Fruit of the Contemplative Life
Fruit of the contemplative life: => Samadhi => : Benj September 14, 2017, 09:59:03 AM
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Following on from a thread which brought up the idea of two types of jhana, I have dug out a passage from a sutta (unfortunately I cannot find the sutta name) which details two ways in which one could practice jhana. I found this from a Theravada monk called Ajahn Sujato. On face value he appears to reflect some of GWV's views on jhana. Need to look at more of his work.
Then, when Mara Dusi had possessed the brahman householders, they abused, reviled, mocked, and harassed the virtuous monks of good character thus: These baldies, monkies, menial darkies spawned from the Ancestor's feet, claim: Were doing jhana! We're doing jhana! and with shoulders drooping, heads hanging, and all limp they do jhana, re-do jhana, out-do jhana, and miss-do jhana. Just like an owl on a branch watching out for a mouse ... like a jackal on a riverbank watching out for fish ... like a cat by a door-post or a dustbin or a drain watching out for a mouse ... like a clapped-out donkey hanging around a door-post or a dustbin or a drain does jhana, re-does jhana, out-does jhana, and miss-does jhana...
Sandha, you should practice the jhana of the thoroughbred steed, not the jhana of the clumsy nag. What is the jhana of the clumsy nag?
The clumsy nag, Sandha, when tied up by the feeding-trough does jhana thus: Fodder! Fodder! For what reason? It does not occur to him: What task will the trainer set for me today? What can I do for him in return? Tied up by the feeding-trough, he just does jhana thus: Fodder! Fodder! In just the same way, a certain clumsy nag of a person who has gone to a forest, the root of a tree, or an empty place, abides with heart obsessed and overwhelmed with sensual lust ... ill will ... sloth and torpor ... restlessness and remorse ... doubt. He does not understand the escape from these things in accordance with reality. Having formed these things inside himself, he does jhana, re-does jhana, out-does jhana, and miss-does jhana. He does jhana dependent on earth ... water ... fire ... air ... the base of infinite space ... the base of infinite consciousness ... the base of nothingness ... the base of neither perception nor non-perception ... this world ... the world beyond ... on what is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought out, and explored by the mind. This is the jhana of the clumsy nag of a person.
What is the jhana of the thoroughbred steed? The excellent thoroughbred steed, when tied up by the feeding-trough does not do jhana thus: Fodder! Fodder! For what reason? It occurs to him: What task will the trainer set for me today? What can I do for him in return?... The excellent thoroughbred steed regards the application of the whip as a debt, imprisonment, loss, and misfortune. In just the same way, the excellent thoroughbred steed of a person ... does not abide with heart obsessed with the five hindrances.... He does not do jhana dependent on earth ... on what is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought out, and explored by the mind. And yet he does practice jhana.
From what I can gather, it appears to express that staring at one point is like an animal staring at it's food waiting for something to happen and can cultivate bodily laziness and repetition, i.e. not progressing. This is classified as 'miss-doing' jhana, or perhaps simply meditating incorrectly. On the other hand, within the metaphor of the thoroughbred steed, one could assume that correct meditation would entail understanding your karmic ties and craving and training to abide independent of them, as well as anything cognized by the senses and everything else that arises in the mind in the mind. This, to me, gives the impression of allowing the experience unfold as it is, with no fixed attention on any spot. This passage is most likely a description of wrong and right jhana as opposed to two types. This may also be what Vimalaramsi is getting at.
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Apologies, I was meant to post this in the 'Samadhi' section
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This sutta does not seem to fit the writing style that is typical of the Pali canon. I suggest that it is not in the Pali canon. A sutta name/volume and a link would help to understand the origins, and therefore the value, of this sutta.
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I thought you might say that, I'll have another dig.
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So, the first section on mara dusi possessing the householders is from MN 50.13 - The Rebuke to Mara - Maratajjaniya Sutta. interestingly in bikkhu bodhis translation, he does not use the word jhana, he opts for 'meditates' 'premeditates' 'out meditates' 'miss meditates'. On access to insight, it is not listed as translated. the sutta is missing from their list.
The section on the thoroughbred steed is referenced from AN 11.10 - Sandha Sutta. Found on access to insight. Here is does indeed seem to point to the practice of being absorbed independent of an object. But it does not list the aggregates or brahmaviharas. It also goes on to explain that even the gods don't know what you are absorbed on when you practice this way.
'Homage to you, O thoroughbred man.
Homage to you, O superlative man —
you of whom we don't know even what it is
dependent on which
you're absorbed.'"
It seems sujato has used two different stanzas to postulate a right and wrong way to practice, however the first section may just be a way of saying that one should not criticise noble practitioners. As in the remainder of the section it explains that these householder are reborn in unhappy destinations. Putting these two stanzas together is confusing I feel.
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It is starting to look like Sujato read into these 2 suttas something that is not there. So, it deserves some deeper investigation. I suggest that these suttas refer to another related topic, which is signed verses signless (nimitta verses animitta) for jhana. In this case the term nimitta could refer to absorption beyond the sensory domain, or it could mean absorption with and without charisms. Nonetheless, to get the correct understanding here we would need to scrutinize the original Pali, regarding as to whether the terms 'jhana' and/or 'samadhi' amd/or 'nimitta' verses 'animitta'.