jhāna-lite
Jhāna-lite, jhana light, as opposed to ‘jhāna-heavy’
What is “jhāna-lite”?
"jhana-lite" is a pejorative, derogatory term expressing contempt or disapproval at a straightforward plain language understanding of the Buddha's definition of 'jhāna'.
Instead, the preferred and exalted 'jhana-heavy' is somehow supposed to represent the Buddha's true intention of 'jhana', even though that understanding comes from Buddhist schools hundreds of years later, and requires a byzantine and nonsensical overriding of common word meanings, which would require a time traveler to go back to the Buddha's time to inform him of the new definitions, so that the new meditation instructions would actually work when the Monks tried to put the Jhana instructions to use. Examples:
'body' is redefined as 'mind',
'material form consisting of 4 elements' is redefined as 'non material ethereal form with mind divorced from any bodily sensation',
'thoughts that one thinks before vocalizing them' is redefined has 'placing the mind' (divorced from any content of thought).
strong advisory
It would be strongly advisable not to use the term 'Jhana lite' to denigrate those who place primacy on the Buddha's words in the
EBT suttas over the redefinition and reinterpretation of Buddhists who came hundreds of years later in late Abhidhamma and Visuddhimagga. This is tantamount to slandering the Buddha.
acceptable terms to characterize the Buddha’s definition of jhāna
1. “
EBT jhāna”: how jhāna is defined in Early Buddhist Texts
2. “sutta jhāna’ how jhāna is defined in pali suttas.
3. “Jhāna”: This is the preferred method. Out of respect to the Buddha, we should automatically assume we’re using his definition, not a redefinition that came several hundred years later.
how ‘jhāna’ gets redefined by later schools of Buddhists
Detailed audit of how Vism. redefines jhāna here:
VRJ🐍Detailed audit of how Ajahn Brahm rides the coat tails of VRJ and redefines jhana here:
Jabrama🤡-jhana"jhana-heavy" is an acceptable term to use
And remarkably accurate in describing
VRJ🐍 and the underlying Abhidhamma behind it.
Definition of "heavy":
* hard to deal with, burdensome, or hard to understand
* adjective 1. of great weight; difficult to lift or move.
* similar to 'heavy' - weighty, leaden, burdensome, hulking, overweight, paunchy, obese, corpulent
* 2. of great density; thick or substantial.
"heavy gray clouds", Similar: dense, thick, opaque, soupy
Friend,
ReplyDeleteIn this regard, it would be better if you remember & train with regard to the Buddha's own words on this topic. https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN2_46.html
Condense your meta-claims (ie claims about yourself and your adversaries) to what's actually defendable.
Are you trained in cross-questioning and not in bombast? Is the assembly that you are in trained in cross-questioning and not in bombast?
In my opinion you have to improve a lot before this claim is defensible. But you can do it, I believe.
I find that I have very little patience for reading much. What I do like though, is implementing various spiritualties and see where they go. Ideally, I would be able to make a total & complete spirituality out of it without regard to any other spiritualties.
What say you? I believe there was a discourse where the Buddha says to Kassappa that he should team up with those who study spiritualties and make them consistent, as that way the dhamma will remain longer.
As a demonstration of what I can bring to the table. Let's focus on the vitaka-vicara issue.
There is this matrix:
Savitakkasavicārā dhammā.
Avitakkavicāramattā dhammā.
Avitakkaavicārā dhammā.
With Troubleshooting & With Remarking Spirituality
Without Troubleshooting & Some Remarking Spirituality
Without Troubleshooting & Without Remarking Spirituality
I say that this translation is superlative. It's enough for the first & second concentration. It's enough for dispassion, disaversion & disenchantment. It's enough for release.
That so, I did not attend any other threads. If you can confirm or disconfirm my accuracy..