Tuesday, January 29, 2019

MN 14: kāya (physical body) is the term used to designate a meditator's "body", and speech ceases in first jhana

MN 20 excerpt
http://lucid24.org/mn/mn014/toc-addon/index.html

Taṃ kiṃ maññathāvuso nigaṇṭhā, pahoti rājā māgadho seniyo bimbisāro,
What do you think, reverends?
aniñjamāno kāyena, abhāsamāno vācaṃ, satta rattindivāni ekantasukhaṃ paṭisaṃvedī viharitun’ti?
Is King Bimbisāra capable of experiencing perfect happiness for seven days and nights without moving his body or speaking?’
‘No hidaṃ, āvuso’.
‘No he is not, reverend.’
‘Taṃ kiṃ maññathāvuso nigaṇṭhā, pahoti rājā māgadho seniyo bimbisāro,
‘What do you think, reverends?
aniñjamāno kāyena, abhāsamāno vācaṃ, cha rattindivāni … pe …
Is King Bimbisāra capable of experiencing perfect happiness for six days …
pañca rattindivāni …
five days …
cattāri rattindivāni …
four days …
tīṇi rattindivāni …
three days …
dve rattindivāni …
two days …
ekaṃ rattindivaṃ ekantasukhaṃ paṭisaṃvedī viharitun’ti?
one day?’
‘No hidaṃ, āvuso’.
‘No he is not, reverend.’
‘Ahaṃ kho, āvuso nigaṇṭhā, pahomi aniñjamāno kāyena, abhāsamāno vācaṃ, ekaṃ rattindivaṃ ekantasukhaṃ paṭisaṃvedī viharituṃ.
‘But I am capable of experiencing perfect happiness for one day and night without moving my body or speaking.
Ahaṃ kho, āvuso nigaṇṭhā, pahomi aniñjamāno kāyena, abhāsamāno vācaṃ, dve rattindivāni …
I am capable of experiencing perfect happiness for two days …
tīṇi rattindivāni …
three days …
cattāri rattindivāni …
four days …
pañca rattindivāni …
five days …
cha rattindivāni …
six days …
satta rattindivāni ekantasukhaṃ paṭisaṃvedī viharituṃ.
seven days.


It doesn't say which jhāna or samadhi the Buddha is in for 7 days, but not speaking would imply at least first jhana (SN 36.11 vāca /voice/vocalized speech ceases in first jhana).

Although the word sukha/pleasure is used, it probably should be taken in the relative sense, and not confined to being only the first 3 jhanas. 

B. Sujato has translated aniñjamāno   here as "not moving" the body, but likely this is referring to an imperturbable/anenja samadhi, which is an arupa/formless samadhi, or possibly 4th jhana.

Sitting for 7 days like that without moving, anecodatally, even advanced yogis living in recent times of different religious traditions can do that, usually means we're talking about at least 4th jhana or higher, where the breath has stopped. According to taoist scripture, the ability to do 4th jhana for long periods, gradually you build up the natural ability to sit for 7 days without moving, and not feel any need to eat or breathe.

But the important point to notice here is

when talking about deep samadhi, the Buddha refers to the meditator's physical body as "kāya",  and  a-bhāsamāno vācaṃ  means "not-saying vocalized-speech".

When VRJ (vism. redefinition of jhana) and Bhante Sujato's wrong translation of  kāya,  V&V (vitakka & vicara) in the jhānas, you end up with incoherent and nonsensical understanding of what speech and speaking out loud means in the pali language.




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