DN 18 use of vitakka thinking to arouse mudita, piti, sukha in first jhana

7. The Three Openings

• (1) hear Dharma to escape lust, uses 7sb to think about Dharma to arouse piti and sukha of first jhana
• (2) hear Dharma to attain 4 jhanas, uses 7sb to think about Dharma to arouse piti and sukha of first jhana
• (3) hear Dharma to differentiate kusala from akusala, uses 7sb to think about Dharma to arouse piti and sukha of first jhana

7. The Three Openings

( Though not explicitly using the labels 4j🌕, 7sb☀️, --ERROR SUTREF--v&vℹ️}}, clearly 3 openings use the 7sb sequence of SN 46.3 and DN 2 (where samadhi sambojjhanga = 4 jhanas) )

7. Tividhaokāsādhigama	7. The Three Openings
“Taṃ kiṃ maññanti, bhonto devā tāvatiṃsā, yāvañcidaṃ tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena tayo okāsādhigamā anubuddhā sukhassādhigamāya.	“What do the good gods of the Thirty-Three think about how much the Buddha has understood the three opportunities for achieving happiness?
Katame tayo?	What three?

(1) hear Dharma to escape lust, uses 7sb to think about Dharma to arouse piti and sukha of first jhana

Idha bho ekacco saṃsaṭṭho viharati kāmehi saṃsaṭṭho akusalehi dhammehi.	First, take someone who lives mixed up with sensual pleasures and unskillful qualities.
So aparena samayena ariyadhammaṃ suṇāti, yoniso manasi karoti, dhammānudhammaṃ paṭipajjati.	After some time they hear the noble teaching, properly attend to how it applies to them, and practice accordingly.
So ariyadhammassavanaṃ āgamma yonisomanasikāraṃ dhammānudhammappaṭipattiṃ asaṃsaṭṭho viharati kāmehi asaṃsaṭṭho akusalehi dhammehi.	They live aloof from sensual pleasures and unskillful qualities.
Tassa asaṃsaṭṭhassa kāmehi asaṃsaṭṭhassa akusalehi dhammehi uppajjati sukhaṃ, sukhā bhiyyo somanassaṃ.	That gives rise to pleasure, and more than pleasure, happiness,
Seyyathāpi, bho, pamudā pāmojjaṃ jāyetha;	like the virtuous-mirth that’s born from experiencing mirth [derived by witnessing Dharmic virtue].
evameva kho, bho, asaṃsaṭṭhassa kāmehi asaṃsaṭṭhassa akusalehi dhammehi uppajjati sukhaṃ, sukhā bhiyyo somanassaṃ.
Ayaṃ kho, bho, tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena paṭhamo okāsādhigamo anubuddho sukhassādhigamāya.	This is the first opportunity for achieving happiness.

(2) hear Dharma to attain 4 jhanas, uses 7sb to think about Dharma to arouse piti and sukha of first jhana

( follow the word ‘passaddhi’ (5🌊) - the gradual cessation of them is the 4 jhanas in the 6 passadhis of SN 36.11)

Puna caparaṃ, bho, idhekaccassa oḷārikā kāyasaṅkhārā appaṭippassaddhā honti, oḷārikā vacīsaṅkhārā appaṭippassaddhā honti, oḷārikā cittasaṅkhārā appaṭippassaddhā honti.	Next, take someone whose coarse physical, verbal, and mental processes have not been pacified.
So aparena samayena ariyadhammaṃ suṇāti, yoniso manasi karoti, dhammānudhammaṃ paṭipajjati.	After some time they hear the teaching of the noble ones, properly attend to how it applies to them, and practice accordingly.
Tassa ariyadhammassavanaṃ āgamma yonisomanasikāraṃ dhammānudhammappaṭipattiṃ oḷārikā kāyasaṅkhārā paṭippassambhanti, oḷārikā vacīsaṅkhārā paṭippassambhanti, oḷārikā cittasaṅkhārā paṭippassambhanti.	Their coarse physical, verbal, and mental processes are pacified.
Tassa oḷārikānaṃ kāyasaṅkhārānaṃ paṭippassaddhiyā oḷārikānaṃ vacīsaṅkhārānaṃ paṭippassaddhiyā oḷārikānaṃ cittasaṅkhārānaṃ paṭippassaddhiyā uppajjati sukhaṃ, sukhā bhiyyo somanassaṃ.	That gives rise to pleasure, and more than pleasure, happiness,
Seyyathāpi, bho, pamudā pāmojjaṃ jāyetha;	like the joy that’s born from gladness.
evameva kho bho oḷārikānaṃ kāyasaṅkhārānaṃ paṭippassaddhiyā oḷārikānaṃ vacīsaṅkhārānaṃ paṭippassaddhiyā oḷārikānaṃ cittasaṅkhārānaṃ paṭippassaddhiyā uppajjati sukhaṃ, sukhā bhiyyo somanassaṃ.
Ayaṃ kho, bho, tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena dutiyo okāsādhigamo anubuddho sukhassādhigamāya.	This is the second opportunity for achieving happiness.

(3) hear Dharma to differentiate kusala from akusala, uses 7sb to think about Dharma to arouse piti and sukha of first jhana

( This is describing how Dhamma-vicaya-sambojjhanga 2💭🕵️ works SN 46.2)

Puna caparaṃ, bho, idhekacco ‘idaṃ kusalan’ti yathābhūtaṃ nappajānāti, ‘idaṃ akusalan’ti yathābhūtaṃ nappajānāti.	Next, take someone who doesn’t truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful,
‘Idaṃ sāvajjaṃ idaṃ anavajjaṃ, idaṃ sevitabbaṃ idaṃ na sevitabbaṃ, idaṃ hīnaṃ idaṃ paṇītaṃ, idaṃ kaṇhasukkasappaṭibhāgan’ti yathābhūtaṃ nappajānāti.	what is blameworthy and what is blameless, what should be cultivated and what should not be cultivated, what is inferior and what is superior, and what is on the side of dark and the side of bright.
So aparena samayena ariyadhammaṃ suṇāti, yoniso manasi karoti, dhammānudhammaṃ paṭipajjati.	After some time they hear the teaching of the noble ones, properly attend to how it applies to them, and practice accordingly.
So ariyadhammassavanaṃ āgamma yonisomanasikāraṃ dhammānudhammappaṭipattiṃ, ‘idaṃ kusalan’ti yathābhūtaṃ pajānāti, ‘idaṃ akusalan’ti yathābhūtaṃ pajānāti.	They truly understand what is skillful and what is unskillful, and so on.
‘Idaṃ sāvajjaṃ idaṃ anavajjaṃ, idaṃ sevitabbaṃ idaṃ na sevitabbaṃ, idaṃ hīnaṃ idaṃ paṇītaṃ, idaṃ kaṇhasukkasappaṭibhāgan’ti yathābhūtaṃ pajānāti.
Tassa evaṃ jānato evaṃ passato avijjā pahīyati, vijjā uppajjati.	Knowing and seeing like this, ignorance is given up and knowledge arises.
Tassa avijjāvirāgā vijjuppādā uppajjati sukhaṃ, sukhā bhiyyo somanassaṃ.	That gives rise to pleasure, and more than pleasure, happiness,
Seyyathāpi, bho, pamudā pāmojjaṃ jāyetha;	like the joy that’s born from gladness.
evameva kho, bho, avijjāvirāgā vijjuppādā uppajjati sukhaṃ, sukhā bhiyyo somanassaṃ.
Ayaṃ kho, bho, tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena tatiyo okāsādhigamo anubuddho sukhassādhigamāya.	This is the third opportunity for achieving happiness.
Ime kho, bho, tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena tayo okāsādhigamā anubuddhā sukhassādhigamāyā”ti.	These are the three opportunities for achieving happiness that have been understood by the Buddha.”
Imamatthaṃ, bhante, brahmā sanaṅkumāro bhāsittha,	That is the topic on which Brahmā Sanaṅkumāra spoke.
imamatthaṃ, bhante, brahmā sanaṅkumāro bhāsitvā deve tāvatiṃse āmantesi:	And having spoken about that, he addressed the gods of the Thirty-Three:

and towards the end of the sutta, we learn:

more than 2 million Magadan stream enterers have passed away

Whoever has experiential confidence in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, and has the ethical conduct loved by the noble ones; and whoever is spontaneously reborn, and is trained in the teaching; in excess of 2,400,000 such Magadhan devotees have passed away having ended three fetters. They’re stream-enterers, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, bound for awakening.	Ye hi keci, bho, buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgatā, dhamme aveccappasādena samannāgatā, saṅghe aveccappasādena samannāgatā, ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgatā, ye cime opapātikā dhammavinītā sātirekāni catuvīsatisatasahassāni māgadhakā paricārakā abbhatītā kālaṅkatā tiṇṇaṃ saṃyojanānaṃ parikkhayā sotāpannā avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā.
And there are once-returners here, too.	Atthi cevettha sakadāgāmino.
And as for other people	Atthāyaṃ itarā pajā,
who I think have shared in merit—	puññābhāgāti me mano;
I couldn’t even number them,	Saṅkhātuṃ nopi sakkomi,
for fear of speaking falsely.”	musāvādassa ottappan”ti.

The sutta is similar to the pair of suttas AN 5.176 and AN 5.179 where they use vitakka to attain first jhana, and these lay followers later become stream enterers. In AN 5, those are 500 lay followers.