4šāø CattÄri Ariya-saccaį¹ åč諦
JST: (J)hÄna (S)andwich (T)heorem
1 – JSTš„Ŗ (J)hÄna (S)andwich (T)heorem
JST: If the sutta has sÄ«la on one end and arahantship on the other, 4 jhÄnas must be sandwiched in between even if not explicitly mentioned.
1. Arahantship and non-return requires 4th jhÄna quality of samÄdhi or better.
2. The various psychic powers in the
6ab ā”āø (abhiƱƱa) require 4th jhÄna or higher.
The slice of bread on the bottom is sīla (virtue) + other foundational Dharmas.
The top slice is arahantship (or a momentary direct, experiential nirvana).
The JST theorem states that somewhere in the filling between those two slices of bread, even if you can't see all the sandwich ingredients clearly, somewhere among the lettuce, tomatoes, etc., are four slices of samÄdhi.
Four slices of jhÄna.
The theorem states those slices of samÄdhi must be 4th jhÄna or higher.
This is implied by the vast majority of suttas in the EBT that mention nirvana/arahantship with gradual training instructions.
1.1 – Suttas where it explicitly states 4 jhÄnas are necessary for nirvana
AN 9.36 four jhÄnas and 9 attainments necessary for realizing nirvana
AN 9.36
MN 64 arahantship and non-returner impossible without 4 jhÄnas
MN 64
This sutta, MN 64 is probably the most definitive sutta in saying itās not possible to realize non-returner or arahantship without jhÄna, since it says itās impossible to cut the 5 fetters without the path, and the path is defined in this sutta as the 4 jhÄnas (and 7 perception attainments).
1.2 – examples where we apply JST theorem to conclude 4 jhÄnas must be sandwiched in there
AN 6.70 impossible that a monk without undistractible-lucidity that is peaceful, refined, pacified, and unified will ⦠realize arahantship
AN 6.70
Itās impossible that with clairvoyance that is purified and surpasses the human, theyāll understand how sentient beings are reborn according to their deeds. |
āDibbena cakkhunÄ visuddhena atikkantamÄnusakena satte passissati ⦠pe ⦠yathÄkammÅ«page satte pajÄnissatÄ«āti netaį¹ į¹hÄnaį¹ vijjati. |
Itās impossible that theyāll realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life, and live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements. |
āÄsavÄnaį¹ khayÄ ā¦ pe ⦠sacchikatvÄ upasampajja viharissatÄ«āti netaį¹ į¹hÄnaį¹ vijjati. |
AN 6.70 doesnāt explicitlyy say 4th jhana. The samadhi described, is the same one as in
AN 3.101, minus the gold simile, and AN 3.101 also doesnāt explicitly name any of the 4j.
SN 2.6 Buddha found ājhÄnaā in confined space, the Dharma to attain nirvana
SN 2.6
⦠ādus-samÄdahaį¹ vÄpi samÄdahanti |
7, 267 ā(that which is) hard-to-undistractify-&-lucidify, they undistractify-&-lucidify, |
(kÄmadÄti bhagavÄ), |
[O KaĢmada,ā said the Blessed One,] |
⦠indriy-Å«pasame ratÄ. |
ā(in) faculties-calming, (for those Who) delight (in that). |
⦠te chetvÄ maccuno jÄlaį¹, |
Having cut through the net of Death, |
⦠ariyÄ gacchanti kÄmadÄāti. |
The noble ones, go their way, O KaĢmada.ā |
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SN 2.6 sammÄ samÄdhi synonym last line, and jhana discovery JST
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⦠āsambÄdhe vata okÄsaį¹, |
āTruly in a confining place, he found an opening— |
avindi bhūrimedhaso. |
the one of extensive wisdom, |
⦠yo jhÄnama-bujjhi VAR buddho, |
the awakened one who awakened to jhÄna,-1- |
paį¹ilÄ«nanisabho munÄ«āti. |
the chief bull, withdrawn, the sage.ā |
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(The Buddha:) |
⦠āsambÄdhe vÄpi vindanti |
āEven in a confining place they find it, |
(paƱcÄlacaį¹įøÄti bhagavÄ), |
[PaƱcÄlacaį¹įøa,ā said the Blessed One,] |
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⦠dhammaį¹ nibbÄna-pattiyÄ. |
āthe Dhamma for the attainment of unbinding. |
⦠ye satiį¹ paccalatthaį¹su, |
Those who have gain mindfulness |
⦠sammÄ te su-samÄhitÄāti. |
are rightly well-centered.ā-2- |
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2 – JSTš„Ŗ Vitakka and VÄca corollary -
Because of how speech (vÄca/vocalization) and linguistic thought works in an
oral tradition , we know that vitakka must be
verbal linguistic mental talk, and not
subverbal mental activity.
Heretics who try to redefine jhÄna erroneously claim, with no evidence whatsover in the
EBT to support their positon, that vitakka in first jhÄna is non-verbal.
Details proving this and detailed auditing of their fraudulent claims are here in
V&Vš
Whereās the sandwich in this corollary?
Itās because the top slice of bread at one end of the spectrum is vÄca (vocalized speech),
the other end of the spectrum is thought that Dhamma-vicaya, vicÄra, and upekkha (equanimous-observation) can ponder/investigate with linguistic mental talk.
AN 3.60 is the real clincher in the pile of evidence. A mind reader with psychic power reads vitakka thoughts of someone in first jhÄna the same way he hears (sutva, the same word used for normal ear hearing sound speech).
2.1 – AN 3.60 mind reader must hear mental talk, not silent kasina observation
AN 3.60 is the real clincher in the pile of evidence. A mind reader with psychic power reads vitakka thoughts of someone in first jhÄna the same way he hears (sutva, the same word used for normal ear hearing sound speech).
2.2 – SN 41.8 Nigantha proves the first jhÄna vitakka and vicÄra can not be what Sujato, Brahm, Vism. Claims
excerpt derived and updated from
https://notesonthedhamma.blogspot.com/2022/10/sn-418-nigantha-proves-first-jhana.html
You can actually prove, based on
SN 41.8, that vitakka and vicÄra must be the same linguistic verbal mental talk as a fundamental component of the
oral tradition .
Agama parallel to
SN 41.8,
SA 574 agrees.
What most people fail to notice, is that since Nigantha is saying second jhÄna (samÄdhi without V&V) is not possible,
he's saying that first jhÄna is possible (with
V&Vš ).
Very likely, he and his students could do first jhÄna.
And if they couldn't at least he doesn't find it unreasonable to have that kind of samÄdhi (Buddha's first jhÄna).
So what first jhÄna with what kind of V&V (vitakka and vicÄra) is he doing then?
Did Sujato use a time machine to go back and inform Nigantha the "special" redefined V&V of "placing the mind and keeping it connected"?
That can't be, because if NIgantha could do that kind of frozen disembodied stupor of Vism. and Ajahn Brahm redefinition of jhÄna,
then he wouldn't be saying second jhÄna is impossible.
Either you can do Vism. redefined of jhÄna (
VRJš»š„¶ ), all four of them, or you can't.
If you think the 2nd Vism. jhÄna is impossible, then you think all 4 of them are impossible.
ā“ If you think just 2nd Vism. jhÄna is impossible, but first jhÄna is possible, then first jhana V&V is not what Vism., Brahm, Sujato claims it is.
So we've proven the Vism. redefinition of V&V as "placing the mind and keeping it connected" are definitely wrong.
If it's not that, and no other special definition of V&V is provided by the Buddha in SN 41.8, then we can conclude V&V means the same as it does everywhere else, verbal linguistic mental talk, thinking and evaluation and pondering.
3 – JSTš„Ŗ embodied samÄdhi corollary – RÅ«pa is not a-rÅ«pa. Duh!
'duhā means something should be so obvious as to not require explanation. Unfortunately an explanation is required here, because corrupt
LBT theories on jhÄna involve redefining
kÄya and rÅ«pa into ambiguous slippery terms.
'embodiedā means the mind faculty is connected to the five bodily sense faculties (seeing with eyes, hearing sound with ears, etc.).
'disembodiedā means the mind faculty is divorced from the five bodily sense faculties (canāt see, hear, or kinaesthetically sense where oneās physical body is, etc.).
VRJš»š„¶ and the first formless attainment
s5š» give details showing how suttas in
EBT indicate when the samÄdhi is disembodied, how it specifies when the mind faculty is divorced from 5 bodily faculties.
Whereās the sandwich in this corollary?
3.1 – one end of the sandwich: suttas describing what samÄdhi has mind divorced from 5 bodily senses
MN 435 - (What can mind divorced from 5 indriya/bodily senses know?)
MN 435.1 - (3 formless attainments can be known, 4 jhÄnas conspicuously absent!)
AN 9.37 answers the same question from MN 43 almost identically, except the same 5 bodily senses are called 5 ayatana instead of 5 indrya.
AN 9.3737.4 – (What can one perceive with mind divorced from body? 4 jhÄnas conspicuously missing!)
AN 9.3737.4.1 – (ÄkÄsÄnaƱcÄ-(a)yatanaį¹: dimension of infinite space)
AN 9.3737.4.2 – (viƱƱÄį¹aƱcÄ-(a)yatanaį¹: dimension of infinite consciousness)
AN 9.3737.4.3 – (ÄkiƱcaƱƱÄ-(a)yatanaį¹: dimension of nothingness)
AN 9.3737.4.4 - (na ca sa-saį¹
khÄra-niggayha-vÄrita-gato)
3.2 – other end of the sandwich: suttas describing four jhÄnas with 5 senses engaged
MN 1253.11 - (skip 1st jhÄna, go directly to 2nd jhÄna, since the previous stage of satipaį¹į¹hÄna was first jhÄna!)
in other words, since 1st jhÄna is being explicitly equated with satipaį¹į¹hÄna, and since one can hear sounds and have all 5 senses engaged while doing satipaį¹į¹hÄna, one can also do that in first jhÄna as well (hear sounds, think, feel mosquito bites).
A number of other passages in the same sutta also demonstrate all 4 jhÄnas and what imperturbability means, especially with the war elephant similes, directly show that 5 senses must be engaged.
3.2.1 – sandwich within sandwich
In
MN 125 makes it clear that first jhÄna involves 5 senses, 4th jhÄna imperturbability also involves 5 senses, therefore the 2 jhÄnas sandwiched in the middle, also have 5 senses engaged. Similarly for
samÄdhi in 3 ways , this must mean the samÄdhi without vitakka but with some vicÄra also has 5 senses percipient.
4 – JSTš„Ŗ ÄneƱja corollary – how do we know if the imperturbable is referring to fourth jhÄna or the formless attainments?
See
ÄneƱja for details
Whereās the sandwich in this corollary?
(to be continued)
MN 4320.1 4th jhÄna being a requisite for neutral ceto vimutti, and proximity to other formless ceto vimuttiās, would suggest fourth jhÄna may have dual citizenship between rÅ«pa and a-rÅ«pa status.
999 – Bookmarks of interest
999.9 – TOC permalinks
JSTš„Ŗ 1 – JSTš„Ŗ (J)hÄna (S)andwich (T)heorem
JSTš„Ŗ 1.1 – Suttas where it explicitly states 4 jhÄnas are necessary for nirvana
AN 9.36 four jhÄnas and 9 attainments necessary for realizing nirvana
MN 64 arahantship and non-returner impossible without 4 jhÄnas
JSTš„Ŗ 1.2 – examples where we apply JST theorem to conclude 4 jhÄnas must be sandwiched in there
AN 6.70 impossible that a monk without undistractible-lucidity that is peaceful, refined, pacified, and unified will ⦠realize arahantship
SN 2.6 Buddha found ājhÄnaā in confined space, the Dharma to attain nirvana
SN 2.6 sammÄ samÄdhi synonym last line, and jhana discovery JST
JSTš„Ŗ 2 – JSTš„Ŗ Vitakka and VÄca corollary -
JSTš„Ŗ 3 – JSTš„Ŗ embodied samÄdhi corollary – A.k.a. RÅ«pa is not a-rÅ«pa. Duh!
JSTš„Ŗ 4 – JSTš„Ŗ ÄneƱja corollary – how do we know if the imperturbable is referring to fourth jhÄna or the formless attainments?
JSTš„Ŗ 999 – Booksmarks of interest
JSTš„Ŗ 999.9 – TOC permalinks