AN 5.26 and Agama parallel MA 86, vitakka and vicara in 7sb and jhana, what it means for speech to cease in first jhana

 Along with SN 46.3, SN 36.11, this is one of the most important suttas on meditation in the EBT, and it clearly delineates how verbal thoughts and subverbal thought fit in the spectrum of the 4 jhanas.

Here are the links to the two suttas respectively:

MA 86 說處

• MA 86 說處
  • Explaining the Bases
  • (5 liberation bases)
    • (1. Hearing Buddha or knowledgeable monk in person teach Dharma leads to 7sb + nirvana)
    • (2. Vocally reciting previously memorized Dharma leads to 7sb + nirvana)
    • (3. Teaching others what they memorized and recited of Dharma leads to 7sb + nirvana)
    • (4. Thinking, evaluating, equanimously-observing memorized Dharma leads to 7sb + nirvana)
    • (5. Subverbal mental activity, samadhi nimittas of Dharma leads to 7sb + nirvana)
  • (5ind faculties)

AN 5.26

• AN 5.26 vimutt-āyatana-suttaṃ
  • liberation-base-discourse
    • (1) First jhāna possible while hearing live dhamma talk
    • (2) Giving a dhamma talk leads to himself getting jhāna
    • (3) Reciting memorized dhamma passage leads to jhāna
    • (4) first jhāna possible while thinking and pondering memorized dhamma
    • (5) No V&V, undirected samādhi into 2nd jhāna or higher

 In AN 5.26, #4 is clearly first jhana, while #5 is second jhana and higher. 

While these suttas don't explicitly state that, 'this is first jhana', we know this is case from other suttas where samadhi-sambojjhanga is equated with 4 jhanas. AN 8.63, and its agama parallel, as well as SN 47.10 explain the verbal nature of vitakka and vicara, compared to the subverbal samadhi nimitta that one uses to enter 2nd jhana and higher.

Also note that EBT was an oral tradition. People didn't read books, carry personal computing devices around. They 

listened, heard, memorized, 

recited what the memorized frequently, 

thought about (vitakka) that memorized dhamma, 

evaluated/pondered/examined/explored (vicara) that memorized dhamma,

used the deeper stillness of samadhi while in equanimous-observation (upekkha), most notably of 3rd jhana quality or higher to contemplate Dharma subverbally, without thought and examination. 

So what these 5 bases of triggering 7 awakening factors shows you is where verbal thought, subverbal vipassana, and vocalized speech while reciting dhamma and reflecting on it fits in the spectrum of four jhanas.

This is what is meant when SN 36.11 states that speech ceases in first jhana. 

So in base 2 and 3, because one is teaching others and vocalizing memorized dhamma, one can't be in first jhana by definition.

But in base 1, hearing a live talk from Buddha or a learned disciple, one can be in first jhana or higher.

In base 4, that is only first jhana, because piti and sukha of 7sb is the seal of success, differentiating it from thinking about Dhamma but not having passadhi/pacification or piti and sukha. 

Base 5 is 2nd jhana and higher, as suttas like SN 47.10, AN 5.28 show. 

Here is an excerpt from liberation base 4, because it's showing the first jhana case with vitakka, vicara, and a dormant or underpowered upekkha in action.

(MA 86:  base 4 -  Thinking, evaluating, equanimously-observing memorized Dharma leads to 7sb + nirvana)

若不為他廣說本所聞、 所誦習法者，但隨本所聞、所誦習法心思惟 分別。	It may be that they do not teach at length to others the Dharma that they have previously heard and practiced reciting, but they reflect on and analyze in their minds the Dharma that they have previously heard and practiced reciting. . . .

阿難！若比丘、比丘 尼善受持諸三昧相者，便知法解義，彼因 知法解義故，便得歡悅；因歡悅故，便得歡 喜；因歡喜故，便得止身；因止身故，便得覺 樂；因覺樂故，便得心定。

Ānanda, if monks and nuns hold well the signs for concentration, then they come to know the Dharma and understand its meaning. Because of coming to know the Dharma and to understand its meaning, they get delight. Because of delight, they get joy. Because of joy, they get tranquility of the body. Because of tranquility of the body, they feel happiness. Because of feeling happiness, they get concentration of the mind.

阿難！比丘、比丘尼 因心定故，便得見如實、知如真；因見如實、 知如真故，便得厭；因厭故，便得無欲；因無 欲故，便得解脫；因解脫故，便得知解脫，生 已盡，梵行已立，所作已辦，不更受有，知如 真。

Ānanda, because the mind is concentrated, monks and nuns get to see as it really is, to know as it really is. Because of seeing as it really is, knowing as it really is, they get disenchantment. Because of disenchantment, they get dispassion. Because of dispassion, they attain liberation. Because of liberation, they attain knowledge of liberation, knowing as it really is: “Birth has been ended, the holy life has been established, what had to be done has been done, there will not be another experiencing of existence.”

AN 5.26 base 4:  first jhāna possible while thinking and pondering memorized dhamma

♦ “puna ca-paraṃ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno	“Again, and-furthermore,
na heva kho satthā dhammaṃ deseti,	neither the Teacher teaches the monk,
aññataro vā garuṭṭhāniyo sabrahmacārī,	nor does a fellow monk [teach the monk],
nāpi	nor does he himself, as he
yathā-sutaṃ yathā-pariyattaṃ dhammaṃ	Has-heard (and) has-learned (the) dhamma
vitthārena paresaṃ deseti	(and in) detail (to) others (he) teaches,
nāpi	nor does he himself, as he
yathā-sutaṃ yathā-pariyattaṃ dhammaṃ	Has-heard (and) has-learned (the) dhamma
vitthārena sajjhāyaṃ karoti	(and in) detail (he) recites (that) ******.
api ca kho	but instead he
yathā-sutaṃ yathā-pariyattaṃ dhammaṃ	Has-heard (and) has-learned (the) dhamma
cetasā anu-vitakketi anu-vicāreti	(and) mentally (he) ponders (and) examines
Manas-ān-upekkhati	(and his mind) carefully-inspects (that)
.	.
yathā yathā, bhikkhave, bhikkhu	in whatever way, **********, the monk
yathā-sutaṃ yathā-pariyattaṃ dhammaṃ	Has-heard (and) has-learned (the) dhamma
cetasā anu-vitakketi anu-vicāreti	(and) mentally (he) ponders (and) examines
Manas-ān-upekkhati	(and his mind) carefully-inspects (that)

(refrain: 7sb → jhāna → arahantship)

tathā tathā so tasmiṃ	like-that, accordingly, he ******
dhamme attha-paṭisaṃvedī ca hoti	{feels [inspiration]} in Dhamma meaning and
dhamma-paṭisaṃvedī ca.	{feels [inspiration]} in Dhamma,
tassa attha-paṭisaṃvedino dhamma-paṭisaṃvedino	as he {feels [inspiration] in} Dhamma-meaning (and) Dhamma,
Pā-mojjaṃ jāyati.	Virtuous-mirth arises.

(7sb → 4. 😁) pa-muditassa pīti jāyati,	(7sb → 4. 😁) (For one with) virtuous-mirth rapture (is) born.
(7sb → 5. 🌊) pīti-manassa kāyo passambhati,	(7sb → 5. 🌊) (with) en-raptured-mind (the) body (is) pacified.
(7sb → 5.5 🙂) passaddha-kāyo sukhaṃ vedeti,	(7sb → 5.5 🙂) (with) pacified-body, {they experience} pleasure.
(7sb → 6. 🌄) sukhino cittaṃ samādhiyati.	(7sb → 6. 🌄) (For one in) pleasure, (the) mind becomes undistractible-&-lucid.

idaṃ, bhikkhave, catutthaṃ vimutt-āyatanaṃ	This, monks, (is the) fourth liberation-basis,
yattha bhikkhuno appamattassa	by means of which, if a monk {dwells} assiduous,
ātāpino pahitattassa viharato	ardent, resolute, ********,
a-vimuttaṃ vā cittaṃ vimuccati,	(his) un-liberated ** mind (is) liberated,
a-parik-khīṇā vā āsavā parik-khayaṃ gacchanti,	un-destroyed ** asinine-inclinations, utterly-destroyed (they) become.
An-anuppattaṃ vā an-uttaraṃ yogak-khemaṃ	(the) un-reached un-surpassed security-from-the-yoke
Anu-pāpuṇāti.	(he) reaches.”