notes on the Dhamma

DN (at least 20 of 34 suttas) every vitakka reference in DN DN 1 1st and 2nd jhana, self attains nirvana DN 2 1st and 2nd jhana, 7sb DN 3 through DN 13 elided portion is from DN 2 DN 3 1st and 2nd jhana, pertains to conduct DN 4 1st and 2nd jhana, and asking question DN 5 1st and 2nd jhana, thought occurs during meditation retreat DN 9 1st and 2nd jhana, what perception ceases in each jhana DN 10 1st and 2nd jhana, similes, as in DN 2 DN 11 mind reading V&V, V&V in teaching DN 14 thoughts In meditation retreat, mind reading DN 17 sakka mind reading king, 1st jhana instruction like MN 19 DN 18 ordinary thought, mind reading DN 19 brahma reads mind of steward DN 21 source of desire and thought, and relation to somanassa, domanassa, upekkha DN 22 vitakka towards 6 senses as part of craving & dukkha DN 24 buddha reads person’s mind DN 26 four jhanas are defined as ‘sukha’ for monk DN 28 four ways of mind reading DN 29 four jhanas are 4 ways of pleasure indu...

SN (128 sutta hits) every vitakka SN 1.17 monk collecting thoughts in mind SN 1.64 fetters, thinking & evaluation, to nirvana SN 1.65 again thinking & evaluation to see craving and nirvana SN 3.4 king pasenadi thought arises in his private retreat SN 3.5 king pasenadi thought arises in his private retreat SN 3.6 king pasenadi thought arises in his private retreat SN 3.18 king pasenadi thought arises in his private retreat SN 4.1 thought arises in private retreat, mara reads buddha’s mind SN 4.20 thought arises in private retreat, mara reads buddha’s mind SN 4.22 thought arises in private retreat, mara reads monk’s mind SN 4.23 mara reads mind of monk committing suicide SN 4.25 in a-vitakka second jhana or higher SN 6.1 buddha thought in private retreat, brahma reads buddha’s mind SN 6.2 buddha thought in private retreat, brahma reads buddha’s mind SN 6.4 buddha reads brahma’s mind SN 6.5 buddha reads brahma’s mind, levitates based on fire element SN 7.4 budd...

Though not explicitly stating 'jhana' in this particular passage (other verses from sutta passages do), the fact that one is removing fetters, reflecting on the cause of dukkha and fetters, makes it clear this is the province of first jhana, as the result is nirvana. It's laughable that anyone could think first jhana vitakka and vicara has a 'secret' meaning of 'placing and keeping it connected' [to a secret visual samadhi nimitta that the EBT suttas don't mention]. SN 1.64 64. Saṃyojanasutta 64. Fetter “Kiṃsu saṃyojano loko, “What fetters the world? kiṃsu tassa vicār aṇaṃ; What explores it? Kissassu vippahānena, With the giving up of what nibbānaṃ iti vuccatī”ti. is nirvana spoken of?” “Nandīsaṃyojano loko, “Delight fetters the world. vitakkassa vicāraṇaṃ; Thought explores it. Taṇhāya vippahānena, With the giving up of craving nibbānaṃ iti vuccatī”ti. nirvana is spoken of.”

V&V💭: vitakka & vicāra Vitakka 💭 = directed thought. Vicāra 🕵️ = the evaluation of that very same directed thought, not a separate train of thought. V&V isn't a wild excursion of jumping from one random thought to another random, disconnected thought. Vicāra explores, inspects, discriminates, evaluates, ponders, scrutinizes, discerns, considers the very same thought initially fixed upon by vitakka. Vitakka decides on a topic, then gives it to vicara to analyze it further. ⛔ Wrong translations for V&V💭 ✅ ☸EBT V&V💭: vitakka & vicāra = directed-thought & evaluation ⛔ Vism. Redefinition V&V💭: applied-thought & sustained-thought (b.nanamoli) ⛔ Vism. Redefinition V&V💭: initial-application & sustained-application (u thittila) ⛔ B.Sujato mistranslation of V&V💭: placing-the-mind & keeping-it-connected ⛔ B.Anālayo mistranslation of V&V💭: [directed] awareness and [sustained] contemplation DN 21 B. Sujato pali...

2 announcements. 1.  http://lucid24.org/mn/index.html  the complete MN majjhima nikaya english sutta translations, based off of B. Sujato's translations form suttacentral, have completely expunged his erroneous vitakka and jhana formula translations. Let me know if I missed any. 2. I've looked at every single vitakka usage in the pali suttas over the years. Audited every. single. last. one of them. But now I'm documenting it and organizing the audit so everything is easy to see for yourself, impossible to ignore the evidence when it's a simple hyperlink click away. I've just completed MN. https://notesonthedhamma.blogspot.com/2019/09/every-vitakka-in-suttas.html every single vitakka reference in pali & english, in MN Edit Delete post Report this post Quote Post   by  frank k  »  Tue Sep 24, 2019 9:58 am https://notesonthedhamma.blogspot.com/2 ... ttas.html 65 suttas out of 152 in MN majjihima nikaya reference vitakka. ...

It's a great simile, and very accurate. Here's how Vism. and late Theravada Abhidhamma corrupt it to mean something entirely different than a straightforward EBT (early buddhist text) interpretation. Actually, vism. is ambiguous exactly when sukha occurs, but in atthasalini they definitely say sukha is AFTER the drinking and immersion in water is when sukha takes place, killing physical sukha and turning it purely into a mental factor. The standard jhana formula similes, AN 5.28, sukha would be physical pleasure, explicitly confirmed by AN 5.28 commentary as well, older than the Atthasalini, and which Vism. goes out of their way to avoid even mentioning AN 5.28 similes and that commentary. Re: looking for citation, pīti and sukha of 4 jhānas compared to dying of thirst, seeing water in distance, and drinking Report this post Quote Post   by  Nicolas  »  Fri Sep 20, 2019 8:26 am Visuddhimagga, chapter IV, The First Jhāna, Ñāṇamoli translation wrote: An...