AN 4.5 the ludicrous notion of a world without rebirth, and Vism. redefinition of jhana

 

audio and sutta text for AN 4.5 here:

AN 4 Eng. suttas #1-5

The second kind of person, one who goes against the stream, doesn't make sense in a world without rebirth.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, paṭisotagāmī puggalo?	And who is the person who goes against the stream?
Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo kāme ca nappaṭisevati, pāpañca kammaṃ na karoti, sahāpi dukkhena sahāpi domanassena assumukhopi rudamāno paripuṇṇaṃ parisuddhaṃ brahmacariyaṃ carati.	It’s a person who doesn’t take part in sensual pleasures or do bad deeds. They live the full and pure spiritual life in pain and sadness, weeping, with tearful faces.

1. Who would ordain into a life of pain if there was no rebirth?

Can you imagine what kind of person would ordain in Buddhism, and live their whole life like that, in pain and missing pleasures of lay life? 

Especially if they don't believe in rebirth, that this is the only life we get and then annihilation at death? That's not a sensible way to live, you would want to maximize pleasure in lay life if there's no true long term benefit in sense restraint.

2. If Vism. redefinition of jhana is true

Then you would expect 99% of all Buddhist monks and nuns to be unhappy (Vism. says only 1 in a million can attain 'first jhana').  On the contrary, you see most monastics seem to be frequently dwelling in pleasant abiding (diṭṭha-dhamma-sukha-vihārānaṃ). That phrase appears more than 50 times in the suttas, and that's not including over a hundred references in the stock 3rd jhana formula.

And that pali phrase, is a code phrase for 3rd jhana, or any of the 4 jhanas :

• (4j = ābhi-cetasikānaṃ & diṭṭha-dhamma-sukha-vihārānaṃ)
  • (4j = heightened mental states & pleasant abiding)
  • that phrase appears 54 times in suttas
• phāsu-vihāra🙂: comfortable-dwelling

So the actual observable case, is you see monks and nuns frequently happy, which means they pretty much can do at least a low quality first jhana for at least a couple of seconds. 

Why not trust in the suttas and diligently practice hours a day to stretch those 2 seconds of first jhana into 2 minutes, 20 minutes, 1 hour, etc.? 

first jhāna is easier than you think

don't give up on jhāna, 🔗until you drink from the sutta cup.
AN 5.176 the Buddha and Sariputta tells 500 lay people to work on first and second jhana. Does that sound like something only 1 in a million can people can do?
AN 5.179 same 500 lay people with first jhana from AN 5.176 attain stream entry.
DN 18: 3 ways of using vitakka to attain first jhana. And over 2.4 million lay followers attain stream entry. Does this sound like 'only 1 in a million' can attain first jhana as vism. claims?
MN 68: 🔗MN 68 case study on how easy and accessible first jhana is for newly ordained.
MA 77: agama parallel to MN 68, matches closely. Again, notice how it's expected for newly ordained to get first jhana if they can choose delighting in holy life over 5niv⛅. Also, notice importance of using inspiring ☸Dharma vitakka thoughts to launch 7sb☀️ sequence.
SN 47.4 newly ordained, arahants, and all skill levels in between do the same 4sp🐘 with 4j🌕 quality of samadhi (first jhana or better!) simultaneously.
🔗AN 1 micro first jhana, 37 of them
V&V💭🔗simile of bird corrupted by vism.