat lit. meant “worthy, venerable, deserving [of alms],” and was sometimes interpreted as “unattached one” in C. translations. It was a title used by Indian ascetics (Buddhists and Jains) to mean a person fully liberated in this life, and it was one of the most common titles given to the Buddha (along with Bhagavān, Tathāgata, and Sugata). Here, it was used to refer to a fully liberated disciple who was destined for parinirvāṇa. I’ve left the term untranslated as a title of special religious significance. [back]

Translator: Charles Patton

Last Revised: 14 October 2024