Author Topic: the eight stages of liberation  (Read 2921 times)

Jhanananda

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the eight stages of liberation
« on: May 28, 2023, 04:10:01 PM »
The eight stages of liberation have been in discussion here often over the years, and especially recently, so I thought I would repost the sutta quotes regarding this topic.

Quote from: Maha-nidana Sutta (DN-15)
Maha-nidana Sutta (DN-15)
"Ananda, there are these eight liberations. Which eight?
42. "Aññha kho ime ànanda vimokkhà. Katame aññha:

(1) "Through meditation upon the body, one gains wisdom through material phenomena. This is the first liberation. (2nd jhana)”
Råpã råpàni passati. Ayaü pañhamo vimokkho.

(2) "Through meditation upon the body one transcends the material senses and perceives the non-material: this is the 2nd liberation. (3rd jhana)
Ajjhattaü aråpasa¤¤ãbahiddhà råpàni passati. Ayaü dutiyo vimokkho.

(3) "Through superior practice one attains a higher deliverance. This is the third liberation. (4th jhana)
subhanteva adhimutto hoti. Ayaü tatiyo vimokkho.

(4) "With the complete transcending of the physical senses, with the disappearance of resistance, and not heeding various perceptions, perceiving 'Infinite space' one resides in the dimension of the infinite space (àkàsàna¤càyatanaü). This is the fourth liberation. (5th samadhi)

Sabbaso råpasa¤¤ànaü samatikkamà pañighasa¤¤ànaü atthaïgamà nànattasa¤¤ànaü amanasikàrà 'ananto àkàso'ti àkàsàna¤càyatanaü upasampajja viharati. Ayaü catuttho vimokkho.

(5) "With the transcendence of the dimension of the infinite space, one becomes aware of 'Infinite consciousness (viññánañcáyatana),' one resides in the dimension of 'Infinite consciousness. This is the fifth liberation. (6th samadhi)

Sabbaso àkàsàna¤càyatanaü samatikkamma 'anantaü vi¤¤àõa'nti vi¤¤àõa¤càyatanaü upasampajja viharati. Ayaü pa¤camo vimokkho.

(6) "With the complete transcending of the dimension of infinite consciousness, and with the attention upon the ‘emptiness of space’ one resides in the dimension of nothingness (ákiñeaññáyatana). This is the sixth liberation. (7th samadhi)

Sabbaso vi¤¤àõa¤càyatanaü samatikkamma 'natthi ki¤cã'ti àki¤ca¤¤àyatanaü upasampajja viharati. Ayaü chaññho vimokkho,

(7) "With the complete transcendence of the dimension of nothingness, one enters and remains in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception perception (n'eva-saññá-násaññáyatana). This is the seventh liberation. (8th samadhi)

Sabbaso àki¤ca¤¤àyatanaü samatikkamma nevasa¤¤ànàsa¤¤àyatanaü upasampajja viharati. Ayaü sattamo vimokkho.

(8) "With the complete transcending of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, one enters and remains in the cessation of perception and sensation (sa¤¤àvedayitanirodhaü). This is the eighth liberation. (nibbana)

Sabbaso nevasa¤¤ànàsa¤¤àyatanaü samatikkamma sa¤¤àvedayitanirodhaü upasampajja viharati. Ayaü aññhamo vimokkho.

These, Ananda, are the 8 kinds of liberation."

Ime kho ànanda, aññha vimokkhà.

Quote from: Dn-16
Dn-16
Eight Liberations

33. "Now there are eight liberations, ânanda. What are those eight? [33]

34. "Oneself having form, [34] one perceives forms; this is the first liberation.

35. "Being unaware of one's own form, one perceives forms external to oneself; this is the second liberation.

36. "Experiencing loveliness, one is intent upon it; [35] this is the third liberation.

37. "By utterly transcending the perceptions of matter, by the disappearance of the perceptions of sense-reaction, and by giving no attention to diversity-perceptions, one becomes aware of, attains to, and abides in the sphere of infinite space; this is the fourth liberation.

38. "By utterly transcending the sphere of infinite space, one becomes aware of, attains to, and abides in the sphere of infinite consciousness; this is the fifth liberation.

39. "By utterly transcending the sphere of infinite consciousness, one becomes aware of, attains to, and abides in the sphere of nothingness; this is the sixth liberation.

40. "By utterly transcending the sphere of nothingness, one attains to and abides in the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception; this is the seventh liberation.

41. "By utterly transcending the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, one attains to and abides in the cessation of perception and sensation; this is the eighth liberation.

"These, ânanda, are the eight liberations.

The eight liberations are not even in this translation http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/pali/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/1Digha-Nikaya/Digha2/16-mahaparinibbana-e3-part.htm

Quote from: Dn-16
Dn-16
34. 'A man possessed with the idea of form sees forms--this is the first stage of deliverance.

35. 'Without the subjective idea of form, he sees forms externally-this is the second stage of deliverance.

[1. These are the Attha Vimokkhâ. Buddhaghosa has no comment upon them; merely saying, 'The passage on the Vimokkhas is easy to understand'--which is tantalizing. The last five Vimokkhas occur again below, in Chap. VI, §§ 11-13, where it is clear that they are used to express the progress through deep meditation, into absent-mindedness, abstraction, and being sunk in thought, until finally the thinker falls into actual trance.]

p. 52

36. 'With the thought "it is well," he becomes intent (upon what he sees)--this is the third stage of deliverance.

37. 'By passing quite beyond all idea of form, by putting an end to all idea of resistance, by paying no attention to the idea of distinction, he, thinking "it is all infinite space," reaches (mentally) and remains in the state of mind in which the idea of the infinity of space is the only idea that is present--this is the fourth stage of deliverance.

38. 'By passing quite beyond all idea of space being the infinite basis, he, thinking "it is all infinite reason," reaches (mentally) and remains in the state of mind to which the infinity of reason is alone present--this is the fifth stage of deliverance.

39. 'By passing quite beyond the mere consciousness of the infinity of reason, he, thinking "nothing at all exists," reaches (mentally) and remains in the state of mind to which nothing at all is specially present--this is the sixth stage of deliverance.

40. 'By passing quite beyond all idea of nothingness he reaches (mentally) and remains in the state of mind to which neither ideas nor the absence of ideas are specially present--this is the seventh stage of deliverance.

41. 'By passing quite beyond the state of "neither ideas nor the absence of ideas" he reaches (mentally) and remains in the state of mind in which both sensations and ideas have ceased to be-this is the eighth stage of deliverance.

42. 'Now these, Ânanda, are the eight stages of deliverance.

It is not in this translation of DN-16

Quote from: DN-16
DN-16
Eight Liberations

33. "Now there are eight liberations, Ananda. What are those eight? 33

34. "Oneself having form, 34 one perceives forms; this is the first liberation.

35. "Being unaware of one's own form, one perceives forms external to oneself; this is the second liberation.

36. "Experiencing loveliness, one is intent upon it; 35 this is the third liberation.

37. "By utterly transcending the perceptions of matter, by the disappearance of the perceptions of sense-reaction, and by giving no attention to diversity-perceptions, one becomes aware of, attains to, and abides in the sphere of infinite space; this is the fourth liberation.

38. "By utterly transcending the sphere of infinite space, one becomes aware of, attains to, and abides in the sphere of infinite consciousness; this is the fifth liberation.

39. "By utterly transcending the sphere of infinite consciousness, one becomes aware of, attains to, and abides in the sphere of nothingness; this is the sixth liberation.

40. "By utterly transcending the sphere of nothingness, one attains to and abides in the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception; this is the seventh liberation.

41. "By utterly transcending the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, one attains to and abides in the cessation of perception and sensation; this is the eighth liberation.

"These, Ananda, are the eight liberations.
There is no progress without discipline.

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Tad

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Re: the eight stages of liberation
« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2023, 11:51:39 AM »
Jhanananda,

good to see you posting again after a short break. I was missing your presence. This is a good reminder to keep working on samadhi.

Jhanananda

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Re: the eight stages of liberation
« Reply #2 on: May 30, 2023, 02:09:12 PM »
Jhanananda,

good to see you posting again after a short break. I was missing your presence. This is a good reminder to keep working on samadhi.

Thank you, Tad, yes, in the context of the major mystics, such as Siddhartha Gautama, samadhi is the path to liberation from the material domain, and we get to samadhi through learning to meditate skillfully.  This is my message, because this has been my path to freedom from suffering on the material domains.
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Tad

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Re: the eight stages of liberation
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2023, 03:55:08 AM »

Thank you, Tad, yes, in the context of the major mystics, such as Siddhartha Gautama, samadhi is the path to liberation from the material domain, and we get to samadhi through learning to meditate skillfully.  This is my message, because this has been my path to freedom from suffering on the material domains.

Your message has helped me immensely too. It is easy get overwhelmed by thinking and then try to solve the problem of thinking by doing more thinking... Sometimes I think that thinking is the biggest addiction. So I always keep coming back to your message, which puts me back on the right path with real progress.

Jhanananda

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Re: the eight stages of liberation
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2023, 02:52:37 PM »
It is good to know I have been of some help to you. You are surely making progress.
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bodhimind

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Re: the eight stages of liberation
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2023, 04:48:28 PM »

Thank you, Tad, yes, in the context of the major mystics, such as Siddhartha Gautama, samadhi is the path to liberation from the material domain, and we get to samadhi through learning to meditate skillfully.  This is my message, because this has been my path to freedom from suffering on the material domains.

Your message has helped me immensely too. It is easy get overwhelmed by thinking and then try to solve the problem of thinking by doing more thinking... Sometimes I think that thinking is the biggest addiction. So I always keep coming back to your message, which puts me back on the right path with real progress.

Thinking, which is silenced in the second jhana. I would call them coarse thoughts at this point which are dropped. "Subtler" notions might pertain to the higher jhanas.

Jhanananda

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Re: the eight stages of liberation
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2023, 02:56:47 PM »
Thinking, which is silenced in the second jhana. I would call them coarse thoughts at this point which are dropped. "Subtler" notions might pertain to the higher jhanas.

I don't know what you mean, bodhimind, between "coarse thoughts" and "Subtler notions." In my experience when I have dropped to the depth of the second jhana I know I am there because my mind is still. Whereas, as I go deeper into depth in samadhi then other aspects of identity drop away, including once I go OOBE at the 5th samadhi, then identification with the body ends. Once I arrive at the 8th stage of samadhi then the concept of a self separate form all other beings ceases and I become one with all.
There is no progress without discipline.

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KriyaYogi

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Re: the eight stages of liberation
« Reply #7 on: June 09, 2023, 09:34:01 PM »
Bodhimind, usually after an hour of Kriya Yoga I meditate for a short time and the phenomena 'overwhelm' the thoughts.  During sitting silently within five to ten minutes there is a phenomenon of itching all over my body, I think this is called Jhana hypersensitivity between 2nd and 3rd level, that and other experiences usually 'overpower' the thought related processes for me.  Jeff confirmed that this is the threshold of 3rd Jhana for me, which started happening regularly about two years back after my yoga. That is how I experience it personally.  -David
« Last Edit: June 09, 2023, 09:47:00 PM by KriyaYogi »