釋禪波羅蜜次第法門

Chapter 7

EXPLANATION OF THE CHARACTERISTICS

OF CULTIVATING AND REALIZING DHYANA PARAMITA

An explanation of the four kinds of dhyana, together with a clarification of the nine kinds of Dhyana Paramita.

– I. Nine Contemplations

– II. Eight Recollections

– III. Ten Contemplations

– IV. Eight Liberations

– V. Eight Fields of Mastery

– VI. Ten Universal Fields

– VII. Nine Successive Concentrations

– VIII. Lion's Vigorous Advance Samadhi

– IX. Transcendent Samadhi

The preceding section clarified the internal and external methods of skillful means. If practitioners can cultivate them with single-minded concentration and apply the methods of the dhyana approach exclusively, they will certainly attain actual realization. Therefore, Chapter 7 primarily discusses realization through practice. A sutra states: “As for the Dharma method that I cultivate, when realization occurs, one naturally knows it.” We shall now explain the characteristics of cultivating and realizing the four kinds of dhyana:

– CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTIVATING AND REALIZING WORLDLY DHYANA (WITH OUTFLOWS)

– CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTIVATING AND REALIZING BOTH WORLDLY AND SUPRAMUNDANE DHYANA

– CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTIVATING AND REALIZING SUPRAMUNDANE DHYANA

– CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTIVATING AND REALIZING DHYANA THAT IS NEITHER WORLDLY NOR SUPRAMUNDANE

CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTIVATING AND REALIZING WORLDLY DHYANA (WITH OUTFLOWS)

There are three sections:

*1. Four Dhyanas (the four levels of dhyana)

*2. Four Immeasurable Minds

*3. Four Formless Concentrations

First, the characteristics of cultivating and realizing the four levels of dhyana will be explained: the First Dhyana, Second Dhyana, Third Dhyana, and Fourth Dhyana.

Now, if discussing the fundamental right concentrations of the desire realm, there are only the four levels of dhyana. If the intermediate dhyana is also included, there are various differing accounts.

The Sarvastivada school teaches: “There are the concentration of the stage preceding attainment and the intermediate dhyana; together with the four levels of dhyana, there are six kinds of meditative concentration in all.”

The Dharmaguptaka school teaches: “There is no future dhyana, but there are the desire-realm concentration and the intermediate dhyana; together with the four levels of dhyana, there are six kinds of meditative concentration in all.”

The Mahayana and Ghosha teachings maintain: “There are the desire-realm concentration, the stage preceding attainment, and the intermediate dhyana; together with the four levels of dhyana, there are seven kinds of meditative concentration in all.”

*1. FOUR DHYANAS

(the four fundamental levels of dhyana)

Here these accounts may be reconciled and their implications inferred; therefore, only the four fundamental levels of dhyana will be explained:

A. First Dhyana

A. FIRST DHYANA

As the verse recorded in the sutra states:

Secluded from desires and unwholesome dharmas,

Endowed with both initial and sustained attention,

With joy and bliss born of seclusion,

That person enters the First Dhyana.

Having departed far from the fire of lust,

One attains the coolness of meditative concentration,

Like one suffering from excessive heat

Who enters a cool pond and finds delight.

Like a poor person who acquires gold,

Joyfully stirring the mind is initial attention;

Discerning and distinguishing is called sustained attention.

Entering the First Dhyana is likewise so.

This verse fully explains the cultivation and realization of the First Dhyana, but its underlying meaning is very difficult to understand and therefore requires further explanation.

The explanation of the First Dhyana is divided into three sections:

I- Explanation of the term “First Dhyana”

II- Method of cultivating the First Dhyana

III- Characteristics of realizing the First Dhyana

I- EXPLANATION OF THE TERM “FIRST DHYANA”

The First Dhyana is called the Forest of Factors and is also called the Grove of Merits. When practitioners realize the “forest of factors,” this is called the First Dhyana. The “factors” are initial attention and sustained attention. When practitioners cultivate initial and sustained attention, the First Dhyana necessarily arises first; therefore, initial and sustained attention are also called the First Dhyana.

QUESTION: If it is called the First Dhyana because meditative concentration develops first, the desire-realm concentration and the stage preceding attainment also develop first. Why, then, are they not called the First Dhyana?

ANSWER: Dhyana is also called the Grove of Merits. The desire-realm concentration and the stage preceding attainment do not yet possess the forest of meritorious factors. Therefore, even though they arise first, they cannot be called the First Dhyana. The Mahayana states: “In the desire-realm concentration, the stage preceding attainment, and the intermediate dhyana, wisdom is abundant but concentration is slight; these are states in which bliss is not attained.” Because they are not right concentrations, they do not receive the designation “First Dhyana.”

The First Dhyana is also called the samadhi with initial and sustained attention. Some people doubtfully say: “If the inner mind possesses initial and sustained attention, it certainly cannot become settled.” Therefore, the Buddha spoke of the samadhi of initial and sustained attention—that is, right concentration.

The Treatise on the Stages states: “The First Dhyana is also called the dhyana accompanied by initial and sustained attention,” because when the First Dhyana develops, initial and sustained attention develop simultaneously. The First Dhyana is also called “the concentration in which noble ones expound the Dharma.” Because initial and sustained attention are present in this concentration and it still involves language, it is called the concentration of expounding the Dharma. Thus, the First Dhyana has these various names.

II- METHOD OF CULTIVATING THE FIRST DHYANA

There are two sections:

1. The method of cultivation

2. Discussion of the mind capable of cultivation

1. The method of cultivation

This is the method of cultivating anapana—counting the breaths—which is the fundamental practice for cultivating the First Dhyana. It is explained under three points:

a) Meaning of the term

b) Discussion of the characteristics of counting the breaths

c) Different methods of contemplating the breath

a) Meaning of the term

Anapana is a Sanskrit term, translated in the Qin dynasty as “counting the breaths”—the inhalations and exhalations. The Sutra on the Samadhi of Mindfulness of Anapana states: “The syllable an means arising, and the syllable pana means cessation.” If interpreted according to the arising and cessation of the breath, its meaning is as stated above. If interpreted in terms of the arising and cessation of mental thoughts, that is not the meaning intended here. Therefore, anapana is translated here as “counting the breaths”—the inhalations and exhalations.

b) Discussion of the characteristics of counting the breaths

This refers to the characteristics of inhalation and exhalation, of which there are four kinds:

– Wind

– Panting

– Coarse breath

– Subtle breath

These four characteristics of breathing were discussed previously in the explanation of the method of regulating the breath. When the breath has the characteristic of wind, the mind is scattered. When it has the characteristic of panting, it is obstructed. When it is coarse breath, it is labored. When it is subtle breath, the mind becomes settled. Practitioners must therefore discard the first three characteristics and use only the last. The characteristic of subtle breath is that the inhalations and exhalations are regulated, soundless, and unobstructed; the breath is so gentle that it seems to exist and yet seems to vanish.

c) Different methods of contemplating the breath

One teacher says: “Attention should be fixed on the exhalation. Why? If one counts with each exhalation, the breath is not hurried, the body does not become distended, and body and mind become light and at ease, making it easy to enter meditative concentration.”

Another teacher says: “One should count with each inhalation. Why?” Because this has five benefits:

1/ It is easy to enter concentration

2/ External objects are eliminated

3/ It is easy to perceive the thirty-six constituent substances within the body

4/ The body becomes light and at ease, and its vital energy becomes abundant

5/ The inner mind becomes replete, making it easy to eliminate greed and anger

Because it has such practical benefits, one should therefore follow the inhalation.

Another teacher says: “The method of counting with either exhalation or inhalation is not fixed. One need only understand skillful means and employ whichever method is suitable at a given moment and under the particular circumstances. It is best to settle the mind and enter concentration; if a method presents no obstruction, simply use it.”

None of the three cultivation methods taught by the three teachers above permits both methods to be used at the same time. Why? Because this can easily produce an illness of blockage and choking, as though something were lodged in the throat that can neither be coughed out nor swallowed.

2. Discussion of the mind capable of cultivation

There are three sections:

a) The counting mind

b) Transformation

c) Summary

a) The counting mind

This means using a subtle mind to gather in scattered thoughts, concentrating the mind exclusively on the breath and counting from 1 to 10 so that the mind does not become distracted. This is therefore called counting the breaths. If the count does not reach ten, it is called undercounting; if it reaches eleven, it is called overcounting. Neither overcounting nor undercounting is a method that brings stability. Only when one can count continuously from one to ten without error is the contemplation of counting the breaths said to have been accomplished.

If, while counting from 1 to 10, the mind thinks of other matters, the count becomes scattered and confused; if the breaths are not counted continuously, the distracted mind cannot be treated. If the count exceeds 10, then within a single thought there are simultaneously two numerical objects, and distraction immediately arises; this is therefore called Increase. In practicing the counting-of-breaths method, one need only focus the mind upon the breath and remember the prescribed number; one must not count too many numbers. If the breaths are excessive, the vital energy becomes congested, the abdomen swells, the breathing grows rapid, and one cannot sit steadily.

b) The Method of Transition

When practitioners first begin cultivating the method of counting breaths, if they become aware that the breathing is subtle and that an abnormal condition has arisen, they should stop counting and shift to the method of following the breath: that is, naturally following the breath as it goes out and comes in. When the mind has become tranquil, they relinquish following the breath, and the mind comes to rest. If, while the mind is resting, it falls into torpor, they immediately apply the practice of contemplative illumination to that mind.

If the mind becomes agitated, they relinquish contemplation and return to counting the breath, following the breath, and calming; this is called Returning. When the mind is no longer distracted or torpid and the spirit is stilled and tranquil, this is called Purification.

If practitioners skillfully apply these Six Subtle Dharma Gates to gather and restrain their thoughts, they will easily enter concentration.

c) Summary

The method of counting breaths is precisely the first expedient means for entering the path of cultivation.

QUESTION: All Dharma gates can serve as the first expedient gateway. Why is it said that only the method of counting breaths should be used?

ANSWER: It is not so. We now rely upon what the Buddha taught in the sutras: “The method of counting breaths is the first gateway through which the Buddhas of the three times enter the path; therefore, when Buddha Sakyamuni first came to sit beneath the Bodhi tree, he attained the Way.” When practitioners wish to study and cultivate the Buddhadharma, they should first practice counting the breath and following the breath, proceeding as far as Returning and Purification, as recorded fully and clearly in the Sutra of Auspicious Responses.

Furthermore, when the fifteenth patriarch, Deva(1), first appeared in the world, he subdued the non-Buddhist teachers and gained the reverence and faith of many people. He enabled innumerable people to leave the household life. On one occasion, he assembled all seven groups, monastic and lay, together with kings, officials, brahmins, and others. When he ascended the lion seat, tears suddenly fell from his eyes like rain. The entire assembly became silent, thinking: “Could the Buddhadharma be about to perish and the non-Buddhist teachings to flourish, or is some calamity or epidemic about to spread throughout the country?”

Knowing the thoughts of the assembly, he wiped away his tears with a white cloth, composed his countenance and robes, raised his right hand, and said: “It is not that the Buddhadharma is about to perish and the non-Buddhist teachings to flourish, nor is a calamity or epidemic about to spread throughout the country. I weep only because I grieve that the sun of the Buddhadharma is about to set and the radiance of the sages and worthies is about to disappear. Among those who wear the kasaya, no saints or worthies are to be seen; therefore, I shed tears.”

When the entire assembly heard these words, everyone was deeply moved and cried out in sorrow. A flock of birds flying across the sky heard their mournful weeping and fell from the air in disarray. At that time, he consoled the assembly with a compassionate voice and spoke this verse:

The Buddha-sun shines brilliantly in the world.

Sentient beings, being eyeless, do not see it.
The bright moon of sages and worthies has never vanished;
Sentient beings, burdened by grave obstructions, do not encounter it.
If they can cleanse the defilements from the mind’s eye,

When the entire assembly heard the bodhisattva’s compassionate voice, they immediately awakened, gathered body and mind, and sat peacefully in silence. Single-mindedly, they gazed at the bodhisattva and listened to him teach the Dharma. He spoke this verse to instruct the assembly:

The Buddha taught the ambrosial Dharma,

Called anapana (counting the breath);
Among all Dharma gates,

It is foremost in peace and security.

Its shoots and buds arise in sequence;

From that time onward, the Dharma masters of India transmitted this teaching continuously, most of them using the method of counting breaths as the gateway for entering the path. When the great adepts of the Four Reliances(2) and bodhisattvas possessing the Six Superknowledges taught the Dharma to liberate beings, they all first advocated the use of this method. How, then, could counting the breath not be the first expedient means for entering the path?

In the age of the decline of the Dharma, successive patriarchs teach the Dharma and instruct people, yet do not themselves cultivate meditative concentration. Consequently, they do not realize the path, and what they say instead disparages those who practice meditative concentration. Judged according to Master Deva’s teaching, meditative concentration is essential; how lamentable indeed are the deluded and inverted people of the world!

Some also say: “The Dharma of meditation cannot be expounded before a great assembly.” Yet consider how Master Deva expounded meditative concentration before the assembly. Should we today remain silent? If one ostentatiously proclaims before the assembly, “I have realized this Dharma; you have realized that Dharma,” and speaks of the secret and wondrous states within meditative concentration, that indeed is an offense of no small gravity.

III. CHARACTERISTICS OF REALIZING THE FIRST DHYANA

If discussed from the cultivation of expedient methods through the realization of the First Dhyana, there are three stages:

1. Realizing Desire-Realm Concentration

2. Realizing the Not-Yet-Arrived Ground

3. Realizing the First Dhyana

1. Realizing Desire-Realm Concentration

This has two parts:

a) The state of realization

b) Realization and regression

a) The state of realization

Within the Desire Realm, there are also three kinds of mental states:

– Abiding in the Coarse Mind

– Abiding in the Subtle Mind

– Realizing Desire-Realm Concentration

– Abiding in the Coarse Mind: Through cultivating the method of counting breaths, the inner mind gradually becomes open, tranquil, and still, no longer engaging in conditioned concerns; this is called Coarse.

– Abiding in the Subtle Mind: After the coarse mind gradually transforms and becomes subtle, it is called the Subtle Mind.

While entering the coarse or subtle mind, or when realization is about to occur, the phenomenon of bodily support may appear. At that time, the practitioner’s body and mind naturally become upright and proper, and one sits without fatigue, as though something were supporting the body.

If the phenomenon of bodily support is wholesome, practitioners feel light and subtle; this Dharma merely assists the body.

If the phenomenon of bodily support is unwholesome, practitioners feel stiff, constricted, and forcefully pressed. When it arrives, they suffer from constriction and rigidity; when it departs, they feel sluggish, burdened, and weary. This phenomenon is not wholesome.

– Realizing Desire-Realm Concentration: After the practitioner’s mind has become subtle, one becomes aware that the inner mind is naturally pure and lucid and accords with meditative concentration. While sitting, one is sustained by the Dharma of concentration; the inner mind remains silent, serene, and spontaneously unmoving. The state of meditative concentration gradually develops from shallow to profound, and one can sit for an hour without the mind or attention becoming scattered. This is called Desire-Realm Concentration. When practitioners enter this concentration, the form characteristics of the karmic recompense body belonging to the Desire Realm have not yet ceased.

b) Realization and regression

After practitioners enter Desire-Realm Concentration, because the Dharma and the mind remain weak and shallow and the power of sustaining support has not yet developed, it is difficult to enter concentration and easy to regress. One should therefore understand that there are two causes of easy regression:

– Due to external conditions

When practitioners attain concentration, if they are not skillful in applying the mind, and the methods of internal and external expedient means conflict with each other, they may go astray midway and easily regress from meditative concentration. Or, after practitioners have attained meditative concentration, they may speak of it to others, display signs of having attained meditative concentration so that others will know, or encounter circumstances that disrupt the characteristics of concentration.

Although encountering such external conditions, if practitioners remain unaware of them and have no method for counteracting the obstacles that arise, they can very easily regress from meditative concentration. If practitioners can preserve the power of concentration well and prevent it from declining, obstacles cannot arise. This is called the attainment of meditative concentration.

– Causes arising from within

There are six causes of regression from meditative concentration:

1/ A mind of expectation 4/ A mind of excessive joy

2/ A mind of doubt 5/ A mind of craving and attachment

3/ A mind of fear 6/ A mind of sorrow and regret

A mind of expectation occurs when, before attaining meditative concentration, one gives rise to a mind that longs to attain concentration. A mind of doubt occurs when, upon entering meditative concentration, one becomes uncertain whether or not concentration has been attained; or the mind feels afraid, gives rise to joy, or produces craving, attachment, and fondness. A mind of sorrow and regret occurs when, after emerging from meditative concentration, one becomes sorrowful and remorseful.

These six states of mind frequently disturb practitioners’ minds and cause their meditative concentration to be lost through regression. Speaking generally of all six, when the mind has not yet attained concentration, these six may arise during Entry, Abiding, and Emergence, causing regression from meditative concentration. If these six are absent, meditative concentration will be attained with ease. Because meditative concentration is not lost, this is called Attaining Concentration. Although this matter may seem elementary, if it is not explained, practitioners will not understand it. If practitioners skillfully comprehend its implications, they will clearly recognize these obstacles.

2. Attaining the Access Stage

– After practitioners attain desire-realm concentration, body and mind disappear, and the perceived sphere is empty, without the physical body of the desire realm. While sitting in meditation, they may not perceive their head, hands, feet, the floor, the sitting cushion, and so forth; everything resembles empty space. This is the sphere of concentration at the Access Stage.

In some explanations, the characteristics of the Access Stage may also initiate the first dhyana. These are the initial expedient means by which the mind is readily settled in concentration. It is also called the Preliminary Expedient Concentration of the First Dhyana, and also the Future Dhyana because it has not yet reached dhyana concentration.

It is also called “the mind suddenly becoming serene and limpid,” meaning that the inner mind suddenly becomes tranquil, clear, and bright. The sphere realized through cultivating this concentration naturally has varying degrees of depth and shallowness, but these cannot all be discussed here in detail. Furthermore, this concentration also has deceptive and erroneous manifestations to which practitioners should pay attention.

Because such deceptive and erroneous spheres are numerous, only two kinds are briefly explained here:

– Excessively bright mental concentration and excessively dim mental concentration; both characteristics are Erroneous Concentration.

a) The characteristic of excessively bright mental concentration: Upon entering concentration, practitioners see blue, red, yellow, or white forms outside themselves. Or they see spheres such as palaces, the moon, the sun, stars, and so forth. Or they enter concentration for anywhere from one day to seven days without emerging, or perceive during meditative concentration that they have attained supernormal powers. All these phenomena are characteristics of Erroneous Concentration and should be relinquished by practitioners.

b) The characteristic of dim mental concentration: After practitioners enter this concentration, their inner mind suddenly becomes dim and loses awareness, as though they were sound asleep. That is, there is no mental perception. This can cause inverted states to arise in the mind, so practitioners must quickly abandon it.

The foregoing is only a general account of the characteristics of Erroneous Concentration. It contains a great many obstructive difficulties that cannot be fully expressed in writing. According to the Satyasiddhi Shastra and the Abhidharma Shastra, it is not appropriate to distinguish these as two kinds of concentration. The present distinction between these two kinds of concentration follows Venerable Ghosha, though there are points of difference, as previously explained in the Mahayana. Yet many people who, while sitting in meditation, attain desire-realm concentration and the Access Stage experience two different characteristics of concentration. Therefore, these are now distinguished and explained as two kinds of concentration.

3. Attaining the First Dhyana

The explanation of the attainment of the First Dhyana has six aspects:

a) The arising of the First Dhyana
b) The meaning of the five factors

c) Cause and effect, essence and function
d) Characteristics of depth and shallowness

e) Characteristics of advancement and regression
g) Characteristics of merit

a) The arising of the First Dhyana

There are four parts:

a.1. Characteristics of the arising of the First Dhyana

a.2. Characteristics of what is not the First Dhyana

a.3. Causes and conditions for its initiation

a.4. Distinguishing erroneous from correct characteristics

a.1. Characteristics of the arising of the First Dhyana

While abiding in the concentration of the Access Stage, practitioners experience sixteen kinds of Contact. This is the phenomenon of the First Dhyana being initiated.

How is it experienced?

– After attaining the concentration of the Access Stage, practitioners gradually enter more deeply into meditative concentration and feel that body and mind are open, empty, tranquil, and still, without perceiving anything within or outside the body. Whether this continues for one day, as many as seven days, a month, or a year, the concentrated mind does not deteriorate but is instead sustained and strengthened. Within this concentration, practitioners perceive body and mind as still and tranquil, then gradually moving ever so slightly. When this movement occurs, they feel the body slowly reappearing, floating like a cloud or a shadow. This is the characteristic of Moving Contact being initiated. It may arise from above and descend, arise from below and ascend, or arise at the waist and then pervade the entire body. If it arises in the upper part, regression occurs easily. If it arises in the lower part, progress is readily made.

When the characteristic of Moving Contact is initiated, immeasurable merits also arise. Here, only ten wholesome qualities that arise together with Moving Contact will be briefly described.

The ten are:

– Concentration - Emptiness - Luminous purity - Joy - Bliss

– The arising of a wholesome mind - Luminous knowledge and vision - Liberation from bondage - The sphere becoming immediately present - Mental pliancy.

These ten wholesome qualities arise simultaneously with Moving Contact and are therefore called the retinue of Moving Contact. Their merits are exceptionally sublime, wondrous, and magnificent. A complete explanation would be difficult to exhaust; therefore, only the phenomena accompanying the initial arising of Moving Contact are briefly described here.

When Moving Contact arises, it may continue for one day, ten days, a month, or a year. After these Contacts have been experienced over time, the characteristics of other Contacts arise successively. The period during which the sixteen kinds of Contact arise is called the First Dhyana.

The characteristics of Contact consist of eight kinds of sensation:

1/ Moving Contact: while sitting in meditation, the body suddenly begins to sway.

2/ Itching Contact: the body suddenly itches and becomes restless.

3/ Cold Contact: the body suddenly becomes cold like ice.

4/ Light Contact: the body suddenly becomes light like a cloud or dust, with a sensation of floating or flying.

5/ Heavy Contact: the body suddenly becomes heavy like a great stone and cannot be moved.

6/ Smooth Contact: the body suddenly becomes smooth like milk.

7/ Warm Contact: the body suddenly becomes hot like fire.

8/ Rough Contact: the body suddenly becomes coarse and rough like tree bark.

There are also eight other kinds of sensation:

1/ Agitation: restless and ill at ease

2/ Smoothness: slippery

3/ Cold: coldness

4/ Heat: hotness

5/ Floating: swaying

6/ Sinking: torpor

7/ Firmness: hardness

8/ Pliancy: softness

Although these eight kinds of contact and the eight contacts mentioned above have the same characteristics, when examined carefully they differ slightly. Therefore, they are classified separately; taken together, the two groups comprise sixteen kinds. When these sixteen kinds of contact arise, each is also accompanied by wholesome dharmas and meritorious qualities, as described earlier in relation to the characteristics of moving contact.

When the practitioner realizes the concentration of the Not-Yet-Arrived Ground and the meritorious wholesome dharmas associated with the sixteen contacts arise, this is called the initial arising of the First Dhyana. These manifestations arise because the pure four great elements of the Form Realm depend upon the karmic-recompense body of the Desire Realm. Therefore, the Mahayana states: “The form produced by the four great elements of the Form Realm arises by depending upon the body of the Desire Realm.”

a.2. Characteristics That Are Not the First Dhyana

QUESTION: When practitioners first begin seated meditation, before their minds have become settled, contacts such as cold, heat, and movement may also arise, but without the meritorious qualities described above. Some say that these are signs of illness arising. Why? Because contacts such as roughness and heaviness are illnesses arising from the earth element; contacts such as lightness and movement are illnesses arising from the wind element; contacts such as itching and heat are illnesses arising from the fire element; and contacts such as coldness and smoothness are illnesses arising from the water element.

Furthermore, the arising of certain contacts causes the Five Hindrances to arise:

– Heat, burning, itching, and so forth lead to the affliction of sensual desire.

– Heaviness, torpor, and so forth give rise to the affliction of sloth and sleepiness.

– Agitation, coldness, and so forth give rise to the affliction of restlessness and remorse.

– Rigidity, roughness, and so forth give rise to thoughts of doubt.

– Heaviness, stiffness, roughness, and so forth give rise to anger.

One should therefore understand that when these kinds of contact arise, they may cause illnesses of the four great elements and give rise to the Five Hindrances, thereby creating obstructions. Some say that these kinds of contact are created by Mara; hence, when moving contact arises, the illnesses described above occur. These are all characteristics of contact created by Mara. Why, then, are they said to be the First Dhyana?

ANSWER: It is not so. As you have said, the arising of the contacts described above constitutes signs of illness and obstruction; manifestations of brightness and darkness are signs that deviant contacts have arisen. These are not the same as the moving contact being discussed here. Why? If contacts arise before the practitioner has realized the concentration of the Not-Yet-Arrived Ground, they mostly belong to ordinary illnesses that create obstructions and are produced by Mara.

The arising of contact discussed here occurs precisely when the concentration of the Not-Yet-Arrived Ground unfolds, and it is simultaneously accompanied by the arising of meritorious qualities. This is called the sign of the arising of the First Dhyana. Why should there be any doubt?

QUESTION: If contacts arising before the realization of the concentration of the Not-Yet-Arrived Ground merely produce illness and obstructions and are created by Mara, may it nevertheless be said that contact can also be used to cure illness and remove obstructions and is not necessarily created by Mara?

ANSWER: This meaning also applies.

QUESTION: If so, how does it differ from the kinds of contact belonging to the First Dhyana?

ANSWER: There is a difference. Although concentration in the Desire Realm can cure illness and remove obstructions and is not created by Mara, it is not a characteristic contact of the First Dhyana. This is because it belongs to the material dharmas of the four great elements(3) within Desire-Realm concentration and cannot bring forth the concentration of the First Dhyana. Because it does not possess the complete factors of wholesome dharmas and the full array of meritorious qualities, it cannot be called the First Dhyana.

Here, the wholesome and unwholesome manifestations of moving contact in the Desire Realm are discussed in particular. When practitioners first begin seated meditation, they may experience either of these two kinds, or sometimes no manifestation at all may arise. Because such cases occur in the course of practice, only a few of their minor distinguishing features are briefly explained here.

QUESTION: Do wholesome and unwholesome kinds of contact also arise within the concentration of the Not-Yet-Arrived Ground?

ANSWER: It is not that this cannot occur.

a.3. Causes and Conditions for the Unfolding of Dhyana

This consists of two parts:

– From the time practitioners begin cultivating seated meditation, they disregard hardship and diligently continue their practice. Because they possess wholesome intentions and exert themselves in practice, when their efforts reach fulfillment, they naturally receive the karmic result of meditative concentration. As the Lotus Sutra states: “According to their merits, various rewards are bestowed upon them, including meditative concentration, the Five Faculties, the Five Powers, and so forth.” Furthermore, one teacher said: “Because one cultivates in correspondence with the Ten Wholesome Actions, the contacts arise.” This meaning is unclear.

– The five skandhas of the Form Realm dwell in dependence upon the body of the Desire Realm. However, the body of the Desire Realm is coarse, while the Form Realm is subtle; through the interaction and incompatibility between them, these various kinds of movement arise. For example, when people in the world inwardly experience sorrow and affliction, obstructions arise, causing congestion and lack of circulation. The four great elements then become feverish and distressed, also as a consequence of the mind, and this may even cause illness leading to death. These painful illnesses do not come from outside.

Likewise, the pleasurable sensations of the First Dhyana arise from within the mind. By employing the method of counting the breath, the mind becomes light and at ease. When meditative concentration is cultivated, Form-Realm concentration arises within the physical body of the Desire Realm. Because Form-Realm concentration and the karmic-recompense body of the Desire Realm come into contact, the sixteen kinds of contact arise successively. These do not come from outside and are therefore called contacts.

These eight kinds of contact are divided into sixteen, all arising from the four great elements. Each element has four kinds:

– The four kinds belonging to the earth element are heaviness, torpor, stiffness, and roughness.

– The four kinds belonging to the water element are itching, coldness, softness, and milk-like smoothness.

– The four kinds belonging to the fire element are warmth, heat, smoothness, and itching.

– The four kinds belonging to the wind element are distress, movement, restlessness, and buoyant lightness.

Therefore, the Sutra of Golden Light states: “The two serpents of earth and water naturally sink downward. The two serpents of wind and fire are naturally light and therefore rise upward.”

QUESTION: Since there are four great elements, there should be four kinds of contact. Why, then, are there sixteen?

ANSWER: It is because they share their natures with one another. For example:

Heat is the hot nature of the fire element; when combined with the nature of water, it becomes warmth. If the fire element combines with the wind element, it produces softness; when the fire element combines with the earth element, it becomes milk-like smoothness. When the fire element combines with all three of the other elements, it loses its nature of heat and becomes four kinds of sensation. The same principle applies when each of the wind, water, and earth elements combines with the other three elements.

When these sixteen kinds of tactile sensation arise, each contact is accompanied by ten meritorious wholesome dharmas, making a total of one hundred and sixty (160) wholesome dharmas.

When practitioners first undertake seated meditation, all these meritorious qualities may arise, or they may not all arise; perhaps only three or five kinds will arise. Therefore, only a concise explanation is given here.

QUESTION: Do these eight kinds of contact arise in sequence or without any fixed sequence? Which contact arises first?

ANSWER: Even when discussed in terms of sequence, there is no fixed order of earlier or later. Nevertheless, when the causes and conditions bring the four great elements into harmony, the sensation of hardness arises first. Some people also experience the sign of moving contact first, as previously explained.

a.4. Distinguishing Deviant and Correct Characteristics

The preceding section on Inner Skillful Means fully explained the characteristics by which one verifies whether the good and evil qualities of one’s faculties are genuine or false. Practitioners must distinguish them carefully.

b) The Meaning of the Five Factors

This is divided into three parts:

b.1. Explanation of the Term “Factor” b.2. Explanation of the Meaning of “Factor” b.3. Discussion of the Characteristics of the Factors

b.1. Explanation of the Term “Factor”

The first dhyana fully possesses five factors: Applied Thought, Sustained Thought, Joy, Bliss, and One-Pointedness.

Applied Thought: The mind's initial awareness.

Sustained Thought: The subtle mind that examines and discriminates.

Joy: The mind's gladness and rejoicing.

Bliss: The mind's ease and serenity.

One-pointedness: The mind is still and undistracted.

The five factors are established in relation to unwholesome dharmas, namely, to eliminate the five sensual desires and abandon the five hindrances. In relation to wholesome dharmas, they entail practicing the five dharmas—Aspiration, Diligence, Mindfulness, Skillful Wisdom, and One-Pointedness. Therefore, the Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom says: “Having departed from the five hindrances, practiced the five dharmas, and fully possessed the five factors, one enters the first dhyana.”

b.2. Explanation of the Meaning of “Factor”

As recorded in the Yingluo Sutra: “Dhyana is also called the Grove of Factors; this is an explanation in terms of the general and particular characteristics.”

“Factor” means a distinct part. For example, a tree consists of roots, trunk, branches, and leaves. The trunk is one, while the branches and leaves are many, and their characteristics differ. The meaning of meditative concentration is likewise. From within a single meditative concentration, five factors arise. This is the division of a general characteristic into individual, particular characteristics.

“Grove”: For example, because a forest contains many trees, it is called a grove. The meaning of meditative concentration is likewise. Because the five factors are gathered together, they are collectively called dhyana.

This is to speak of the general characteristic in terms of the individual characteristics. When meditative concentration is mentioned, one immediately knows that it contains five factors, just as, upon hearing the word “forest,” one immediately knows that it contains many trees, branches, and leaves. Some say that “factor” means “that which supports.” In the concentration of the desire realm and the access concentration, although there is a single, peacefully settled mind of concentration, the five factors of applied and sustained thought and the others have not yet arisen together to support it; therefore, the concentrated mind is weak and easily regresses.

If one enters the first dhyana, the dharmas of applied thought, sustained thought, and so forth are immediately present. Only then does the mind in meditative concentration become secure and stable, no longer subject to dissolution or regression.

b.3. Discussion of the Characteristics of the Factors

According to the Sarvastivada school, the characteristics of the five factors are distinguished by means of the twenty-two mental dharmas. According to the Tiantai tradition, the discussion is divided into two parts:

b.3.A/ Explanation of the Particular Characteristics of the Five Factors of the First Dhyana

b.3.B/ Explanation of the General Characteristics of the Five Factors of the First Dhyana

b.3.A/ Explanation of the Particular Characteristics of the Five Factors of the First Dhyana:

– The factor of applied thought: What is called applied thought? Applied thought means

tactile sensation, which has two aspects:

The sensation that brings dhyana to fulfillment and the sensation that disrupts dhyana. For example, wind can cause rain to fall and can also cause the rain to cease. As explained above, each of the sixteen kinds of sensation has ten associated wholesome dharmas that adorn the dharma of dhyana. This is called the sensation that brings dhyana to fulfillment. Likewise, as stated above, each sensation has twenty unwholesome dharmas. This is called the sensation that disrupts dhyana.

Sensation: Sensation pertains to the faculty of the body. Because the body is sentient matter, entirely unlike plants, stones, and tiles, sensation arises when the bodily faculty comes into contact with an object of touch. Thus, the sutras speak of seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing. Seeing pertains to the eye faculty; hearing pertains to the ear faculty; smelling pertains to the nose faculty; tactile sensation pertains to the body; and understanding, knowing, and discriminating pertain to the mind. The tongue also possesses an enhanced function.

QUESTION: The sutras state: “Sensation arises when the six faculties come into contact with the six objects.” Why, then, is tactile sensation alone said to pertain to the bodily faculty?

ANSWER: That is a general explanation, just as seeing may also be called hearing; the meaning of the others is likewise. Here, however, the factor of applied thought is being analyzed according to its specific meaning, and therefore only the sensation that arises in relation to the bodily faculty is discussed.

In the access concentration, sixteen kinds of sensation arise. When these sensations make contact with the bodily faculty, mental consciousness arises. Because mental consciousness recognizes the characteristics of the sensations, it is called the factor of applied thought.

Applied thought is also called awakening and realization. When practitioners attain the first dhyana, wholesome dharmas and merits never before encountered immediately arise, causing wonder and awakening within their minds. Formerly, they had been scorched by the fire of desire; upon attaining the first dhyana, they are like people suffering from oppressive heat who are able to plunge into a clear, cool lake. Yet this sensation differs from bodily sensation in the desire realm. Why is this so? Because the ten wholesome dharmas arise simultaneously with meditative concentration. Thus, the verse says:

A poor person who obtains a precious treasure,
Overjoyed, experiences agitation of mind.

The coarse activity of mind is called Applied Thought. In this respect, its meaning differs from the doctrine

of the Sarvastivada school.

– The factor of sustained thought: The subtle discrimination of the mind is called Sustained Thought. After a stirring sensation arises, it must be analyzed with a mind of right mindfulness. At the very moment when sensation and wholesome dharmas arise, there is also a distinction between the concentration of the desire realm and the access concentration. Why is this so? When sensation arises in the first dhyana, precious wholesome dharmas and the stirring sensation arise simultaneously; this does not occur in the concentration of the desire realm.

The function of discriminating the characteristics of the wholesome dharmas within the sixteen kinds of sensation also differs. For example, when one recognizes a coarse characteristic, one immediately relinquishes it; when one recognizes what is wholesome, one cultivates it. This subtle discriminating mind is called the factor of sustained thought.

QUESTION: What, then, is the difference between Applied Thought and Sustained Thought?

ANSWER: As stated in the treatise: “The coarse mind engaging its object is called Applied Thought; the subtle mind that discriminates is called Sustained Thought.”

QUESTION: The Abhidharma Treatise states: “Applied Thought and Sustained Thought are both present within the mind.” Why, then, are they now divided into two?

ANSWER: Although Applied Thought and Sustained Thought are present within a single mind, their two characteristics do not manifest simultaneously. While there is initial awareness through Applied Thought, the contemplation of Sustained Thought is not clear; while there is contemplation through Sustained Thought, the initial awareness of Applied Thought is not clear. For example, when a bell is struck, although its sound is one, there is a difference between louder and softer tones. Applied Thought and Sustained Thought being present within a single mind is likewise.

Furthermore, the bodily faculty corresponding with bodily consciousness is called Applied Thought. The mental faculty corresponding with mental consciousness is called Sustained Thought.

Bodily consciousness pertains to the external aspect and is therefore sluggish and called coarse. Mental consciousness pertains to the internal aspect and is therefore keen, possessing the capacity to discriminate, and is called subtle. Although Applied Thought and Sustained Thought are both elicited by the object of touch, their two characteristics do not arise at the same moment. Therefore, it is called the factor of Sustained Thought.

– The factor of joy: After practitioners have contemplated and reflected, they recognize the sixteen kinds of sensation as subtle, wondrous, and precious.

Because they have never encountered them before, gladness and rejoicing arise in their minds. Practitioners also clearly understand that, although they have lost a small measure of the pleasurable objects of sensual desire, in exchange they have attained the meritorious state of the first dhyana, whose happiness is exceedingly great. Because the merits of Applied Thought and Sustained Thought truly benefit them, gladness arises in their minds. This is called the factor of Joy.

– The factor of bliss: After practitioners experience joy, their minds become serene and they experience well-being. Through the bliss of the Dharma, the mind becomes glad, peaceful, secure, and serene. Therefore, it is called the factor of Bliss.

QUESTION: What is the difference between Joy and Bliss?

ANSWER: The distinction between Joy and Bliss is like the distinction between Applied Thought and Sustained Thought explained above.

Coarse gladness is called Joy; subtle happiness is called Bliss. Exultation within the mind is called Joy; inward peace is called Bliss.

When practitioners experience delight, gladness arises in their minds, but they have not yet experienced the sensation of ease; this is called Joy. After the state of exultation has ceased, only gentle, easeful happiness remains; this is called Bliss.

It is like hungry and thirsty people who, upon obtaining food, experience gladness but have not yet tasted its flavor. This is called Joy.

Only after eating and drinking does one enjoy the pleasurable flavor of the food; therefore, this is called Bliss. It is like the state of the Third Dhyana, in which there is only bliss, without joy.

– Factor of One-Pointedness: After experiencing the state of bliss for a period of time, the mind’s experience of bliss comes to an end. Although tactile sensations remain, the mind does not engage with them, for it is settled, tranquil, and undistracted. Therefore, this is called the Factor of One-Pointedness.

The foregoing is merely a general explanation of the successive arising of the five factors of the First Dhyana, establishing the meaning of each factor according to its function.

QUESTION: If so, does each of the sixteen kinds of contact possess the meaning of all five factors?

ANSWER: It is indeed so. The factors within the First Dhyana are very numerous. Although numerous in relation to the sixteen kinds of contact, they nevertheless do not extend beyond the scope of the five factors. For example, when the five skandhas are considered in relation to the five faculties, each faculty possesses the characteristics of the five skandhas. Although there are many characteristics of the five skandhas, one still cannot say that there is a sixth skandha. The same applies to the five factors.

b.3.B/ Explanation of the common characteristics of the five factors of the First Dhyana:

When a tactile sensation arises, it fully possesses the meaning of all five factors. Why is this so? At the very moment a tactile sensation arises, the practitioner immediately knows whether the sensation is hot or cold; this is the Factor of Initial Application. While that sensation is arising, the practitioner immediately distinguishes the differing characteristics of sensations such as heat and cold; this is called the Factor of Sustained Examination.

When the phenomenon of contact arises, the practitioner’s mind feels joyful, just as a person who has only just seen the beautiful forms and colors of a scene immediately gives rise to gladness, without needing to pass through a stage of reflective discrimination. This is called the Factor of Joy. Thus, a verse in the treatise says:

“A feeling of gladness stirs the mind.”

When contact arises, the entire body experiences a sensation of ease and comfort; this is called the Factor of Bliss.

When contact arises, it corresponds with concentration; this is called the right concentration that includes both initial application and sustained examination. One should know that when the Factor of One-Pointedness is present, these five factors arise simultaneously; it is not necessary to wait for one factor to arise before another can arise. However, because this phenomenon is not clearly manifest, it has been explained only in terms of the accomplishment of the Factor of Initial Application. The meanings involved were already distinguished in the preceding section.

QUESTION: Does this mean that all five are present simultaneously at a single moment?

ANSWER: Although five distinct mental activities do not occur simultaneously within a single mind-moment, all five dharmas are present simultaneously. This is similar to the meaning of mental factors.

QUESTION: If, speaking generally, each factor contains five dharmas, would not the five factors contain twenty-five dharmas?

ANSWER: For example, in the scriptures the Buddha taught the five skandhas, and each skandha in turn contains the five faculties, making a total of twenty-five dharmas. Yet these twenty-five dharmas still remain within the scope of the five skandhas. The meaning of the common characteristics of the five factors is likewise so.

c) Cause and Effect, Essence and Function of the First Dhyana

There are two parts:

– Cause and effect: With regard to the remote cause, everything from the initial cultivation of the inner expedient means and outer expedient means through entry into the concentration of the Access Ground constitutes the Cause, while attainment of the First Dhyana constitutes the Effect.

Here, in explaining the proximate cause, we take the First Dhyana itself as the basis, for it fully contains both cause and effect.

Some hold that, among the five factors, the first four are the Cause and the fifth, the Factor of One-Pointedness, is the Effect. This theory is untenable.

Here, the First Dhyana is explained solely according to the Yingluo Sutra.

The five factors of the First Dhyana are the Cause. The sixth factor, the tranquil mind, is precisely the essence of meditative concentration; thus, the essence itself is taken as the Effect. If cause and effect are discussed comprehensively, each factor serves reciprocally as a Cause and thereby produces the Effect.

– Essence and function: The tranquil mind is the essence of the First Dhyana. When Contact stirs and disturbs this mind, the five factors arise; this is called function. Why is this so? Function arises from essence, and function belongs to what follows; the cause that activates function is Contact, which stirs the essence.

QUESTION: Can cause and effect, and essence and function, not be distinguished and explained separately?

ANSWER: That is not so. Although the five factors are used to clarify Cause and Function, while the tranquil mind is taken as Essence and Effect, their meanings differ in many respects. Why? Because the five factors serve as the Cause, they bring about, through sympathetic response, the resultant retribution of the tranquil mind. From the resultant tranquil mind, function arises as the five factors. Thus, the tranquil mind is taken as the essence and the five factors as its function. This is like the thirty-seven factors conducive to awakening: cultivating the thirty-seven factors is the cause, and only after one has cultivated and realized the Path do the thirty-seven factors fully manifest their function.

QUESTION: From the tranquil essence arise the excellent five factors, after which the mind becomes even more excellently tranquil. What is the meaning of this?

ANSWER: This case should be explained in terms of cause and effect. If the excellent qualities have not unfolded, they are merely the function of the essence.

d) The Relative Depth of the First Dhyana

When the First Dhyana arises, the tranquil mind and the five factors, from their initial arising onward, display distinctions of coarse and subtle and therefore possess varying degrees of depth; these must be clearly analyzed. Why? As stated in the treatise: “When disciples of the Buddha cultivate meditative concentration, their attainment is also divided into three grades: superior, intermediate, and inferior.”

Each of these three grades is further divided into three levels. Thus, among the nine grades there are varying degrees of depth. If analyzed in detail, there are immeasurable grades. The meditative concentrations attained by non-Buddhists also possess differing degrees of depth, but they are not explained by division into separate grades. Because their minds remain coarse, there is no discernment within their concentration, nor do they cultivate the undefiled contemplative wisdom. Lacking the illumination of contemplative wisdom, their minds are unable to recognize the phenomena of relative depth.

Here, the relative depth of the First Dhyana is explained by dividing it into distinct grades. There are two parts:

– Characteristics of the same kind: When one kind of contact arises, the practitioner immediately knows the depth of the meditative concentration, including the distinctions among the nine grades.

– Characteristics of different kinds: After the phenomenon of moving contact ceases, the characteristic of another kind of contact subsequently arises. Although the characteristics of the contacts differ, the practitioner still knows that this concentration is deeper than the preceding concentration.

Furthermore, if the relative depth is explained in terms of the five factors, it is likewise divided into two parts:

– Same kind: When contact gives rise to the five factors, those five factors also possess characteristics of relative depth.

– Different kinds: As the five factors develop successively, each factor possesses characteristics of relative depth.

QUESTION: Must all sixteen kinds of contact arise fully before it can be called the First Dhyana, or may it be called the First Dhyana when only one kind of contact arises?

ANSWER: There are two kinds of First Dhyana: complete and incomplete. If all sixteen contacts arise simultaneously, this is called the complete First Dhyana, which is exceedingly excellent. If only one or two kinds of contact arise, it may still be called the First Dhyana. Why? Because each kind of contact possesses ten attendant forms of concentration and also accomplishes the merit of the five factors. Nevertheless, this First Dhyana is still called incomplete.

e) The Characteristics of Progress and Regression in the First Dhyana

Upon attaining the First Dhyana, practitioners possess four differing capacities: Regression, Abiding at One’s Level, Progress, and Penetration.

1/ Regression: After attaining the First Dhyana, a practitioner may, either for some reason or for no apparent reason, regress from meditative concentration. There are two cases of regression:

– By continuing to cultivate, one subsequently regains attainment of meditative concentration.

– Although one continues to cultivate, one does not regain attainment of meditative concentration.

This arises from obstructive conditions originating in previous lives and in this life. Practitioners in the Dharma-ending age often encounter this situation.

2/ Abiding: Some practitioners, after attaining the first dhyana, neither regress nor lose it, and their minds become settled. This situation is also of two kinds:

– The meditative concentration naturally abides of itself, in accordance with conditions.

– The meditative concentration abides through skillful maintenance.

3/ Progress: Some practitioners, after attaining the first dhyana and reaching an excellent level, advance even to a higher level of concentration. Progress is of two kinds:

– They progress naturally without needing to continue exerting effort.

– They progress only through diligent and strenuous cultivation.

4/ Penetration: Some practitioners, after attaining the first dhyana, completely eliminate the delusions of views and the delusions of thought while in meditative concentration, and attain nirvana. Penetration is also of two kinds:

– They naturally penetrate through to nirvana without deliberate effort.

– They can penetrate through to

nirvana only by cultivating contemplation.

Within these four cases, there are also four different types of faculties. Consider, for example, the four cases of regression:

+ Regression of itself: After attaining the nine levels of meditative concentration, the practitioner naturally regresses, even to the point of losing them completely.

+ Regression followed by abiding: The practitioner cultivates as far as the ninth level of dhyana but regresses to the eighth or seventh level, whereupon the practitioner remains without losing it.

+ Regression followed by progress: The practitioner regresses from the ninth level of dhyana to the eighth or seventh, or even until only the first level remains, and afterward continues cultivating and advancing upward.

+ Regression followed by attainment: The practitioner regresses from the ninth level of dhyana to the eighth or seventh, or even until only one level of dhyana remains; yet during the process of regression, the true mind is suddenly revealed, and the practitioner attains the undefiled fruit.

Furthermore, within each of the categories of Abiding, Progress, and Attainment, these same four cases may also occur. Among them are cases in which laxity in cultivation creates obstacles that cause meditative concentration to decline and be lost, or in which repentance purifies the mind, enabling one to progress, abide, and attain realization. The implications are so numerous that they cannot all be explained.

f) The Marks of the Merits of the First Dhyana

As the verse in the preceding chapter states: “Having departed far from the fire of lust, one attains the coolness of meditative concentration.” This verse fully encompasses two kinds of merit: the merit of abandoning faults and the merit of giving rise to a wholesome mind. These refer to two kinds of goodness: the merit of eliminating evil and the merit of practicing good. The merits of wisdom and elimination are likewise. Therefore, the Great Collection Sutra records: “The first dhyana is also called Separation and also called Completeness. Separation means separation from the five hindrances. Completeness means complete possession of the five factors.”

This now explains that upon attaining the first dhyana, one immediately departs from sensual desire and the five hindrances, leaving behind the coarse and shallow pleasures experienced in the Desire Realm. Here, however, one attains the subtle and wondrous bliss of the first dhyana. Because this entirely surpasses the pleasures of the Desire Realm, when practitioners attain the first dhyana, they acquire the capacity to separate themselves from the pleasures of the five desires and attachment to the Desire Realm. Therefore, after attaining the first dhyana, practitioners possess five merits of abandoning faults:

1/ Separation from anger: Because suffering and oppression in the Desire Realm give rise to anger and resentment, after attaining the first dhyana one is no longer oppressed; the mind experiences bliss and does not give rise to anger.

2/ Separation from sloth and torpor: After attaining the first dhyana, body and mind are lucid and pure. By maintaining the concentrated mind, one is no longer torpid or distracted. Joy arises within, and therefore one has no need of sleep or rest.

3/ Separation from remorse: Because the mind is settled, still, and unmoving, it is free from restlessness. When the mind is no longer agitated or restless, remorse naturally comes completely to an end.

4/ Separation from doubt: Before attaining the first dhyana, practitioners constantly harbor doubt, not knowing whether their cultivation will lead to meditative concentration. Now that they have personally attained meditative concentration, doubt naturally ceases.

5/ Wholesome qualities: When practitioners attain the first dhyana, they immediately possess the merits of a wholesome mind. This is the same as the merits of wholesome qualities discussed in the preceding chapter.

Moreover, those who attain the first dhyana fully possess such wholesome qualities of mind as observance of the precepts, faith, equanimity, concentration, learning, and wisdom.

B. THE SECOND DHYANA

As the verse states:

Thus one should realize and enter the second dhyana,
A state of profound bliss.

This verse explains in great detail the states of the second dhyana and the intermediate dhyana. The explanation of the second dhyana is now divided into three topics:

I- Explanation of the Term “Second Dhyana”

II- Explanation of the Cultivation of the Second Dhyana

III- The Marks of Attaining the Second Dhyana

I- EXPLANATION OF THE TERM “SECOND DHYANA”

The preceding section introduced the first dhyana; the second dhyana will now be introduced.

The practitioner departs from initial and sustained thought and attains the exceptionally excellent merits of its constituent factors; therefore, it is called the second dhyana. It is also called the samadhi without initial or sustained thought. Why is this so? When practitioners attain the intermediate dhyana, they eliminate the factor of initial thought. In the second dhyana, the inner mind becomes purified, and thus the factor of sustained thought is eliminated. This is called the “concentration of noble silence.” Because the mental discourse of initial and sustained thought has ceased, it is called “quiescent concentration.” If one attains undefiled wisdom and enters deeply into this concentration, it is called “noble quiescence.”

The Treatise on the Stages records: “The second dhyana is the ‘dhyana accompanied by joy,’ meaning that when this concentration arises, the factor of joy is simultaneously developed.”

II- EXPLANATION OF THE CULTIVATION OF THE SECOND DHYANA

There are two parts:

1. The method of cultivation

2. Attaining the intermediate dhyana

1. The method of cultivation

Ordinary beings who wish to cultivate and attain the second dhyana must first practice the six practices. Most disciples of the Buddha cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path, the meaning of which was explained in the preceding chapter.

The six practices are: Suffering, Coarseness, Hindrance, Superiority, Subtlety, and Escape. “The sixth mind, silent and still” means that the quiescent mind of the first dhyana gives rise to disenchantment and wishes to depart from initial and sustained thought. One contemplates and sees that the first dhyana is still inferior and painful, understanding that initial and sustained thought create disturbance, causing meditative concentration to feel oppressive and painful; therefore, this is called Suffering.

Because the initial and sustained thought of the first dhyana activate concentration and give rise to joy and bliss, they are called Coarse.

Because initial and sustained thought obstruct the purified mind of the second dhyana, they are called Hindrances.

Because the second dhyana is pure and secure, far surpassing the meditative state of the first dhyana that contains initial and sustained thought, it is called Superior.

Because the joy and bliss of the concentration of the second dhyana are pure, subtle, and wondrous, it is called Subtle.

After attaining the second dhyana, the mind is freed from the hindrances of initial and sustained thought; therefore, it is called Escape.

Moreover, after practitioners understand that the first dhyana obstructs the second dhyana, if they wish to depart from this obstruction, they must rely upon three kinds of skillful means:

1/ Neither accepting nor becoming attached to these obstructions, one is thereby able to depart from them.

2/ By rebuking these obstructions, one is thereby able to depart from them.

3/ By using contemplation to analyze these obstructions, one is thereby able to depart from them.

It is like a person in the world who needs a servant. After working together for some time, he sees the servant’s faults and inwardly wishes to dismiss him. There are three methods for doing so:

– If the servant is intelligent and perceptive, even though the master shows no displeasure on his face, the servant will leave of his own accord.

– If he does not leave, the master need only rebuke him continually, and he will depart on his own.

– If, after these first two methods, he still does not leave, the master must use a staff to drive him away.

A practitioner who deeply understands these three methods can distance himself from the faults of initial and sustained thought in the First Dhyana.

2. Attaining the Intermediate Dhyana

When the practitioner earnestly rebukes the initial and sustained thought of the First Dhyana, and after initial and sustained thought, the five factors, and the tranquil mind have all ceased, he immediately leaves the First Dhyana behind. Before the Second Dhyana has yet opened and arisen, there is also concentration in the interval; therefore, it is called the Intermediate Dhyana. This concentration, however, cannot endure for long. Why? Because it lacks the supporting power of the meritorious factors. Thus, this concentration is extremely subtle, as though it were nonexistent.

Many meditation masters say that this concentration shifts into a quiescent mind; that is, it becomes the tranquil mind of the First Dhyana.

The Treatise on the Explanation of the Prajnaparamita says: “This concentration is called contemplation-associated.” This means that the Intermediate Dhyana takes the contemplation of the six practices as its essence. While abiding in this concentration, if the practitioner departs from the practice of the six contemplations, regret and sorrow will arise in his mind. If sorrow and resentment arise, the Second Dhyana will never develop; even the tranquil mind may be lost. He may again develop the First Dhyana, or he may lose even the First Dhyana. This occurs because the practitioner lacks a method for maintaining it.

When the practitioner attains the Intermediate Dhyana, it is as though he has already accomplished nine parts out of ten; yet it is very easy to abandon the practice halfway. Therefore, he must exercise great care.

The scriptures record: “The Intermediate Dhyana is the samadhi possessing initial and sustained thought, because the five meritorious factors and the tranquil mind of the First Dhyana have ceased.” The practitioner should abide in the associated mind and the six practices in order to cultivate the Second Dhyana.

III. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ATTAINING THE SECOND DHYANA

This is divided into six parts:

1. The characteristics of the arising of the Second Dhyana 4. The characteristics of depth and shallowness

2. The meaning of its constituent factors 5. The characteristics of advancement and regression

3. Its causes, results, essence, and functions 6. The characteristics of its merits

1. The characteristics of the arising of the Second Dhyana

When the practitioner attains the Intermediate Dhyana, his mind is no longer troubled by sorrow or regret. He then resolves to apply himself diligently, advancing with single-minded vigor without interruption. His inner mind penetrates to a state of tranquil stillness, luminous and undistracted. This is called the concentration of the Not-Yet-Arrived Ground.

A treatise states: “The practitioner enters a single state of consciousness; this is the preliminary Second Dhyana, in which the preparatory concentration arises.”

QUESTION: The treatise explains only that the concentration of the Not-Yet-Arrived Ground precedes the First Dhyana. Why is it now said that the concentration of the Not-Yet-Arrived Ground also precedes the Second Dhyana?

ANSWER: Because the principle is explained generally, only one is mentioned.

According to the Abhidharma Treatise of Sariputra, when the principle is discussed, there are four concentrations of the Not-Yet-Arrived Ground and four Intermediate Dhyanas. We are now following that treatise; therefore, it is said that there are both the Not-Yet-Arrived Ground and the Intermediate Dhyana.

The practitioner abides in the concentration of the Not-Yet-Arrived Ground for a long time without regressing or losing it. Because he remains single-minded and unceasing in his practice, his mind becomes luminous and pure. A luminous concentrated mind arises simultaneously with joy and bliss. It is like a person emerging from a dark house and seeing the light of the moon and sun; the state of this concentrated mind is luminous in the same way.

When the Second Dhyana is attained, the inner mind becomes pure, and within it arise ten kinds of attendant merits, as in the case of the First Dhyana. The only difference is that the Second Dhyana arises from inner purity.

When the factors of joy and bliss belonging to the Second Dhyana arise, they do not enter from outside. Rather, joy and bliss arise only because the practitioner’s unified mind is tranquil. Therefore, they are purer, subtler, and more excellent than those of the First Dhyana.

A treatise records: “Because the inner mind is pure, joy and bliss arise from concentration. Because one enters and attains the Second Dhyana, joy and bliss arise in the mind.”

What is purity of mind?

In a broad explanation, it means purity of the inner mind in contrast to external defilements. More immediately, it is called purity of the inner mind in contrast to a defiled mind.

Why is this so?

In the First Dhyana, when the sensation of bliss arises, the body becomes luminous and tranquil. At the same time, the mind also becomes pure. Because contact is associated with bodily consciousness, this is called external purity. In contrast to the external purity of the First Dhyana, the consciousness associated with the Second Dhyana is said to be purity of the inner mind. At the same time, the body also becomes pure, and that purity is called external purity. Inner purity means that purity arises from within the mind, so that the body also becomes pure; this is called inner purity.

Here, purity of the inner mind is discussed in relation to inner defilement. In the First Dhyana, initial and sustained thought disturb the inner mind; therefore, it is said that the inner mind is defiled. When the Second Dhyana is attained, initial and sustained thought no longer disturb or defile the inner mind; therefore, it is called purity of the inner mind.

QUESTION: The First Dhyana is joy and bliss born of seclusion, whereas the Second Dhyana is joy and bliss born of concentration. What does this mean?

ANSWER: The First Dhyana has left the Desire Realm behind and attained the concentration of the Form Realm; therefore, it is called “born of seclusion.” The Second Dhyana does not have this meaning; therefore, it is called “born of concentration.”

QUESTION: If so, could the concentration of the Sphere of Infinite Space also be called “born of seclusion”?

ANSWER: No. Since the First Dhyana is called “born of seclusion,” the same designation cannot be repeated. Although the concentration of the Sphere of Infinite Space has left the Desire Realm behind, when this concentration arises it does not possess the meritorious factors; therefore, it cannot be called “born of seclusion.”

QUESTION: What is the difference between the sensations of joy and bliss in the First Dhyana and the joy and bliss of the Second Dhyana?

ANSWER: The sensations of joy and bliss in the First Dhyana arise from initial and sustained thought and are associated with bodily consciousness. The joy and bliss of the Second Dhyana, however, arise from within the mind and are associated with mental consciousness. This is the difference.

2. The meaning of the constituent factors

This has already been explained in the general and specific discussions in the preceding chapter.

The Second Dhyana has four factors:

– Inner purity - Bliss

– Joy - Unification of mind

– The factor of inner purity: After the practitioner’s mind has left initial and sustained thought behind, it rests upon inner purity. The concentrated mind is luminous and undefiled; therefore, this is called the factor of inner purity.

– The factor of joy: When concentration and the factor of joy open and arise simultaneously, gladness naturally arises in the practitioner’s mind, and the ten meritorious wholesome qualities also unfold. Thus, he experiences boundless joy; this is called the factor of joy.

– The factor of bliss: The practitioner inwardly experiences bliss that is easeful, light, serene, exceedingly subtle, and delightful; therefore, this is called the factor of bliss.

– The factor of unification of mind: After the delighted mind has subsided, it does not grasp at the pleasure of joy and bliss. Because the inner mind no longer follows external objects of thought and only a single, unified, unmoving mind remains, this is called the factor of unification of mind.

QUESTION: In the Sutra of the Jeweled Necklace, a factor of pliancy is added before the factor of unification of mind. Why is this?

ANSWER: The factor of pliancy is precisely the factor of inner purity. Because it arises after the factors of joy and bliss, an additional name is established for it. Why? The factor of pliancy also carries the meaning of “freedom from restraint,” which in turn means allowing things to proceed naturally. Because the inner mind is no longer defiled, it rests naturally in freedom and is no longer afraid of distressing sounds or bound by initial and sustained thought. Therefore, it is called the factor of pliancy.

QUESTION: Why does the Great Collection Sutra establish only three factors and omit the factor of inner purity?

ANSWER: The Mahāsannipāta Sūtra explains this only briefly; it is not that it does not discuss it. The second dhyāna is also called the “concentration accompanied by joy.” Although applied and sustained thought have been abandoned, since the factor of joy remains, there must necessarily be the concentration of inner purity. The principles for establishing the common and distinct factors are likewise similar to those of the first dhyāna.

3. Cause and Effect, Essence and Function

As stated in the Yingluo Sūtra: “The second dhyāna takes the four factors as its cause. The fifth factor, ‘mental stillness,’ is the essence of meditative concentration. If cause, effect, essence, and function are discussed, their interdependent explanation is the same as for the first dhyāna.”

4. Degrees of Depth

The shallower and deeper states of the second dhyāna also unfold from lower to higher, just as in the first dhyāna. This principle need not be explained again.

5. Signs of Progress and Regression

The phenomena of progress and regression are also explained in the same way as for the first dhyāna.

6. Meritorious Qualities

These comprise two aspects: freedom from faults and realization of wholesome states of mind. The Mahāsannipāta Sūtra records: “The second dhyāna is also called Separation and also called Completeness. Separation means freedom from the five hindrances; Completeness means being endowed with the four factors.”

Freedom from faults means freedom from the faults of applied and sustained thought. Completeness of meritorious qualities means that, through inner purity and peace, one fully develops such virtues as faith, reverence, moral shame, the six practices, and so forth.

C. THE THIRD DHYĀNA

As the verse says:

As one relinquishes applied and sustained thought,
Because of attachment, suffering arises;

When joy ends, anxiety and sorrow arise.

Apart from suffering, the body rests in bliss,

With equanimity, mindfulness, and skillful means.

The verse describes the signs of realizing the third dhyāna very clearly. The meaning of the third dhyāna will now be explained in three parts:

I- Explanation of the term “Third Dhyāna”

II- The method of cultivating the third dhyāna

III- The signs of realizing and attaining the third dhyāna

I- EXPLANATION OF THE TERM “THIRD DHYĀNA”

As the practitioner applies the mind for the third time and realizes the five meritorious factors together with wholesome states of mind within meditative concentration, it is called the third dhyāna.

The Treatise on the Stages states: “The third dhyāna is also called the dhyāna accompanied by bliss,” because its attendant meritorious qualities arise simultaneously with the sensation of bliss throughout the entire body. However, because this concentration still belongs to the samādhi without applied or sustained thought and the concentration of noble silence, it is mentioned only in general. Since this terminology was already used for the second dhyāna, it is not explained again.

II- THE METHOD OF CULTIVATING THE THIRD DHYĀNA

The method for cultivating the third dhyāna is described in the verse above: “Gathering the mind in the foremost concentration, still and silent, impossible to perceive, wishing to leave behind painful afflictions, as one relinquishes applied and sustained thought; because of attachment, suffering arises; when joy ends, anxiety and sorrow arise.”

This verse clearly describes the repudiation of the joyful state of the second dhyāna. If practitioners wish to contemplate the faults of the second dhyāna in order to realize the third dhyāna, they must fully cultivate the contemplation of the six practices. Here, only the faults of the second dhyāna and the method of cultivating the contemplation of the six practices will be summarized.

Although the state of the second dhyāna arises from inner purity, excessive joy causes the mind to become agitated, and thus the power of concentration does not endure. This fault is the same as that described regarding the first dhyāna. Therefore, practitioners wish to settle the mind in a place of security. This is like a husband who, upon realizing that his wife is in fact a rākṣasī, immediately abandons her without any attachment or regret. Through the merit of single-minded relinquishment, practitioners become free from the joyful mind and the mind of silence.

There are three methods of relinquishment:

1/ Not accepting the joyful mind.

2/ Repudiating its faults.

3/ Using the contemplative mind to examine and verify it.

Because practitioners no longer accept them, the joyful mind and the mind of silence naturally cease. Before realizing the third dhyāna, an intermediate dhyāna may also arise, as described previously. Yet there are differences in the depth or shallowness of meditative concentration. Practitioners must take care not to give rise to sorrow or regret; this fault has also been explained previously.

III- SIGNS OF REALIZING AND ATTAINING THE THIRD DHYĀNA

There are six parts:

1. Signs of the arising of the third dhyāna

2. Meaning of its constituent factors

3. Cause and effect

4. Depth and shallowness

5. Progress and regression

6. Meritorious qualities

1. Signs of the Arising of the Third Dhyāna

Because practitioners exert themselves continuously and single-mindedly cultivate meditative concentration, the inner mind becomes still. At this point, the blissful sensation of meditative concentration has not yet unfolded, but practitioners no longer need to continue striving. The inner mind is now clear and tranquil. This is the access concentration of the third dhyāna.

When practitioners’ minds become open and spacious like empty space, the concentrated mind and the factor of bliss arise simultaneously, yet neither from within nor from without. When the factor of bliss arises, it is also fully attended by meritorious qualities, as explained previously. Joy has ceased, and only the sensation of bliss remains—serene and gentle, arising from within. This bliss of mind is so exceedingly wondrous that it cannot be described through words or analogies.

When bliss first arises from meditative concentration but has not yet pervaded the entire body, three circumstances may occur during that stage:

– Because the joy of meditative concentration remains weak, the mind becomes dull and drowsy, so wisdom functions only slightly.

– Because the joy of meditative concentration is subtle and wondrous, wisdom unfolds powerfully, causing the mind to become unsettled.

– Because the blissful concentrated mind and wisdom arise simultaneously, the experience is extremely gentle and wondrous, causing practitioners to become attached to it.

Therefore, the scripture states: “Only noble ones can relinquish it; it is exceedingly difficult for others to abandon.”

When practitioners are about to realize the third dhyāna, if these three faults arise, their meditative concentration will not develop, nor will bliss pervade the entire body. Therefore, practitioners must skillfully regulate the mind appropriately.

There are three methods of regulation:

– When the mind is dull and drowsy, mindfulness, diligence, wisdom, and so forth should be used to rouse it and counteract dullness and drowsiness.

– If thoughts and perceptions arise and stir, they should be subdued through concentrated samādhi.

– If the mind becomes attached to meditative concentration, practitioners should contemplate more excellent, subtle, wondrous, and blissful levels of meditative concentration, thereby awakening themselves so that the mind no longer remains attached.

When practitioners skillfully cultivate these three methods and regulate the concentrated mind, the sensation of bliss will increase until it pervades the entire body. The scripture records: “In the third dhyāna, one experiences bliss throughout the entire body.”

QUESTION: If, in the third dhyāna, the bliss of Dharma pervades the entire body, and the body possesses five sense faculties, is bliss experienced within those five faculties?

ANSWER: When Dharma bliss fully pervades the entire body, every pore throughout the body experiences bliss. At that time, although the five sense faculties have no external five sense objects that would cause the five consciousnesses to arise, because this Dharma bliss arises from within the mind and fully pervades the five sense faculties, all five faculties experience bliss. Because the mind does not engage with the five sense objects, the five consciousnesses do not arise.

The five faculties depend upon the body; therefore, when bliss pervades the entire body, all the faculties likewise experience bliss. The sensation of bliss corresponds with mental consciousness, and because mental consciousness inherently pervades the body, bliss is experienced both within and without. The scripture records: “In the third dhyāna, one experiences bliss throughout the entire body.”

– The blissful sensation of the first dhyāna arises externally and corresponds with bodily consciousness, rather than with mental consciousness; therefore, the Dharma bliss within the mind does not become fully pervasive.

– The blissful feeling of the Second Dhyana, although arising from within the mind, gives rise to joy and is associated with the faculty of joy, but is not associated with the faculty of pleasure. This is because delight depends upon the faculty of joy, yet the faculty of joy has not pervaded the entire body, much less the faculty of pleasure.

– The blissful feeling of the Third Dhyana arises from within the mind and takes the faculty of pleasure as primary. Because the inner mind is not disturbed by the faculty of joy, and because it possesses the virtues of mindfulness and wisdom, the bliss of the Dharma grows and fully permeates both the inside and outside of the body. This is the most excellent Dharma bliss in the world.

QUESTION: The Buddha said that in the Third Dhyana there are two kinds: experienced pleasure and delight. What does this mean?

ANSWER: There are indeed these two kinds of pleasurable feeling:

– The pleasure of delight: This refers to when the blissful state of meditative concentration first arises but has not yet fully permeated the entire body.

– The pleasure of experienced pleasure: When delight increases, its feeling pervades the entire body. It is like water flowing from within a rock, overflowing and filling all rivers, ponds, and lakes. The blissful feeling of the Third Dhyana is likewise.

2. The meaning of the constituent grove

This is divided into two parts:

a) Explanation of the meaning of the constituents

b) The reason their sequence of arising differs

a) Explanation of the meaning of the constituents

The Third Dhyana comprises five meritorious constituents: equanimity, mindfulness, wisdom, pleasure, and one-pointedness of mind.

Equanimity: When the practitioner realizes the Dharma bliss of the Third Dhyana, although relinquishing the joyful mind of the Second Dhyana, the practitioner feels no regret. It may also be called relinquishing the three afflictions of torpor, distraction, and attachment.

Mindfulness: Upon realizing the Dharma bliss of the Third Dhyana, the practitioner should employ three methods—reproaching, contemplative examination, and verification—to preserve the state of concentration and cause delight to increase.

Wisdom: The practitioner skillfully employs these three methods to counteract and become free from the three afflictions mentioned above.

Pleasure: When the practitioner realizes delight, the entire body experiences it.

One-pointedness of mind: When the feeling of delight has ceased, only the inwardly tranquil and peaceful mind remains; the state of meditative concentration is like that of the Second Dhyana.

These five constituents have four meanings:

1/ Three constituents belong to expedient means: mindfulness, equanimity, and wisdom are used to regulate the state so that the bliss of meditative concentration swiftly increases and pervades the entire body; therefore, these three constituents are called expedient means. Two constituents belong to realization: pleasure and one-pointedness of mind belong to realization. These two arise simultaneously and are the essential features of the Third Dhyana.

2/ The four constituents of mindfulness, wisdom, pleasure, and one-pointedness of mind are all established in the Third Dhyana. The constituent of equanimity is established through relinquishing the Second Dhyana, thereby establishing the three constituents of wisdom, mindfulness, and pleasure. The constituent of one-pointedness of mind is established in the Third Dhyana. The constituent of equanimity means relinquishing the coarse and shallow state of joy, and it is accomplished through having no regret.

3/ All five constituents are expedient means. The three constituents of equanimity, mindfulness, and wisdom are as explained above.

QUESTION: Are pleasure and one-pointedness of mind also called expedient means?

ANSWER: Through the cultivation of meditative concentration, Dharma bliss first increases and subsequently leads to the feeling of delight. The constituent of one-pointedness of mind is likewise. In relation to the essential nature of silent concentration, the constituent of one-pointedness of mind may also be called an expedient means. Therefore, all five constituents are called expedient means.

4/ All five constituents are also called constituents of realization. When the practitioner realizes the Dharma bliss of meditative concentration, the joyful mind of the Second Dhyana is naturally relinquished. Because of craving and attachment to the delight of meditative concentration, just as a mother thinks of her child, the practitioner, without needing anyone's exhortation, is fully endowed with mindfulness. Through wisdom, the constituents naturally give rise to the regulating function that enables this bliss to be experienced; therefore, these five constituents belong to realization.

QUESTION: In the preceding section, it was explained that all five constituents are expedient means, but here they are said to belong to realization. Is this not contradictory?

ANSWER: These explanations all contain this intended meaning; if one investigates them carefully, one will understand it for oneself.

b) The reason their sequence of arising differs

In the sutras and treatises, the five constituents are arranged differently according to their sequence of arising.

For example, according to:

The Satyasiddhi Shastra: equanimity, mindfulness, wisdom, pleasure, and one-pointedness of mind. The Abhidharma Shastra: wisdom, mindfulness, equanimity, and one-pointedness of mind. The Mahasamnipata Sutra: mindfulness, equanimity, wisdom, ease, and concentration.

The Jeweled Necklace Sutra: pleasure, guarding, mindfulness, wisdom, and one-pointedness of mind. According to the Mahayana Shastra, they need not be arranged in a fixed sequence, for sometimes their order resembles the teaching of the Satyasiddhi Shastra, and at other times that of the Jeweled Necklace Sutra.

QUESTION: Why is it that only the five constituents of the Third Dhyana differ in their sequence, while those of the other dhyanas do not?

ANSWER: Because the First Dhyana has only one kind of pleasure, whereas the Third Dhyana has two kinds. Since these two pleasurable feelings do not occur in the same order, and their alternation is also not fixed, the sutras and treatises arrange the sequence of the constituents differently. Nevertheless, each arrangement contains an intended meaning that must be understood in order to practice.

3. Essence and function

The Jeweled Necklace Sutra states: “The virtues of the five constituents are the function; the tranquil mind is the essence.”

4. Depth and shallowness:

5. Advancement and regression: (as explained in the preceding section)

6. Virtues:

Because the Third Dhyana has left faults behind, two things are attained: virtue and wholesome states of mind. As recorded in the Mahasamnipata Sutra: “Separation means becoming free from the five hindrances. Completeness means being fully endowed with the virtues of the five constituents.”

If their particular characteristics are discussed, only the Third Dhyana possesses the virtue of becoming free from the fault of the joyful mind of the Second Dhyana. The other cases are likewise as explained in the preceding section.

D. THE FOURTH DHYANA

As stated in the verses of the sutra:

– The noble ones can readily relinquish it;

– Joy and sorrow have been removed;

– The delight of the Third Dhyana

– The Blessed One has taught

Next, pain and pleasure are brought to an end,
Together with the delight of the Third Dhyana.

The four stanzas above fully explain the state of cultivating and realizing the Fourth Dhyana.

The explanation of the Fourth Dhyana consists of three parts:

I- Explanation of the term “Fourth Dhyana”

II- The method of cultivating the Fourth Dhyana

III- The characteristics of realizing the Fourth Dhyana

I- EXPLANATION OF THE TERM “FOURTH DHYANA”

Dhyana is called a grove of constituents. The concentration of the Fourth Dhyana is formed by the virtues of four constituents and is realized sequentially within the mind; therefore, it is called the Fourth Dhyana.

The Fourth Dhyana, however, belongs to the samadhi beyond both initial and sustained application of thought and to noble silence. It is also called unmoving concentration.

The Bodhisattvabhumi Sutra states: “The Fourth Dhyana is called the dhyana conjoined with equanimity,” because when this concentration arises, its essential nature is originally devoid of feelings of either pain or pleasure, while simultaneously arising together with the subtle feeling of equanimity. Because this concentration is associated with the faculty of equanimity, it is called conjoined dhyana.

II- THE METHOD OF CULTIVATING THE FOURTH DHYANA

As the first verse describes the state of delight in the Third Dhyana, noble ones are able to relinquish it, while others find it very difficult to relinquish. If the practitioner recognizes that delight as a peril and sees the unmoving concentration of the Fourth Dhyana as truly peaceful and secure, only then does the practitioner cultivate it. In this verse, the Buddha fully explains the expedient method for cultivating the Fourth Dhyana. Why is this so? Because a practitioner who wishes to realize the Fourth Dhyana must clearly perceive the perils of the Third Dhyana.

How does one perceive the perils of the Third Dhyana?

When practitioners first aspire to attain the blissful state of the Third Dhyana, they must strive single-mindedly with great hardship. Therefore, once they attain it, attachment immediately arises, and preserving and protecting it is also exceedingly arduous. If this blissful state of meditative concentration is lost, they will experience immeasurable sorrow. Thus the sutra states: “The bliss of the Third Dhyana is always changing and impermanent, and is therefore suffering.”

Furthermore, the blissful state of meditative concentration in the Third Dhyana creates obstructions and coverings that prevent the mind from being pure and lucid. Practitioners know that the blissful state of the Third Dhyana entails the painful calamity of suffering; therefore, inwardly they become disenchanted and wish to leave it far behind, aspiring to attain the immovable concentration of the Fourth Dhyana.

While practitioners abide in the Intermediate Dhyana—that is, between the Third Dhyana and the Fourth Dhyana—they cultivate the contemplation of the Six Practices as introduced in the preceding chapter. At the same time, they employ three methods—non-attachment, admonishment, and analytical contemplation—to eliminate the Third Dhyana.

After these three methods have been practiced, although the state of the Third Dhyana has ceased, the Fourth Dhyana has still not yet been attained. At this time, the Intermediate Dhyana also unfolds, as explained previously. Only the sensations of joy and sorrow differ, while its perils are as described above.

III. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ATTAINING THE FOURTH DHYANA

As stated in the three verses above, this will now be divided into five parts for explanation:

1. The characteristics of attaining the Fourth Dhyana

2. The meaning of the constituent factors

3. Essence and function

4. Advancement and regression

5. Merits

1. The characteristics of attaining the Fourth Dhyana

Entering concentration, practitioners advance from the stage between the Third Dhyana and the Fourth Dhyana, continuing single-mindedly and uninterruptedly, and immediately enter the concentration of the access stage. The mind is not scattered or agitated; this is the preparatory concentration of the Fourth Dhyana. Afterward, their minds suddenly open and unfold, their concentrated minds become peaceful and stable, and inhalation and exhalation cease entirely.

When this concentration arises, equanimity and mindfulness arise simultaneously. Inwardly, the mind is open and lucid, tranquil and free from the characteristics of suffering and pleasure. The meritorious wholesome qualities associated with this concentration arise as explained previously, except that the states of joy and bliss no longer cause disturbance as they did in the preceding dhyanas.

At this time, practitioners’ minds are bright and clear like a mirror, pure and utterly unmoving, like the still waters of a lake without a ripple. Because right mindfulness is steadfast, discursive thoughts no longer arise, and the mind is like empty space. This is called the true worldly meditative concentration, free from all defilements.

Practitioners abide peacefully in the concentration of the Fourth Dhyana. The mind does not depend upon wholesome phenomena, does not abide in unwholesome phenomena, has nowhere upon which it relies, and is without form, color, or appearance, yet it perfects pure form within the mind.

How can this be known? If there were no fundamental pure form, then, when encountering various conditions, such forms as the Four Immeasurable Minds, the Eight Spheres of Mastery, and the transformations of form within the Universal Spheres could not arise in concentration. All these phenomena depend upon the Fourth Dhyana.

If, because no form is perceived, one concludes that no form exists, this would be like the concentration of the Sphere of Infinite Space, in which all forms, such as the Five Faculties, the Five Objects, and non-manifest form, have entirely ceased, so that material phenomena cannot appear. The Fourth Dhyana, however, is different. Although material phenomena are not perceived in the Fourth Dhyana, all forms may manifest freely, while the quality of concentration remains undiminished. Therefore, the Fourth Dhyana is also called the Concentration of True Form. For example, the mirror’s luminous nature is pure form, and therefore every kind of image can appear within it.

If the Fourth Dhyana did not have pure form as its foundation, forms could not appear within empty space.

Furthermore, because the wisdom of the Fourth Dhyana corresponds with concentration, the mind is single-pointed and immovable and therefore remains constantly pure. For this reason, the Fourth Dhyana is also called the Concentration of Immovable Wisdom. While abiding in the Fourth Dhyana, if practitioners wish to turn their attention to cultivating and learning any undertaking, they may accomplish it at will. The powers of supernatural transformation and unhindered eloquence in teaching the Dharma also arise from the concentration of the Fourth Dhyana. Therefore, the sutra states: “The Buddha took the Fourth Dhyana as the foundation.”

2. The meaning of the constituent factors

The Fourth Dhyana comprises four factors:

a) Neither suffering nor pleasure

b) The factor of equanimity

c) Purity of mindfulness
d) Single-pointedness of mind

a) Neither suffering nor pleasure: When the Fourth Dhyana

unfolds, the feeling of equanimity also unfolds simultaneously. Because this equanimous feeling is associated with neither suffering nor pleasure, it is said to be neither suffering nor pleasure.

b) The factor of equanimity: When the mind is settled and is neither suffering nor pleased, this is because practitioners have relinquished the blissful meditative concentration of the Third Dhyana without giving rise to regret or longing. Because the newly arisen true concentration has not yet been perfected, if the mind advances toward a still more sublime level of concentration, it will immediately be stirred and follow the objects of thought. This cannot be called immovable concentration. Therefore, when the state of the Fourth Dhyana unfolds, the mind no longer becomes aroused, and thoughts of attachment naturally fall away completely. Hence it is called equanimity.

c) Purity of mindfulness: Because meditative concentration is tranquil and luminous wisdom shines forth, this is called purity of mindfulness.

d) Single-pointedness of mind: The concentrated mind is tranquil; although it encounters the various objects of the senses, it does not stir or give rise to thought. This is called single-pointedness of mind.

If the meanings of the five Factors are explained in sequence, it is only necessary to explain the first Factor, for it already fully encompasses all four factors.

QUESTION: In the Mahasamnipata Sutra, the state of neither suffering nor pleasure is classified as the third Factor. Why is it said here to be the first Factor?

ANSWER: Whether the sequence is arranged earlier or later, there is a reason for it. Here, the order is based upon the time when meditative concentration unfolds, and it is therefore placed first. The Mahasamnipata Sutra bases its order upon the stage of accomplishment, and thus places it third, just as it does with the factor of bliss in the Third Dhyana. Therefore, the order of precedence is not fixed.

3. Essence and function

The Sutra of the Jeweled Necklace states: “The merits of the four Factors of the Fourth Dhyana are its Function; the mind’s silent stillness is its Essence.”

4. Depth and shallowness

5. Advancement and regression

(The two characteristics of Depth and Shallowness and of Advancement and Regression are explained in the same manner as above.)

6. Merits

The Fourth Dhyana is also complete with the two kinds of merit—Possession and Freedom. Regarding the merits of these two kinds of wholesome mind, the Mahasamnipata Sutra states: “Freedom means freedom from the five hindrances. Possession means possessing all four factors.” Yet the Fourth Dhyana alone can transcend the perils of joy and sorrow, suffering and pleasure, and can give rise to such wholesome qualities as reverence, faith, moral conscience, moral dread, and wholesome phenomena. All these profound merits and wholesome roots arise from the immovable concentration of the Fourth Dhyana; therefore, it is more sublime than the preceding dhyanas.

QUESTION: In cultivating the bodhisattva path today, one ought to expound the concentration of emptiness and the profound true characteristics of phenomena. Why, then, discuss the Fourth Dhyana of ordinary beings, which is a false phenomenon belonging to the worldly realm of conditioned birth and death, tainted by outflows?

ANSWER: It is not so. In Master Nagarjuna’s Treatise on the Great Prajnaparamita, a hypothetical question is posed: “The meaning of the prajnaparamita teaches only that the characteristic of all phenomena is emptiness; but how can a bodhisattva proceed from emptiness to cultivate meditative concentration?”

He answered himself: “The bodhisattva knows that all dharmas—the five desires, the five hindrances, and so forth—arise from causes and conditions, have no self-nature, and are empty; therefore, relinquishing the five desires and the five hindrances is very easy. Because of their delusion, sentient beings cling to the five desires, immerse themselves in base sensual pleasures, and forsake the sublime and wondrous realm of bliss found in meditative concentration.

Out of compassion for sentient beings, the bodhisattva gives rise to loving-kindness and compassion, exhorts them to cultivate meditative concentration, and teaches them to focus single-mindedly upon the Dharma gate of meditation, so that they may distance themselves from the five desires, eliminate the five hindrances, and deeply enter the joy and bliss of the first dhyana.

Next, they bring the initial and sustained thought of the first dhyana to an end, gather their mindfulness, and deeply enter inner purity. They realize the sublime joy of the second dhyana.

Because the joy and bliss of the second dhyana cause the mind to become stirred, they relinquish the second dhyana and enter into realization of the third dhyana.

Next, they distance themselves from all states of sorrow and joy, suffering and pleasure; the in-breath and out-breath naturally cease. Adorning meditative concentration with the sublime, pure mind, they enter the fourth dhyana. Although the bodhisattva knows that all dharmas are empty and signless, sentient beings do not understand this; therefore, the bodhisattva employs the forms of meditative concentration to teach and transform sentient beings.”

If there were no dharmas, they could not be called empty; likewise, it is not the case that one can realize meditative concentration without relinquishing the five desires.

Because there is no characteristic of relinquishment and no characteristic of attainment, the empty characteristic of all dharmas is taught; this is not difficult to explain. If all dharmas are empty, how can meditative concentration be realized?

Furthermore, when a bodhisattva cultivates meditative concentration, the mind no longer clings to characteristics and does not crave meditative concentration. Therefore,

when cultivating meditative concentration, the bodhisattva is like a person taking medicine: the essential purpose is to cure an illness, not to take medicine out of attachment to its flavor. Likewise, the essential purpose of a bodhisattva’s cultivation of meditative concentration is to purify the precepts and perfect wisdom.

Within each and every level of dhyana practiced by the bodhisattva, the bodhisattva cultivates the contemplation of emptiness and the practice of great loving-kindness and compassion, neither relying upon meditative concentration nor abiding and resting therein. Because the five desires are coarse, inferior, false, and deluded, the subtle and wondrous Dharma of emptiness within meditative concentration is used to counteract the five desires, just as “poison is used to cure poison.”

The Shi Lun records: “It is like a king who sees his son falling from a high bank. Fearing that his son will lose his life, he uses soft objects to catch him, his essential purpose being to prevent injury to his son’s body.” The bodhisattva acts in the same way. Seeing sentient beings separated from prajna wisdom and falling through delusion, the bodhisattva teaches them the emptiness of the four dhyanas in order to receive and deliver them, ensuring that they do not lose the Dharma-body or the life of wisdom. Therefore, although the practice of the bodhisattva path is being discussed here, the four dhyanas are also explained; there is no fault in this meaning.

Notes to Chapter 7:

(1) Deva: Bodhisattva Kanadeva. He lived toward the end of the sixth century after the Buddha entered nirvana. He belonged to the Vaishali lineage of southern India.

From childhood, he was naturally intelligent and possessed unhindered eloquence. At first, he studied the customs of his country and delighted in performing meritorious deeds. When Patriarch Nagarjuna came to that country, he sought an audience with him. Wishing to test him, Patriarch Nagarjuna ordered a disciple to fill a basin with water and place it before the entrance. As Kanadeva passed by, he dropped a needle into it and then went directly to meet the Patriarch. Master and disciple met joyfully and understood one another. When Patriarch Nagarjuna taught the Dharma and manifested the appearance of a full moon, Kanadeva silently awakened to the essential purport.

He followed the Patriarch into monastic life and received the seal of the mind. After attaining the Dharma, he traveled widely to teach and transform others, eventually going to the land of Kapila to teach. He was the third bodhisattva to illuminate the teachings of the Mahayana.

His works include: the Hundred Treatise, the Hundred-Syllable Treatise, the Treatise on the Great Man, Bodhisattva Deva’s Treatise Refuting the Four Schools of Non-Buddhists and the Lesser Vehicle in the Lankavatara Sutra, and Bodhisattva Deva’s Treatise Explaining the Nirvana of Non-Buddhists and the Lesser Vehicle in the Lankavatara Sutra… Among the treatises above, the Hundred Treatise and the Treatise on the Great Man are the most renowned.

(2) The Four Reliances among Great Beings: “Great being” is an honorific term for a bodhisattva, one who undertakes great practices and makes great vows to liberate sentient beings.

The Four Reliances among Great Beings are four classes of persons trusted by sentient beings and worthy of serving as their refuges: 1/ world-transcending ordinary beings—the Three Worthies, persons who still have afflictions; 2/ stream-enterers and once-returners; 3/ non-returners; 4/ arhats.

(3) The material dharmas of the four great elements: the four elements—earth, water, wind, and fire—which combine to form material phenomena.