MN 128 seeing light (obhāsa) and material-form (rūpa) "visions" is not breath nimitta for entering Vism. "Jhāna". Clearing up this myth once and for all.

Introduction

Ajahn Brahm, and Vism. apologists believe wrongly, that MN 128 supports the idea of a visual nimitta sign that one uses to absorb into the Vism. redefinition of first jhāna. 

MN 128 read superficially, doesn't obviously contradict that idea.

The part where luminosity and material-form (rūpa) "visions" appears, is prior to the 5 hindrances (expanded into 11 kilesas for MN 128), and after one is skilled in abandoning 5 hindrances, one is told to master samādhi in three ways (an alternate way of mapping four jhānas). 

 Carefully studying these suttas (with the pāḷi) will clear up this misguided idea once and for all. 

MN 127: (the sutta that is meant to be read together with MN 128, both involve Anruddha, divine eye, conversing with devas) 

MN 128:  Ajahn Brahm and Vism. claim there is a visual white breath nimitta one uses to absorb into their "first jhāna". 

AN 8.63: Buddha goes into the 3 ways of sāmadhi in detail 

AN 8.64: This is what the Buddha was referring to in MN 128 when he said before he was a fully awakened Buddha, he also had struggled with seeing luminosity and material form (rūpa) visions. Buddha describes what that material form (rūpa) he saw in detail.

AN 8.65 eight ways of transcending 5 sense bases: this sutta differentiates internal rūpa (material form) from external rūpa, and different stages of formlessness besides the typical 4 formless attainments we often see. You can also see how visual kasina practices can fit in here.

AN 8.66 eight vimokkhas "liberations":  The earlier vimokkhas, you can see how AN 8.65 has several stages that map into here. Again, showing types of formless samādhi that must be 4 jhānas quality, but are not the typical formless attainments where both internal rūpa and external rūpa are transcended.

DN 2: Kāya (physical body) and rūpa (the material 4 elements of the physical body of the meditator) are established unequivocally, in an imperturbable 4th jhāna context doing vipassana and manifesting mind made bodies (kāya) made of (rūpa). The internal rūpa is material form referenced in the prior suttas are not "vision" as Sujato would have you believe, but are physical material.

If you want to understand these suttas, don't rely on Sujato's English translations. He translates rūpa in a very erratic and muddled way. Sometimes 'form',  sometimes 'luminous form' (implying it's not a material physical object),  sometimes 'vision', sometimes 'sight'.  He also translates 'cakkhu' as 'vision', knowledge and 'dassana' as 'vision', sometimes in the same sutta. Some of it may be due to trying to make the English translation very simple and easy for a beginner to understand, but this muddying of the waters also serves his agenda of trying to rewrite the Buddha's instruction on jhāna to support his personal view on jhāna. 

If you insist on studying Sujato's translations, at least only use the version where pāḷi is right next to it. 

My version of those suttas above,  will fix Sujato's deficiencies. (give me a week or so to prepare ...)

Synopsis

MN 127 and MN 128 features Anuruddha, the Buddha's foremost disciple in the divine eye, that is, he is second to the Buddha in the range of his vision in the number of world systems he could see, along with all their inhabitants. Something like extending to 1000 world systems. 

The divine eye also needs luminosity (obhāsa) in order to see. The stronger and more powerful the light, the farther it extends out, and farther and in more detail one can see. (MN 127 explains this principle).

AN 8.64 the Buddha talks about his struggles with light and seeing rūpa (forms). Now these forms he sees are not hallucinations, and are not just 'visions'. He's actually seeing devas of different realms. And after seeing devas, he converses with them, and then developing the luminosity perception to a stronger level, he also acquires the 2 higher knowledges of knowing the past lives of those devas, and what karma they did to become devas. 

The takeaway from AN 8.64 is that these 'rūpa' he sees are devas, actual beings in actual places not in the normal visible human realm, and the strength of the luminosity 'obhāsa' determined the accuracy of his psychic powers.

So now when you read MN 128, you know the Buddha is not talking about Visuddhimagga's preparation sign, a visual white breath nimitta one uses to enter absorption samādhi of "first jhāna". 

The Buddha is talking about seeing 'rūpa' of actual living devas live, in real time, just as in MN 127 (the sutta that precedes MN 128 and that you should read in conjunction) Anuruddha was talking about seeing and conversing with devas. 

Remember, Anuruddha was famous for his divine eye,  seeing devas in thousands of world systems, he wasn't famous for breath nimittas and absorption samādhi that precedes 'first jhāna'.

The suttas always talk about psychic powers being used adeptly from imperturbable fourth jhāna. Never from "accesss concentration" that precedes first jhāna, 

So what MN 128 is actually saying, in the part where Ajahn Brahm would have you believe is a breath nimitta being seen as "visual rūpa", is both the Buddha and Anuruddha, before they had charged up their jhāna battery until it was saturated with luminosity, their ability to see devas was unreliable. But once they removed all hindrances, charged up their jhāna battery fully to the point that they had powerful bright luminosity day and night, then their vision of devas was stable, clear, reliable. 

The detailed audit, proof

(... I believe I've done this already in other articles in parts...)

Conclusion

So what MN 128 is actually saying, in the part where Ajahn Brahm would have you believe is a breath nimitta being seen as "visual rūpa", is both the Buddha and Anuruddha, before they had charged up their jhāna battery until it was saturated with luminosity, their ability to see devas was unreliable. But once they removed all hindrances, charged up their jhāna battery fully to the point that they had powerful bright luminosity day and night, then their vision of devas was stable, clear, reliable. 

Forum discussion

https://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?p=681444#p681444
The reason Vism. apologists and Brahm supporters like to bring up MN 128, is because the word nimitta does appear 7 times in that sutta, and it is attached to rūpa (material forms of the devas being seen) and obhāsa (visible light of imperturbable 4th jhāna).

Nimitta in MN 128, like it does in every other sutta in the EBT in the context of samādhi, means paying attention (manasi karoti) to a perception (sañña) associated with the object. That perception can be from any of the 6 sense doors, it doesn't have to be visual.
The most frequent occurrence of term 'nimitta' in our practice, would be guarding the sense doors, such as "manansa dhamma viññāna, na nimitta gāhi hoti...". (When the mind cognizes dharmas, don't grasp signs/nimitta that would lead to unskillful dharmas...). Similarly for the other 5 sense doors.

Back to MN 128 and AN 4.41, knowledge and vision has 4th jhāna as a prerequisite, for those pañña vimutti (wisdom liberated) arahants with no formless samadhi or psychic powers. Their knowledge and vision only encompasses the 6th abhiñña (arahantship).

Those like Anuruddha liberated both ways, would have IMPERTURBABLE 4th jhāna as a prerequisite for their purification of at least the 3 higher knowledges (past life recollection, divine eye, arahantship). And Imperturbable 4th jhāna, unlike the regular 4th jhāna, has bright stable luminosity with great range, available day and night.


So even though MN 128 does mention nimitta for obhasa (light) and rūpa, it's talking about purifying imperturbable 4th jhāna for knowledge and vision that can recollect past lives, talk to devas and visit them in their deva realms.
Even in Vism., you don't see it talk about (vism. redefined) first jhāna let alone access concentration preceding first jhāna having knowledge and vision and talking to devas, it requires 4th (VRJ) jhāna and perhaps even the mastery of entering and exiting quickly all 10 kasina 'jhānas'.

Is this settled? Can we stop having people abusing MN 128 from now on?