解脫道論

Chapter 8: The Practice Section

Section 1: The Earth Kasina, the First Jhāna, and the Five Jhāna Factors

Question: What is the Earth Kasina? How is it practiced?

What are the characteristic, function, proximate cause, benefit, and meaning of the Earth Kasina?

[Earth Kasina: “kasina” means “the whole” or “totality”; “earth” means the earth element. Kasina is also translated as “universal sphere”; in Pāli it is kasiṇa.]

How many kinds of earth are there? What is the characteristic of earth?

How is a mandala made?

How is contemplation of Earth practiced?

Answer: When the mind arises in dependence upon the sign of earth, this is the Earth Kasina. When the mind is undistracted and abides in the sign of earth, this is the practice of the Earth Kasina. The characteristic of the Earth Kasina is skillful delight in the sign of earth. Its function is not to relinquish it. Its proximate cause is a state in which the mind has no other thought.

What are the benefits of the Earth Kasina? Twelve benefits arise from the Earth Kasina: this sign is easily attained; at all times and in every mental activity, one remains entirely unobstructed; one also acquires supernormal powers; one accomplishes things according to one’s wishes; one skims over the surface of water; one travels through the air as though walking upon land; one perceives every kind of visible form; one clearly knows former lives and aeons; one attains the divine ear; one clearly distinguishes the various realms; and one follows the wholesome paths until reaching the shore of the Deathless.

Question: What does “kasina” mean?

Answer: It means pervading everything in its entirety. As the Buddha said in verse:

If one recollects the virtues of the Buddha,

Joy arises and suffuses the entire body;

Contemplating the Earth Kasina,

One fills the whole continent of Jambudīpa.

This contemplation arises dependent upon Earth,

And the joy in the mind is likewise.

Practicing contemplation in this way causes the mandala to pervade everything and extend everywhere.

Question: How many kinds of earth are there? How is the sign of earth cultivated?

Answer: There are two kinds of earth: first, natural earth; second, prepared earth. Solidity and hardness are the intrinsic characteristic of earth. Earth that one digs up oneself or has another dig up is produced through preparation and is therefore called prepared earth.

Earth has four kinds of color: white, black, red, and bright. With regard to the sign of earth, the meditator should not include the intrinsic characteristic of natural earth but should exclude the colors white, black, and red. Why is this?

If a meditator contemplates the sign of earth in that manner, the counterpart sign will not arise in the mind; and if one retains the white, black, and red colors, the contemplation becomes contemplation of a color kasina. Why is this? When contemplating the intrinsic characteristic of earth, whether natural or prepared, one must set aside the colors white, black, and red and retain only the sign of earth.

When a bright sign appears in the earth, one must grasp that sign of earth.

Question: What is unprepared earth?

Answer: On a level tract of ground, free from grass, stones, and tree stumps and lying within one’s range of vision, the perception of earth arises in the mind. This is called the perception of earth evoked by unprepared earth.

A meditator of many years’ experience, whether at ease or not, immediately perceives the counterpart sign of the earth sign and abides in it without regression.

A beginner in meditation who wishes to grasp the earth sign of prepared earth should make a mandala and should not contemplate unprepared earth. [Mandala: a kind of celestial flower; in Pāli it is maṇḍala.]

Question: How is a mandala made?

Answer: If a meditator wishes to make a mandala upon the ground, one should first seek a tranquil place, whether in a monastery, in a rocky cave, or beneath the shade of a tree. One should avoid staying in a gloomy place lacking sunlight or near a road, even if few people pass along it. There, at a distance of about one fathom, one should sweep and wash the area clean, leaving the ground dry and smooth.

In that place, when a bright sign appears in the color of the earth and causes the earth sign to arise, one should respectfully determine beforehand a suitable size. Then, taking a basin, one mixes water with earth, removes grass, roots, and dung, and uses the corner of a cloth to strain the wet clay onto the purified ground. The seat should be sheltered from the sunlight and be neither too far away nor too near.

Using a compass, one draws a circle, making the inside full and even, without any rough places. One then coats the ground with clay, allowing no mixed or distinct color of any other kind to mingle with the earth. It is then covered and left undisturbed until completely dry.

When it is dry, one uses another color to draw a border around the outside, making it appear as large as a rice sieve or a bronze gong. It may be round, square, triangular, or quadrangular; these forms are distinguished in this way.

The preceptor said that making a round mandala is best. It may be made on cloth, on a wooden surface, or on a wall, but making it upon the ground is best of all.

Question: How is the Earth Kasina practiced?

Answer: A meditator who wishes to practice the Earth Kasina must first contemplate the faults of sensual desire and then the benefits of renunciation.

Question: Why must one contemplate the faults of desire?

Answer: Sensual desire affords little pleasure and much suffering; therefore, desire has many faults. Desire is like a bone, providing little enjoyment; desire is like a piece of meat, bringing much suffering; desire is like holding a torch against the wind and being burned; desire is like burning coals, both large and small; desire is like a dream that quickly vanishes; desire is like a borrowed object that cannot be kept for long; desire is like a fruit tree cut down by others; desire is like a sword used for hacking and cutting; desire is like a spear used for stabbing; desire is like the head of a venomous snake, readily inspiring fear; desire is like cotton blown away by the wind, impossible to grasp and retain; desire is like an illusion that deludes the foolish;

desire is darkness in which nothing can be clearly seen; desire blocks the road and obstructs wholesome qualities; desire is like delusion because it causes the loss of right mindfulness; desire is like something overripe that will fester and rot; desire is a shackle that binds; desire is a thief that steals merit; desire is an enemy whose hostility gives rise to conflict; desire is suffering, producing all these faults.

Thus, after contemplating the faults of desire, one then contemplates the benefits of renunciation.

Renunciation means that a newly ordained person cultivates the First Jhāna and practices wholesome deeds; this is called renunciation, or leaving behind and departing from sensual desire.

Question: What are the benefits of renunciation?

Answer: The mind is free and boundless, abiding in serenity; one gladly endures suffering; one’s joy never fades; one extensively aids beings in attaining the great fruit of the path; one is worthy to receive offerings; one benefits both oneself and others; it is great wisdom and the foundation of all wholesome qualities; and it is called transcending the three realms.

Furthermore, it is called renunciation because it is departure from sensual desires, the pacification of the hindrances, undefiled joy, and the path leading to the supreme state, purifying the defiled mind. Through this practice, merit and inner joy are produced.

Sensual desire is coarse, whereas renunciation is sublime. Sensual desire is accompanied by afflictions, whereas renunciation is free from afflictions. Sensual desire is low, whereas renunciation is lofty. Sensual desire is accompanied by anger, whereas renunciation is free from hatred. Sensual desire brings no good result, whereas renunciation leads to a good result. Sensual desire is accompanied by fear, whereas renunciation is entirely free from fear.

Thus, after contemplating the faults of craving (= sensual desire) and the virtues of renunciation (= relinquishment), the practitioner relies upon renunciation and gives rise to joy. Faith and reverence arise in the mind, and the practitioner examines what ought to be done and what ought not to be done. Observing moderation in food and drink, arranging the robe and bowl, with the body neither weary nor the mind indolent, the practitioner undertakes walking meditation for a short time.

After completing walking meditation, the practitioner washes the hands and feet, then recollects the Buddha, recollects the Dharma, recollects the Sangha, and cultivates wholesome qualities. Having completed these recollections, the practitioner causes the mind to become joyful and thinks: "I am capable of attaining such completeness. If I have not yet attained renunciation and my diligence does not endure, I must strive with still greater courage and vigor."

The practitioner then goes to the mandala, neither too far from it nor too near, but at a distance approximately equal to the length of a plow-yoke or one fathom. Having placed a sitting mat before the mandala, the practitioner sits cross-legged, holds the body upright, establishes right mindfulness in the mind, and opens the eyes. After a while, when agitation of body and mind has subsided, the practitioner gathers the mind into one-pointedness, slightly opens the eyes, gazes attentively at the mandala, and contemplates it.

The meditator contemplates the form of the mandala and retains the sign by means of three things: looking evenly, skillful means, and avoiding disturbance.

Question: What does it mean to contemplate by looking evenly?

Answer: When contemplating the mandala, the meditator should neither open the eyes wide nor close them tightly, but should look in this manner. Why is this? If the eyes are opened wide, they become fatigued, one cannot perceive the intrinsic nature of the mandala, and therefore its sign does not arise.

If the eyes are closed, the mandala is seen only dimly; one likewise cannot discern its sign, and indolence arises. Therefore, one must avoid both opening the eyes wide and closing them; one should simply concentrate the mind and abide upon the mandala. One should contemplate as a person looks at their reflection appearing in a mirror: depending upon the mirror, the reflection is seen, and the image of the face arises through the mirror.

When that person contemplates the mandala, the sign of concentration is seen arising, and it arises in dependence upon the mandala. Thus, looking evenly while contemplating the mandala enables one to retain the sign because the mind abides steadily.

In this way, the sign is retained by looking evenly.

Question: What is meant by skillful means?

Answer: It is the skillful means of directing attention in four ways: first, by establishing an inner boundary; second, by making it square or round; third, by urging it onward; and fourth, by making it all-pervasive. When the sign of the mandala is seen to dissolve, one directs attention (directing attention: directing = causing to arise; attention = a mental conception) and perceives that there is an inner boundary. When the sign is seen to diminish or only half of the mandala remains, one directs attention to perceive the entire mandala as square or round.

When the mind is distracted or indolent, one should direct attention so as to urge and impel it toward greater concentration, like a potter gazing intently at a turning wheel. When the mind is seen to be abiding steadily and the mandala is seen as all-pervasive and complete, one should contemplate with equanimity.

Thus, this may be understood as the skillful means of directing attention.

Question: What is meant by avoiding disturbance?

Answer: There are four kinds of disturbance: first, arousing diligence too rapidly; second, arousing diligence too slowly; third, being too high; and fourth, being too low.

Question: What does it mean to arouse diligence too rapidly?

Answer: It means hastily directing attention in the wrong way without allowing sufficient time: sitting early in the day, but resting again in the evening because the body is exhausted. This is caused by excessive haste.

Question: What does it mean to arouse diligence too slowly?

Answer: It means being separated from the skillful direction of attention. Although one sees the mandala, one does not direct attention to it reverently, being awake at one moment and dozing at another.

If one proceeds hastily, the body will become weary and the mind will regress, wander away, pursue external conditions, and give rise to frivolous thoughts. If one arouses diligence too slowly, body and mind become indolent, and drowsiness arises.

Being too high means that when this mind has regressed and frivolous thoughts disturb the practice, it takes no delight in them. If one knows that one takes no delight in the frivolous thoughts or former conversations that arose from desire, the mind becomes high. Furthermore, if one obtains an active sign through elation, the mind's craving also becomes high.

Being too low means that when the mind turns back toward former conditions created by karma, it becomes displeased. If one takes no delight in former activities, anger arises, and through anger the mind becomes low.

Furthermore, when applied thought and sustained thought become fatigued and can no longer continue discrimination, the mind falls into anxiety and becomes low.

If the meditator's mind falls into disturbance, the faculty of mindfulness and the faculty of concentration should be used to subdue it and relinquish the disturbance. If that person's mind falls into indolence, the faculty of mindfulness and the faculty of diligence should be used to subdue it and relinquish the indolence. If the mind becomes high and falls into craving, this should be clearly recognized so that craving may be relinquished. If the mind becomes low and falls into anger, this too should be clearly recognized so that anger may be relinquished.

In this way, the four grounds of disturbance are purified, enabling the mind to become single-pointed. When the conception of single-pointedness is established, this is called the arising of the sign. (single-pointedness = the mind gathered together)

There are two kinds of sign: the acquired sign and the counterpart sign. (Acquired sign: acquired = grasped and retained; counterpart: counter = that, there; part = a portion; sign = form or appearance)

Question: What is called the acquired sign?

Answer: When a meditator presently contemplates the mandala with an undistracted mind, a sign arises in accordance with the mandala, as though seen in empty space—sometimes far away, sometimes near, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, sometimes large, sometimes small, sometimes ugly, sometimes beautiful, sometimes manifold, and sometimes sparse.

One does not use the eyes to contemplate the mandala, but uses the skillful means of directing attention to grasp and retain the arising sign. This is called the acquired sign. (Directing attention: directing = causing to arise; attention = a mental conception.) By repeatedly directing attention to it, the counterpart sign arises in the mind; this is called the counterpart sign. When attention is directed, it immediately appears according to the mind.

It is not that the eyes first see the mandala and only afterward does a mental conception arise. Merely by directing the mind's attention, even with the eyes closed, one can still see it just as in the preceding contemplation. If attention is directed far away, it is seen far away.

If attention is directed nearby, to the left, to the right, within, without, above, or below, it is likewise so: it appears in accordance with the mind. This is called the counterpart sign. (Counterpart = counter = that, there; part = a portion.)

What is the meaning of "sign"? The meaning of sign is the meaning of cause and condition. As the Buddha taught the bhikkhus: "Those evil things, those unwholesome dharmas, all have signs from which they arise." This is the meaning of cause and condition. Another teaching says that the meaning of knowledge is the meaning of sign. As the Buddha said: "When perception arises, it should be relinquished." This is the meaning of knowledge. Furthermore, another teaching says that the meaning of image is the meaning of sign, just as a person sees their own reflection upon the surface of a mirror. The meanings of these three terms—perception, image, and counterpart—do not differ.

At that time, the meditator who has obtained the sign reverently recollects their teacher, grasps and retains that excellent sign, and should diligently protect it. If one does not take care to protect it, it will certainly be lost.

Question: How should the sign be protected?

Answer: To protect the sign, there are three kinds of action: abandoning what is evil, cultivating what is wholesome, and practicing continually.

What is delight in unwholesome things? It is delighting in work and activities, delighting in various kinds of jesting speech, delighting in sleep and rest, delighting in gatherings, delighting in worldly living, not guarding and restraining the sense faculties, not being moderate in eating and drinking, not practicing seated meditation in the early evening and at dawn, not respecting learning, having many bad friends, cultivating without practicing, and eating, lying down, and sitting at improper times. Not doing the things described above, and thereby counteracting these evils, is constant diligence in doing wholesome deeds.

Question: What is meant by being able to practice constantly?

Answer: The meditator skillfully preserves the sign and frequently contemplates its virtues, regarding it as a precious treasure. His mind is always joyful, and he practices and cultivates it frequently. He may practice both day and night, or practice while sitting and lying down. When he becomes involved with external conditions and affairs, he immediately arouses the mind that preserves the sign in order to retain it; because he preserves it, the sign arises. When the mind that preserves the sign has arisen, he contemplates it; having contemplated it, he cultivates it; and in cultivating it, he contemplates the mandala from time to time.

Thus, through being able to practice constantly, he sees and preserves the sign.

When the meditator thus presently guards the sign, he attains mastery—that is, proficiency. If the sign follows the mind, he attains access meditation. If access meditation arises in accordance with the mind, the meditator then attains absorption.

Question: What is access meditation?

Answer: In this state, the mind’s attention does not become distracted. The five hindrances have been subdued, and one seeks only to cultivate applied thought, sustained thought, rapture, bliss, one-pointedness, and faith. Although the five faculties have acquired the power of concentration, successive mental moments still continue to arise. This is access meditation. (“Access” means being outside and proceeding: access meditation still proceeds outside and has not yet fully entered concentration.)

Following this access meditation comes absorption. Through cultivation, the mind acquires strength—applied thought, faith, and the other qualities—and these phenomena remain unmoving in relation to the object. This is called absorption.

Question: How do access meditation and absorption differ?

Answer: When the five hindrances have been subdued, this access meditation becomes absorption. Through access meditation, one attains supreme concentration. When supreme concentration is attained, it is called absorption.

In access meditation, body and mind are not yet tranquil, like a boat gliding over waves. When body and mind become tranquil, peaceful, and unmoving, they are like a boat on water untouched by wind and waves. In access meditation, the faculties do not yet possess sufficient strength to remain long upon the object, just as a small child lacks strength.

When the faculties possess sufficient strength to remain upon the object, they are like a strong adult. Because one has not attained mastery in cultivation, access meditation is not yet fully integrated, just as one who has long neglected reciting a scripture will forget it. When one knows how to cultivate with mastery—that is, with proficiency—it becomes absorption and is fully integrated, just as one who continually recites a scripture does not forget it.

If one has not skillfully subdued the five hindrances, one is like a blind person, and in access meditation one likewise becomes blind. (...) If one skillfully subdues the five hindrances, one is no longer blind but accomplishes absorption. Such is the complete teaching on purification.

From the initial stage of preserving the sign until mastery—that is, proficiency—is attained, up to the point when the hindrances are driven back, this is called access. When all the hindrances are eliminated without interruption, this is called absorption.

Question: What is the meaning of “access”?

Answer: The meaning of access meditation is proximity meditation, being near to jhana. It is like a road near a village, which is called a village road. Although the names differ, their meaning is the same. (“Proximity” means “near.”)

Question: What is the meaning of “absorption”?

Answer: Absorption means integration, as when the mind comes to abide in the mandala. Deliverance and meditative absorption do not differ in meaning. Here, when the meditator abides in access meditation, he should expand the totality. Whether at the stage of absorption or at the stage of the first jhana, he should further expand the totality (totality = kasina).

Question: How should it be expanded?

Answer: This means that, at the beginning, the sign of the totality is the size of a hand four fingers wide. It should then be expanded gradually. One attends to it in this way, attains mastery over it in this way, and expands it successively like a wheel, a parasol, the shade of a great tree, a field of merit, a hamlet, a village, a fortified enclosure, and a city. Thus, it is expanded successively until the sign pervades the entire great earth. If there are high mountains and low rivers, trees and thorns, or uneven places, one should not attend to them. Even the great ocean should be mentally conceived as the sign of solid ground. By continuing to enlarge it in this way, the sphere in which the mind operates will attain supreme concentration.

If the meditator has attained access meditation but has not yet attained absorption, he should employ the following two methods to skillfully cause absorption to arise. The first is through supporting conditions, and the second is through sustained observance.

The following ten practices are supporting conditions for skillfully arousing absorption: ⁽¹⁾ making the meditation clear and distinct; ⁽²⁾ maintaining balance among all the faculties; ⁽³⁾ understanding the sign with complete clarity; ⁽⁴⁾ restraining the restless mind; ⁽⁵⁾ restraining the indolent mind; ⁽⁶⁾ making the mind flexible and responsive; ⁽⁷⁾ making the mind joyful; ⁽⁸⁾ training the concentrated mind in equanimity; ⁽⁹⁾ keeping away from those who do not train in concentration and associating with those who do; and ⁽¹⁰⁾ delighting in abiding in absorption.

Question: How is the meditation made clear and distinct?

Answer: Three kinds of practice make the meditation subject clear and distinct: ⁽¹⁾ taking suitable food and drink; ⁽²⁾ delighting in practice during suitable weather; and ⁽³⁾ adopting a suitable posture.

Maintaining balance among all the faculties means that the five faculties arise evenly—the faculty of faith and the other faculties—with none deficient or declining and none sluggish, like an excellent horse swiftly drawing a carriage.

Understanding the sign with complete clarity means skillfully following the mental image, neither too quickly nor too slowly. It is like a skilled carpenter snapping an inked line upon a plank, producing a straight line with neither gaps in the ink nor blurred places. One also attends skillfully and quickly abandons any mental image that is departing from the sign.

As for restraining the restless mind, the mind becomes restless through two kinds of action: first, arousing excessive effort; and second, eating and drinking to excess, or allowing the mind to wander among other objects, thereby increasing distraction. The meditator restrains the mind by arousing a moderate degree of effort and being moderate in eating and drinking. If the mind wanders among other objects, then, as a remedy, he should contemplate the various kinds of suffering and evil karmic results.

As for restraining the indolent mind, the mind becomes sluggish through two causes: failing to attain supreme concentration, and lacking flexibility and responsiveness. When the mind is sluggish, drowsiness arises. If the meditator’s mind lacks flexibility and thus becomes sluggish, he should practice two things to subdue it: contemplating virtues and arousing effort. If sluggishness and drowsiness arise and the mind becomes indolent, he should perform these four practices to restrain it: reduce his food, for eating too much causes him to become negligent in apprehending the sign; and properly regulate the four postures of walking, standing, lying down, and sitting.

By directing the mind toward the luminous sign of the earth kasina and remaining in an open place, the practitioner causes the mind to become joyful and no longer attached to anything.

The mind lacks pliancy because of three things: lack of skillfulness, a faculty of wisdom that is still dull, and failure to attain serenity. If the mind lacks pliancy, the meditator should do two things to arouse its vigor: first, employ fear; second, employ joy. When contemplating birth, aging, death, and the four evil destinations, the mind becomes fearful and applies itself diligently. When sorrow arises from contemplating those states, one should employ the recollections: recollection of the Buddha, recollection of the Dharma, recollection of the Sangha, recollection of morality, recollection of generosity, and recollection of deities. Seeing the six benefits of recollection causes the mind to become joyful.

The concentrated mind becomes a mind of equanimity through two things by which access meditation is attained: through suppressing all the hindrances and through the arising of the factors of jhana (...), concentration of mind is attained. In that concentrated mind, the meditator must further relinquish two things: whatever causes the loss of attentiveness and whatever causes the loss of proper skillfulness.

Keeping apart from one who has not trained in concentration means that one who has not yet attained serenity, has not yet attained access meditation, has not yet perfected proper deportment, and has not yet trained in concentration should not be honored with offerings. One who has attained serenity, attained access meditation, perfected proper deportment, and is fit to train in concentration should be honored with offerings.

Delighting in dwelling in serenity means that the meditator always delights in and reveres the practice, like a deep source, like a flowing spring, like a low tree (= a dike tree). Fulfilling the ten conditions described above will give rise to serenity.

Question: How does skillful sustaining give rise to serenity?

Answer: The meditator clearly and skillfully understands the causes leading to serenity. By thoroughly comprehending the sign of concentration being cultivated and exercising mastery over it at will, delight immediately arises in the mind. Through that delight, body and mind abide in a serviceable state, enabling the mind to attain sustained attention.

From this, joy arises, and the mind attains sustained attention. Through bodily joy, the mind attains sustained attention. Through the arising of compassion, the mind attains sustained attention.

Through that compassion, the mind attains purity; by skillfully maintaining the purified mind, the mind attains sustained attention. In this way, by skillfully maintaining it and causing relinquishment, the mind attains sustained attention. From boundless defilements the mind attains liberation, thereby perfecting sustained attention.

Because of liberation, it attains the single taste of Dharma. Through that single taste of Dharma, the mind attains sustained attention in cultivation.

Therefore, following upon that sublime state, the mind develops sustained attention in this manner and skillfully arouses serenity. Thus, when one skillfully understands the causes and conditions of its arising and the mind attains sustained attention, concentration is attained before long.

The meditator, secluded from sensual desires and having abandoned unwholesome states, with initial application and sustained application, with mental factors perfected in serenity, possessing joy and bliss, enters and dwells in the first jhana. This is the virtue of the earth kasina. (Joy = gladness; bliss = happiness.)

Regarding seclusion from sensual desire (= abandoning sensual desires), there are three kinds of seclusion: bodily seclusion, mental seclusion, and seclusion from the defilements.

Question: What is bodily seclusion?

Answer: Bodily seclusion is leaving all places of commotion and going into the mountains and wilderness.

Question: What is mental seclusion?

Answer: It is proceeding with a purified mind toward that which is truly wholesome.

Question: What is seclusion from the defilements?

Answer: It is severing every bond of familial affection and bringing the realm of birth and death to an end.

Furthermore, seclusion (= relinquishment) comprises five kinds: seclusion through suppression, partial seclusion, seclusion through eradication, seclusion through reliance, and seclusion through emergence.

What is seclusion through suppression?

It is cultivating the first jhana and suppressing the five hindrances.

What is partial seclusion?

It is cultivating a degree of concentration and suppressing wrong views.

What is seclusion through eradication?

It is following the supramundane path of cultivation and cutting off the defilements.

What is seclusion through reliance?

It is the arising of light and easeful happiness upon attaining the fruit.

What is seclusion through emergence?

It is nirvana.

Concerning sensual desire, two points are distinguished: first, objects of sensual desire; and second, the defilements caused by sensual desire. The heavenly realms and the forms, fragrances, flavors, and tangible objects cherished by human beings are objects of sensual desire. The further arising of craving toward those desirable objects, which defiles thought, is the defilement caused by sensual desire. Regarding those desires, arousing a mind of detachment and using detachment to subdue them—becoming distant, emerging, being liberated, and no longer attached or entangled—is seclusion from sensual desire.

Question: What is seclusion from unwholesome states?

Answer: There are three unwholesome roots: ⁽¹⁾ greed, ⁽²⁾ hatred, and ⁽³⁾ delusion. When feeling, perception, volitional formations, consciousness, and the actions of body, speech, and mind are bound to the three roots of greed, hatred, and delusion, these are called unwholesome states.

Another teaching says that there are three kinds of unwholesome roots: ⁽¹⁾ those arising through intrinsic nature, ⁽²⁾ those arising through association, and ⁽³⁾ those arising through conditions. The three unwholesome roots of greed, hatred, and delusion are so called by virtue of their intrinsic nature. When feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are bound to these three roots, this is called arising through association. When body, speech, and mind are bound to these three unwholesome roots, this is called arising through conditions from their nature.

Becoming separated from these three unwholesome roots is called distancing, becoming supramundane, liberation, nonattachment, and noninvolvement. This is called seclusion from unwholesome states.

Furthermore, seclusion from sensual desires means seclusion from the hindrance of sensual desire, while seclusion from unwholesome states means seclusion from the remaining hindrances.

Question: In speaking of seclusion from unwholesome states, sensual desire is itself an unwholesome state. Why, then, is seclusion from sensual desire mentioned separately?

Answer: The antidote to sensual desire is emergence. As the Buddha taught, desire is capable of removing defilement. Seclusion from sensual desire is emergence from defilement, just as the first jhana is attained. Thoughts of sensual desire, associated with mental application, arise as unwholesome states leading to decline. Therefore, sensual desire is conjoined with the defilements caused by sensual desire. If seclusion is spoken of separately, all defilements are secluded from; and although sensual desire is mentioned separately, it too is seclusion from sensual desire.

Furthermore, seclusion from sensual desire is the attainment of emergence. Regarding seclusion from unwholesome states: when non-hatred is attained, one becomes secluded from hatred. When the luminous sign is attained, one becomes secluded from sloth and torpor.

When freedom from mental distraction is attained, one becomes secluded from agitation and frivolity. When freedom from remorse is attained, one becomes secluded from regret. When serenity is attained, one becomes secluded from doubt.

When wisdom is attained, one becomes secluded from ignorance. When right thought is attained, one becomes secluded from wrong thoughts. When joy is attained, one becomes secluded from discontent.

When the mind attains happiness, one becomes secluded from suffering. When wholesome states are attained, one becomes secluded from unwholesome states. As the Tripitaka states, when non-greed is fully developed, seclusion from sensual desire is accomplished; when non-hatred and non-delusion are both fully developed, seclusion from unwholesome states is accomplished.

Furthermore, seclusion from sensual desire refers to bodily seclusion, while seclusion from unwholesome states refers to mental seclusion.

Furthermore, seclusion from sensual desire refers to cutting off thoughts of sensual craving, while seclusion from unwholesome states refers to cutting off thoughts of hatred and the causing of harm.

Furthermore, separation from sensual desire means escaping the pleasure of craving; separation from unwholesome states means escaping bodily indolence.

Furthermore, separation from sensual desire means cutting off delight in the pleasures of the six sense faculties; separation from unwholesome states means cutting off thoughts of sorrow and suffering, together with frivolous amusement.

Furthermore, separation from sensual desire means presently attaining happiness through release from the pleasure of sensual cravings; separation from unwholesome states means presently attaining happiness because the mind is free from faults.

Furthermore, separation from sensual desire means transcending the realm of sensual desire; separation from unwholesome states means transcending the remaining defilements that are causes of rebirth in the sensual and form realms. This is also called transcending the realms of existence.

Concerning initial application and sustained application, what is initial application? The various kinds of cognition, reflection, and settled thought that occur while the mind, not yet knowing, enters into right thought—this is called initial application. Because this initial application is accomplished, the sphere of the First Jhana possesses initial application.

Furthermore, when contemplating the earth kasina, one continuously follows the earth sign and thereby becomes aware of thought; this is called initial application, just as the mind of a person reciting a scripture follows the words of the scripture.

Question: What are the characteristic, function, manifestation, and domain of INITIAL APPLICATION?

Answer: Repeatedly directing thought toward its supporting object is the function of initial application; the arising of a mental notion is its manifestation; thought is its domain of activity.

Question: What is sustained application?

Answer: In the course of contemplation, when discernment arises from a mind that has not yet differentiated, this is called sustained application. When this discernment is properly accomplished, the First Jhana is attained with sustained application.

Furthermore, when one enters concentration upon the earth kasina and attends to the earth sign, the mind perceives many meanings; this is called sustained application.

Question: What are the characteristic, function, manifestation, and domain of SUSTAINED APPLICATION?

Answer: In sustained application, discernment is its characteristic; causing the mind to remain supported upon it is its function; what is thereby seen and known is its domain of activity.

Question: What is the difference between initial application and sustained application?

Answer: It is like striking a bell: the first sound of the bell is initial application, and the subsequent resonance is sustained application.

Furthermore, when the mind follows an object, the beginning is initial application and what follows is sustained application.

Furthermore, seeking to attain jhana is initial application; maintaining the jhana is sustained application.

Furthermore, bringing something to mind is initial application; not abandoning it is sustained application.

Furthermore, apprehending with a coarse mind is initial application; apprehending with a subtle mind is sustained application. Wherever initial application is present, sustained application is present. Wherever sustained application is present, initial application may or may not be present.

As the scriptures of the Three Baskets state: “The mind’s first settling upon a matter is initial application; the mind that has initially applied itself but is not yet concentrated is sustained application. It is like seeing a person approaching from afar without yet discerning whether the person is male or female, or knowing the person’s form and appearance: this is initial application. On the basis of that initial apprehension, further examining whether the person is virtuous or unvirtuous, wealthy and honored or poor and lowly—this is called sustained application.

Initial application seeks and then seeks further; sustained application grasps, holds, investigates, and follows. It is like a bird soaring through the sky: beating its wings is initial application, while gliding to and fro is sustained application; first spreading its wings is initial application, while continuing to fly with its wings spread is sustained application. One holds the object by initial application and examines it by sustained application; one thinks by initial application and deeply investigates by sustained application.

A practitioner possessing initial application does not attend to unwholesome states; a practitioner possessing sustained application constantly maintains the jhana. When a capable person silently recites a scripture and understands its entire meaning, that is sustained application. Having initially apprehended what one is attending to and then understanding it clearly—this is sustained application. Analytical knowledge of etymology and eloquence in exposition are initial application; mastery of both theory and practice is sustained application. The mind’s understanding of excellence is initial application; the mind’s understanding of distinctions is sustained application.

Such is the distinction between initial application and sustained application.

Question: What is seclusion?

Answer: Being separated from the five hindrances is called seclusion. Furthermore, seclusion is a wholesome root belonging to the form realm and the gateway to access concentration preceding the First Jhana. The jhana mind arises from seclusion and is therefore called a secluded mind, just as a flower produced from earth and water is called a flower of earth and water.

Concerning rapture and bliss: at that time the mind experiences great rejoicing, delight, and pervasive refreshment; this is called rapture.

Question: What are the characteristic, function, manifestation, domain, and kinds of RAPTURE?

Answer: Gladness and overflowing exhilaration are called the characteristic of rapture. Delight is its function. The calming of the distracted mind is its manifestation. The mind’s elation is its domain of activity.

Rapture is of six kinds: ⁽¹⁾ rapture born of sensual desire; ⁽²⁾ rapture born of faith; ⁽³⁾ rapture born of non-remorse; ⁽⁴⁾ rapture born of seclusion; ⁽⁵⁾ rapture born of concentration; and ⁽⁶⁾ rapture born of the factors of enlightenment.

What is rapture born of sensual desire? When rapture is defiled by sensual craving, it is rapture born of desire.

What is rapture born of faith? It is the rapturous mind of a person endowed with abundant faith, like a potter watching the wheel revolve.

What is rapture born of non-remorse? It is the pure gladness that arises in a person who strictly observes the precepts.

What is rapture born of seclusion? It is the gladness that comes from entering the First Jhana.

What is rapture born of concentration? It is the rapture that arises upon entering the Second Jhana.

What is rapture born of the factors of enlightenment? It is the gladness of one who, having attained the Second Jhana, follows the supramundane path of practice.

Another teaching holds that rapture is of five kinds: ⁽¹⁾ minor rapture, ⁽²⁾ momentary rapture, ⁽³⁾ flowing rapture, ⁽⁴⁾ uplifting rapture, and ⁽⁵⁾ pervading rapture.

Minor rapture is like a fine drizzle falling upon the body and causing the hairs to stand on end. Momentary rapture arises and ceases without lasting long, like rain at night. Flowing rapture is like oil applied to the body, spreading over it without completely saturating it. Uplifting rapture thrills the entire body, and its gladness persists for a long time without disappearing, like a poor person who beholds a treasure store. Pervading rapture fills the entire body with gladness, like thunder and rain.

Thus, minor rapture and momentary rapture arise from faith and lead to access concentration. Flowing rapture has sufficient power to arouse access concentration. Uplifting rapture arises from the mandala in forms that are straight or irregular according to one’s skill. Pervading rapture leads to tranquility.

Question: What is bliss?

Answer: When the mind contacts and experiences a pleasing object, giving rise to happiness, this is bliss.

Question: What are the characteristic, function, manifestation, domain, and kinds of BLISS? What is the difference between rapture and bliss?

Answer: The function of bliss is its characteristic. Taking a pleasing object as its condition is the function of bliss; receiving that feeling is the manifestation through which bliss arises. That upon which bliss depends and which it takes as its condition is its domain of activity.

Bliss is of five kinds: ⁽¹⁾ bliss born of causes and conditions; ⁽²⁾ bliss arising from being fully furnished with requisites; ⁽³⁾ bliss born of seclusion; ⁽⁴⁾ bliss arising from the complete ending of the defilements; and ⁽⁵⁾ bliss arising from feeling.

What is joy born of causes and conditions? As the Buddha said, the joy of maintaining moral conduct intact is the merit of happiness. The joy of being fully endowed is, as the Buddha said, that the Buddha brings joy to the entire world. The joy born of tranquility is the joy of concentration, equanimity, and cessation. The joy born of the complete eradication of the afflictions is, as the Buddha said, the supreme joy of nirvana. Joy as feeling, according to this Treatise, is a pleasant feeling worthy of enjoyment.

How do rapture and happiness differ? A mind that leaps and thrills is rapture; a mind that is pliant and gentle is happiness. A mind that is peaceful and light is happiness; a collected mind is rapture. Rapture is coarse, while happiness is subtle. Rapture belongs to the formation skandha; happiness belongs to the feeling skandha. Wherever there is rapture, there is happiness; wherever there is happiness, rapture may or may not be present.

Serving as the foundation for the second step, this first step is called access jhana. When access jhana has been accomplished, one enters the First Jhana. The factors of the First Jhana, called jhana factors, are five: applied thought, sustained thought, rapture, happiness, and one-pointedness of mind.

What does jhana mean? Jhana is the even contemplation of an object; it vigorously dispels the five hindrances and employs thought as an antidote. Having entered the First Jhana, attained right absorption, experienced it, and realized it, one then abides therein.

Furthermore, separation from sensual desire and unwholesome states, from the realm of sensual desire, describes the distinctive characteristic of the First Jhana. Abandoning the applied and sustained thought of the First Jhana describes the distinctive characteristic of the Second Jhana. Since the attainment of tranquility possesses rapture and happiness, rapture and happiness should therefore be regarded as the distinctive characteristics of tranquility.

Furthermore, separation from sensual desires and unwholesome states means that they are to be entirely cut off by means of their antidotes. The presence of applied and sustained thought describes the sign of jhana. The presence of rapture and happiness, accomplishing tranquility, describes the semblance of jhana. Entering right absorption—that is, concentration—and abiding therein describes the attainment of the First Jhana. Having abandoned the five hindrances, accomplished the five factors and the three wholesome qualities, fulfilled the ten perceptions, and acquired the twenty-five merits, through these wholesome blessings one is reborn to dwell in the sublime Brahma realm.

Question: What does it mean to abandon the five hindrances?

Answer: The five hindrances are: ⁽¹⁾ sensual desire; ⁽²⁾ ill will; ⁽³⁾ sloth and torpor; ⁽⁴⁾ restlessness and remorse; and ⁽⁵⁾ doubt.

Sensual desire is craving for the five sensory objects—forms, sounds, odors, tastes, and tangible objects—which defiles the mind. Ill will is anger that gives rise to the ten afflictions. Sloth is laziness, which makes the mind indolent.

Torpor is drowsiness: the body becomes heavy and weary and wants to lie down and sleep. Drowsiness is of three kinds: ⁽¹⁾ that caused by food and drink; ⁽²⁾ that caused by the weather; and ⁽³⁾ that arising from the mind. If it arises from the mind, it is cut off through the power of contemplation.

If it is caused by food and drink or by the weather, as in the case of an arhat, then because it is not produced by the mind, it is not a hindrance. When drowsiness arises from food and drink or the weather, it should be eliminated through diligence. As Venerable Anuruddha said: “During the fifty years since I eliminated the hindrances, I have never slept because of drowsiness arising from the mind; and during that period, for twenty-five years I cut off drowsiness caused by food and drink or by the weather.”

Question: If sleep is a material phenomenon, how can it afflict the mind?

Answer: Matter has always been capable of afflicting the mind. This can be understood from observing a person who is drinking wine and eating; the affliction caused by that activity can be known.

Question: If sleep is a material phenomenon and sloth is a mental phenomenon, why are these two combined into a single hindrance?

Answer: These two concern the same matter and share the same characteristic, namely weary indolence; therefore, they are combined into a single hindrance.

Restlessness, agitation, and distraction mean that the mind is not tranquil. Remorse is the mind’s resentment over something displeasing. Because restlessness and remorse are alike in producing mental instability in both cases, they are classified together as a single hindrance.

Doubt is the mind’s attachment to various alternatives. Doubt is of four kinds: ⁽¹⁾ that which distances one from samatha (Pali: Samatha, tranquility); ⁽²⁾ that which distances one from vipassana (Pali: Vipassana, insight); ⁽³⁾ that which distances one from both; and ⁽⁴⁾ doubt concerning things.

– When those four kinds of doubt have been fully eliminated, does one attain samatha—that is, tranquility—or, while still doubting those matters or doubting the body, can one nevertheless attain tranquility?

– As long as doubt remains, one is thereby distanced from tranquility (samatha). Doubt concerning the Four Noble Truths or concerning the three periods of time distances one from insight (vipassana). Doubt concerning the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha distances one from both tranquility and insight. Doubt concerning countries and cities, roads and paths, men and women, or names and family names is doubt concerning things. In this Sutra-Treatise, doubt means being distanced from tranquility; this should be remembered.

What does “hindrance” mean? It means an obstruction to the path; it means an overturning and covering; it means affliction; and it means a binding cord. These meanings do not differ.

Question: There are many subtle fetters layered one upon another, producing further affliction. Why, then, are only five hindrances taught?

Answer: Because when they are all grouped together, they constitute five. Furthermore, sensual desire concerning the sense faculties is sufficient to encompass every kind of craving. Ill will encompasses all unwholesome states. Sloth, torpor, restlessness, remorse, and doubt are likewise sufficient to encompass all doubts and unwholesome states. Thus, through attachment, the five hindrances sufficiently encompass all afflictions.

It is through this characteristic that they constitute the five hindrances.

The five accomplished factors are applied thought, sustained thought, rapture, happiness, and one-pointedness of mind.

Question: If the First Jhana is said to be jhana through the accomplishment of its five factors, then each factor cannot separately be called jhana. If each factor is discussed separately, why is the First Jhana said to be associated with five factors?

Answer: Jhana is accomplished in dependence upon the jhana factors. Jhana exists only without being separate from those factors; there is no other jhana. It is like speaking of a chariot in dependence upon each of its parts: apart from those parts, how could there be a chariot?

It is also like speaking of an army in dependence upon its constituent units: apart from those units, how could there be an army? Likewise, it is called jhana in dependence upon the jhana factors; jhana exists only without being separate from those factors. Because they are of one kind, it is called jhana; when distinguished individually, they are called factors.

With respect to the state itself, it is called jhana; with respect to its merits, they are called factors. When spoken of according to the collective designation, it is called jhana; when spoken of according to the designation of its individual nature, they are called factors.

Question: Mindfulness, diligence, and other qualities are also present. Why, then, are only five factors taught?

Answer: Because through their combined coordination, they constitute five.

Question: What is the characteristic of that coordination?

Answer: Applied thought enables the mind to settle naturally upon the object. Sustained thought maintains it there; applied and sustained thought arise skillfully and do not allow confusion or distraction. When this skillfulness is complete, rapture and happiness arise. When this skillfulness is fully developed and the mind’s rapture is attained and increases, the mind’s happiness reaches fulfillment.

Through these four merits, the mind becomes accomplished in non-distraction. When a non-distracted mind is attained, concentration is attained. This is called the characteristic of coordination. Thus, through coordination, the five factors are constituted.

Furthermore, to counteract the five hindrances, there are five levels of jhana. The first hindrance is counteracted by the First Jhana, and so on until the fifth hindrance, which is counteracted by the Fifth Jhana. Applied thought is the preeminent factor of the First Jhana and has the function of eliminating sensual desire. When applied thought enters right concentration, the other factors also arise. Sustained thought arises first among the factors of the Second Jhana. Rapture arises first in the Third Jhana. Bliss arises first in the Fourth Jhana. One-pointedness arises first in the Fifth Jhana. Thus, according to the preeminence of the factors, there are five factors.

Furthermore, there are five factors also because they counteract the five hindrances. As stated in the canonical scriptures of the Tripitaka: one-pointedness counteracts sensual desire; joy counteracts ill will; applied thought counteracts sloth and torpor; bliss counteracts restlessness and remorse; sustained thought counteracts doubt. Because they counteract the five hindrances, there are five factors.

Question: How can a meditator contemplating the earth kasina cause rapture and bliss to arise?

Answer: The earth kasina itself cannot cause rapture and bliss to arise. Through the causal conditions of becoming separated from the hindrances and ardently cultivating in accordance with its intrinsic nature, rapture and bliss arise according to that Dharma.

Again it is asked: If that Dharma is so, why do rapture and bliss not arise in the Fourth Jhana? Answer: Because that is not their appropriate sphere, for when the Fourth Jhana is attained, rapture and bliss have already been relinquished.

Furthermore, after rapture and bliss initially arise, they are skillfully abandoned because their faults are seen and because of the aspiration to advance toward profound tranquility. Therefore, they are relinquished and no longer arise.

The three kinds of goodness are goodness in the beginning, goodness in the middle, and goodness at the end. Purity of cultivation is goodness in the beginning. The development of equanimity is goodness in the middle. Joy is goodness at the end.

What is purity of cultivation? It is bringing the provisions of wholesome qualities to fulfillment. What is the development of equanimity? It is bringing about stability. What is joy? It is the arising of contemplation.

Thus, attaining the First Jhana is the accomplishment of the three kinds of goodness.

What are the ten fully developed characteristics? Purity of cultivation has three characteristics, the development of equanimity has three characteristics, and joy has four characteristics. (These are the ten characteristics.)

Question: What are the three characteristics of purity of cultivation?

Answer: They are: becoming separated from the impediments to jhana, thereby purifying the mind; attaining the sign of tranquility (samatha) with the purified mind; and, from that attained tranquility, the mind surging forward. These are the three characteristics of purity of cultivation.

Question: What are the three characteristics of the development of equanimity?

Answer: When the mind has become purified, there is equanimity; when tranquility has been attained, there is equanimity; and when abiding has been attained continuously from the beginning until now, there is equanimity. This is the further development of equanimity. These are called the three characteristics of equanimity.

Question: What are the four characteristics that cause joy to arise?

Answer: Within the ten characteristics, the dharmas arise successively, causing cultivation to become joyful; within those dharmas, the faculties become of a single flavor, causing joy to arise; cultivation and diligence progressively increase, causing joy to arise; and through the capacity for cultivation, joy arises. These are the four characteristics that cause joy to arise.

Thus, entry into the First Jhana is endowed with the ten characteristics.

The twenty-five associated qualities are: the First Jhana is fully endowed with applied thought, sustained thought, rapture, bliss, and one-pointedness; it is also fully endowed with faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom; it is fully endowed with goodness in the beginning, goodness in the middle, and goodness at the end; fully endowed with restraint and composure; fully endowed with cultivation; fully endowed with tranquility; fully endowed with support; fully endowed with acceptance; fully endowed with conformity; fully endowed with contemplation; fully endowed with development; fully endowed with strength; fully endowed with liberation; and fully endowed with purity. (Restraint and composure mean gathering and collecting. Conformity means following.)

The supreme purity accomplished through cultivation, abiding in the twenty-five associated qualities, is the dwelling place of the devas. Arising from tranquility, abiding in rapture and bliss, and transcending the human realm—this is the sublime dwelling place of the deva realm.

As the Buddha taught the bhikkhus: Suppose a bath attendant or an assistant filled a bronze basin with bathing powder (broken rice grains), mixed it with water into a moist ball, and saturated it with water both within and without so that it would not fall apart. In the same way, when a bhikkhu’s body and mind become tranquil, rapture and bliss immediately arise, suffusing the entire body and mind so that no part remains unpervaded by tranquility, rapture, and bliss. Just as the bath attendant or assistant does, the meditator likewise allows the whole body and mind, without leaving any part untouched, to be suffused with tranquility, causing rapture and bliss to arise.

Thus, the bronze basin is analogous to the sign of the kasina; this should be understood.

Question: What does it mean to say that it is analogous to the sign of the kasina?

Answer: Just as the still-hard bathing powder (broken rice grains) in the bronze basin is ground fine and becomes warm and radiant, so too, through skillfully and steadfastly maintaining the sign of the kasina, subtle and pure rapture arises and also makes the mind and mental factors warm and radiant. Therefore, it is said that the bronze basin is analogous to the sign of the kasina, while the mind and mental factors are like the bathing powder; this should be understood.

Question: How is the bathing powder analogous to the mind and mental factors?

Answer: Just as coarse, unmixed bathing powder is scattered by the wind, so too the mind and mental factors, when separated from rapture and bliss, become coarse; separated from concentration, they are not integrated and are scattered by the winds of the five hindrances. Thus, the bathing powder is said to be analogous to the mind and mental factors.

Question: How is the water analogous?

Answer: Rapture, bliss, and concentration are like the water that causes the bathing powder to become a single round ball. In the same way, rapture and bliss moisten and soften the mind and mental factors, bringing about concentration. Thus, water is analogous to rapture, bliss, and concentration. Just as the bathing water makes the bathing powder moist, pliable, and cohesive, so too do applied thought and sustained thought; this should be understood.

Question: How is the round ball analogous?

Answer: This means that applied thought and sustained thought are like the bathing water that moistens the bathing powder placed in the bronze basin, making it soft and pliable so that it may be shaped by hand into a round ball. Once the ball has been formed, all the bathing powder is combined into a single mass and prevented from being scattered; only then is it placed in the bronze basin. Likewise, the meditator places the mind and mental factors upon the object of contemplation, and tranquility then arises.

In the First Jhana, rapture and bliss are the water, applied thought and sustained thought are the hands that knead and shape, and the round ball is tranquility. Following rapture and bliss, the mind and mental factors become a single, rounded form, free from distraction and steadily maintained upon the object. Thus, the round ball is analogous to applied thought and sustained thought, just as bathing powder, moistened from without to within, adheres firmly together and does not fall apart.

Likewise, when a meditator enters the First Jhana, the entire body, above and below, from the head down to the feet and from the feet up to the skull, with hair and skin, within and without, abides everywhere in rapture and bliss without regression. Thus, one comes to abide in the Brahma heaven.

Question: Rapture and bliss are mental phenomena, not material phenomena; they have no physical form. How, then, can they abide throughout the whole body?

Answer: Name (= mentality) depends upon form (= matter), and form depends upon name. Therefore, if name becomes joyful, form also becomes joyful. If name becomes blissful, form also becomes blissful. Furthermore, form arises in accordance with bliss, causing the body to arise dependent upon it; the entire body becomes this form and rests upon bliss. Therefore, there is no obstruction.

The merit of the first jhana is that it causes rebirth in the Brahma realm. The first jhana is of three grades: inferior, middling, and superior. If one contemplates the excellent conditions but is unable to remove the five hindrances and does not attain mastery at will, this is the inferior first jhana. If one contemplates the excellent conditions and removes the five hindrances but has not yet attained mastery at will, this is the middling first jhana. If one contemplates the excellent conditions, removes the five hindrances, and also attains mastery at will, this is the superior first jhana.

Thus, if a meditator cultivates the inferior first jhana, at the end of life that person will be reborn among the retinue of Brahma gods in the Brahma realm and will have a lifespan of one-third of an eon. If one cultivates the middling first jhana, at the end of life one will be reborn in the Brahma realm and live for half an eon. If one cultivates the superior first jhana, at the end of life one will be reborn in the Great Brahma realm and live for one eon.

The merit leading to rebirth in the Brahma realm is of four kinds: some belong to the class subject to decline, some to the class of stability, some to the class of excellence, and some to the class of attainment.

A person of dull faculties (= slow capacities), whose thoughts still retain the habit of heedlessness (= laxity and lack of restraint), may give rise to the first jhana, yet it belongs to the class subject to decline (= still liable to regress). Furthermore, during meditation there are two modes of conduct that bring about decline: being so heavily besieged by afflictions that one cannot arouse diligence. If evil thoughts that arose in the past have not been eliminated, this is a heavy siege that brings about rapid regression. If, while meditating, one still delights in conversation and speech, indulges in sleep, and is unwilling to sustain diligent effort, one therefore falls into decline.

Question: Who declines, and how does decline occur?

Answer: One teaching holds that decline occurs when afflictions assail one suddenly. Another teaching holds that decline occurs when afflictions come slowly and gradually defile the mind. Yet another teaching holds that decline occurs because, after ceasing cultivation for a long time, one can no longer cause the sign that arose previously to arise again and thus cannot attain concentration.

If a person of dull faculties (= slow capacities) cultivates heedfulness and attains the Dharma of mindfulness, that person’s jhana belongs to the class of stability (stability = steadfastness).

A person of sharp faculties (= keen capacities) who is heedful and attains the second jhana at will, in which applied thought is no longer present, and who then cultivates further, has jhana belonging to the class of excellence. (Excellence = surpassing; superior discernment = the capacity for increasingly excellent discrimination.)

A person of sharp faculties who is heedful, attains tranquility (samatha), casts aside at will all thoughts of discouragement, and remains undefiled thereby attains jhana belonging to the class of attainment. (Attainment = reaching the profound; thorough penetration = the capacity to comprehend the profound completely.)