https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySkqvOHL7qY
jump to 9m:30 sec
ajahn acalo was having problem with oversleeping on his nap.
he thought to himself, "if i was my guardian angel, i'd kick my butt right now."
soon after, when he opened the door to kuti, snake came into kuti, crawled up on to his bed, and under the pillow.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/may/15/buddhist-retreat-religion-first-person
'I spent 12 years in a cave'
At the age of 21, Tenzin Palmo swapped her job as a London librarian for life as a nun in a monastery in India - but even that wasn't remote enough for her
Buddhist nun Tenzin Palmo
Tenzin Palmo .
.. 'For me, retreat is like inhaling;
it's what I was born to do.'
Photograph:
Sarah Lee/Sarah Lee
Interview by Lucy Powell
Thu 14 May 2009 19.01 EDT
Even as a small child growing up in east London, I felt I was in the wrong place and the wrong body.
I felt my body should be male, so when I heard that your body changes as you get older, I thought maybe I would get a male one.
Now I feel lucky to have stayed female.
From my earliest years, though, I wanted to leave England.
Outwardly there was no reason.
My family are lovely, my school was great,
I had a wonderful job as a librarian.
Bethnal Green in east London, where I grew up, was very neighbourly.
But inwardly I had a strong feeling that I had to go where I belonged;
for a long time I just didn't know where that was.
Even as a child, I was interested in spiritual matters.
I studied Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism and I'd tried reading the Qur'an, but as I didn't believe in a creator God most religious paths were closed to me.
Then, when I was 18, my mother and I were delayed at an airport for eight hours.
The only book I had with me was Mind Unshaken, about Buddhism.
Halfway through the book, I said to my mother, "I'm a Buddhist."
She replied:
"Oh are you dear?
That's nice."
My mother was magnificent.
She was a spiritualist who held seances in our house every Wednesday.
Tables would fly around the room.
She was widowed when I was two and brought up my older brother and myself with very little money from my father's fish shop.
She had terribly bad health, yet was always cheerful and uncomplaining - and her decisions were usually so wise.
When I told her I was going to India to look for a Buddhist teacher, her first question was:
"When are you leaving?"
An ordinary woman would have said:
"How can you leave your poor old mother alone;
where's your senseof responsibility?'
" But she felt I needed to lead a special kind of life, even if it didn't include her.
I had read about Freda Bedi, an English woman teaching Tibetan refugees English in Dalhousie, in north-west India.
When I wrote to her she replied:
"Come, just come."
So, at 20, I moved to India and on my 21st birthday I met my guru.
Three weeks later I became a nun.
It wasn't a difficult decision.
Although I'd had boyfriends, I never wanted to marry.
I never wanted children.
Clothes, who cares?
Food, who cares?
Television, I'm glad not to have to watch.
And as for sex - I couldn't care less.
In this society, sex is constantly thrown in your face but to make it the be-all and end-all of life is pathetic;
it puts you on the same level as the monkeys.
Many women leading fulfilling lives don't even think about it.
I don't need or want a one-on-one personal relationship.
That's why I don't get lonely.
Yet I experienced great frustration being the only westerner and the only nun in the all-male monastic community;
I was totally excluded.
I used to feel as if there was this huge banqueting table of Buddhist thought and practice and I'd get these little crumbs from people, but never enough to make a meal.
Eventually my guru, Khamtrul Rinpoche, told me to go and practise in the mountain region of Lahaul.
It was a lovely monastery, but it wasn't always quiet.
I'd heard about a nearby cave and wanted to go there, but local people said it wasn't safe.
"Men from the army camp will come and rape you," they warned.
"By the time they get up here, they'd be too exhausted," I said.
"I'll invite them in for tea."
They said there were ghosts, that I'd freeze to death.
But I explained the situation to my guru, who said that if the cave faced south and was fairly dry it would be fine.
From that point on, I didn't worry.
After all, for centuries, hundreds of thousands of hermits have done exactly the same.
I moved into the cave when I was 33 and was very happy.
In most places in the world it would be impossible to feel so safe and confident in isolation.
We built up a wall to insulate it in winter, and I had an altar and a store room for food.
It was simple but pukka.
I grew potatoes and turnips in the little garden outside.
The day was very structured:
four times a day I would sit and meditate in a traditional meditation box for three hours, and that's where I slept, sitting up.
At first I'd go down to the monastery to listen to teachings, get food supplies, visit my guru and discuss how I was getting on.
I'd spend the summers preparing for the long winters when I was completely cut off.
But after nine years, I was ready to do a long retreat - three years in complete solitude.
Once we had a huge blizzard that raged for seven days and nights, the snow covered the door and window and the whole cave was in complete blackness.
I thought:
"This is it."
Looking back, I'm amazed I wasn't claustrophobic.
I felt perfectly calm and resigned.
Then I heard a voice say, "Shovel out."
I used a saucepan lid and dug a tunnel out.
It took an hour or two and I did it three times but survived to tell the tale.
The Tibetans have a saying:
"If you're sick you're sick;
if you die you die."
We're all going to die and where better to die than in retreat?
Most people worry too much even when things haven't happened;
they get all worked up over scenarios of what might happen.
The retreat helped me to develop inner resourcefulness and confidence:
you learn that you generally do cope with whatever happens.
After three years, I heard somebody scrambling over my gate.
I hadn't seen anyone all year.
When I opened the door a policeman was standing there.
He handed me a notice:
"You've been in the country illegally for three years.
Come down within 24 hours or we'll take action."
That was the end of my retreat.
It was a bit of a shock.
I moved to Italy.
I do feel people in the west have an advantage:
having so much material prosperity, they have already experienced everything our society tells us will bring happiness.
They can see, if they have any sense, that at most it gives only short-term pleasure, that genuine happiness must lie elsewhere.
Most people in the world haven't had those things, and still imagine that possessions will deliver the satisfaction their promoters assure us they do.
But desire is like salty water.
The more you drink, the thirstier you become.
For me, retreat is like inhaling;
it's what I was born to do in this life.
But I felt I should raise funds to build a nunnery in India, a place where women could study and train.
Women have been spiritually undernourished and overlooked for far too long.
So that's what I do now, giving teachings.
But actually I don't like it at all, I never have, and I'm not going to do any more tours.
I'm very ready now to retire to my nunnery in India, and I hope then that I can go back into retreat.
That is my place.
https://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?t=43800
This is probably about a 3 minute read.
If you don't have 3 minutes to spare, at least take 30 seconds and read the small section I highlighted.
I got strong jhāna just reading it - That's pamojja and pīti, the classic way to enter first jhāna, being inspired by skillful Dharma and exemplars of skillful Dharma.
excerpt from
https://amaravati.org/dhamma-books/the-real-practice/
1. Giving Yourself up to Things
Like many of you I would imagine I understood that becoming a monk would mean, in effect, becoming a professional meditator.
I believed that I would be able to spend many hours every day meditating, without having to make any compromises with the world around me, and without the pressures of having to support myself financially.
But when I came to Wat Nong Pah Pong, I discovered a whole dimension of monastic life that I hadn’t really conceived of before.
Although I’d spent some time with the Sangha in England, as a pa-kow1 it was really coming here into the heart of a Buddhist culture that allowed me to see the richness of the lifestyle, a way of life that had an unexpected beauty and nobility to it.
I spent my adolescence in a small town of some 15,000 people in the east of England.
It was a very provincial environment in which I often felt the odd one out and developed a strong desire to find a peer group, a group of people that I could identify with and associate with.
The group that seemed most in line with my ideas, my values and my personality seemed to be that of the hippies, or the freaks as they sometimes called themselves.
And so my interest in Buddhism, eastern thought, Yoga, and my fascination and pull towards the hippy movement all led me on the overland trail to India.
It didn’t take me long to become disillusioned with my chosen peer group.
I think the last straw occurred as I was sitting in a little cafe on a beach in Goa a month or so after my arrival in India.
A French guy walked into the restaurant.
He was a ‘costume hippy’, complete with very long hair and hennaed eyes, and a white waist coat, a short dhoti, and a large string of beads around his neck.
He held a knobbly walking stick, and he carried with him a carved chillum from Karnataka and hashish from Manali.
He had the whole thing down perfectly.
He looked rather like I wanted to look.
He sat down on the other side of the restaurant and after some time I remember him, obviously irritated, shouting at the little boy who was running from table to table, rushed off his feet, ‘Hey baba, I ordered my chips twenty minutes ago! Where are they!’ It occurred to me at that moment, I’m not seeing anything different here than I’ve seen anywhere else, in any other group of people.
Different clothes, same mindset.
I became even more of a loner, and gave up on the peer group idea.
So initially in Oakenholt, and especially at Wat Nong Pah Pong I was surprised to discover the peer group that I had been looking for.
The feeling arose that:
Yes, this is a group of people, this is a form, this is a structure, this is a way of life that I want to be part of.
Here is a kind of community that will bring out the best in me, and one in which I can very easily see myself spending the rest of my life.
I immediately stopped looking at entrance into monastic life as simply taking advantage of an excellent vehicle for personal growth, and saw it much more as an opportunity to surrender myself to a form that I found truly uplifting.
I can remember so vividly the first time that I put on my robe as a novice, the first time I went on alms round – these are memories of an incredible sense of pride and achievement.
It felt so good simply to be part of all this.
I can remember thinking that whatever would happens in my life in future, 5 good or bad, nobody could take this away from me.
I’d worn this robe at least once.
Even if I was to have a heart attack on my way to the village or be bitten by a poisonous snake or fall into an elephant trap or whatever, my life hadn’t been in vain.
Just getting this far was a wonderful achievement.
I felt the most intense sense of good fortune.
And that feeling has never left me.
It might not always be so strong, it waxes and wanes, but it’s always there in the background of my mind.
And for me it’s such an inspiring reflection that I’m wearing robes that don’t differ significantly from the robes worn by the Buddha himself, by Venerable Sariputta, by Venerable Moggalana and all the great disciples.
And the way which all of us live our lives does not depart significantly from the way that Buddhist monks have lived for the past two thousand years.
Yes, there are modern developments, and in certain ways life is more comfortable and convenient these days, but in the essentials there is a very strong sense of connection and lineage.
I highly recommend anyone who's serious about their Buddhist practice, at least once in your life, do at least a temporary ordinaton for an extended period (3 months, 6 months, 3 years, etc...) in a community you find inspiring.
You'll get what Ajahn Jayasaro is talking about in the section I highlighted, and it may light the fire that sends you irreversibly toward a path leading to nirvana.
khantī = fem. patience; endurance; tolerance [√kham + tī]
√kham = root. √kham･1 a (tolerate, endure)
pa·tient - adjective = able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.
tol·er·ant = adjective - 1. showing willingness to allow the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with.
en·dur·ance = noun - the fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way. "she was close to the limit of her endurance"
for·bear·ance = noun - patient self-control; restraint and tolerance. "forbearance from taking action"
♦ 184. | |
♦ khantī paramaṃ tapo titikkhā, | Enduring patience is the highest austerity. |
nibbānaṃ VAR paramaṃ vadanti buddhā. | “Nibbana is supreme,” say the Buddhas. |
♦ na hi pabbajito parūpaghātī, | He is not a true monk who harms another, |
na VAR samaṇo hoti paraṃ viheṭhayanto. | nor a true renunciate who oppresses others. |
Patient endurance:
the foremost austerity.
Unbinding:
the foremost,
so say the Awakened.
He who injures another
is no contemplative.
He who mistreats another,
no monk.
Sometimes, such as MN 152, equanimity, as an attitude, is the prominent characteristic we're focusing on.
But to translate upekkha as 'equanimity' is hugely problematic.
If you ordered a PBJ, a peanut butter and JELLY sandwich, and they gave you a peanut butter sandwich with no jelly, you would be pissed. As you should.
You should be even more pissed when translators give you 'equanimity' when you ordered 'equanimous-observation'.
It's the observation, the 'ikkhati' in upekkha, that does the vipassana that realizes nirvana.
You ever wondered, looking at the 7 awakening factors, how the 7th one, "equanimity" could actually lead to nirvana?
The answer is equanimty can not.
Only equanimous-observation, can see the rise and fall of aggregates with the power of 3rd and 4th jhāna, see their true nature, and make the leap to nirvana.
'equanimity' does not observe/see (with right view, right discernment).
If the 7th awakening factor was 'equanimty', then it wouldn't be 7 factors of AWAKENING.
It would be 7 factors that lead to indifference (equanimity), to revolve in samsara being reborn again and again just like the rest of the unenlightened folks. For all eternity.
upekkha = equanimous-observation, not equanimity.
AN 3.27 equanimously observe someone who is irritable and angry, don’t associate or attend to them
AN 3.102 goldsmith equanimously observes
AN 5.166 Ananda equanimously observing instead of acting with compassion
AN 6.85 like AN 3.102 sometimes apply vīriya, sometimes upekkha
AN 7.47 brahman’s wood fire sometimes fan, sometimes upekkha
KN Pe s607 four brahmavihāras context
MN 25 hunter equanimously observing deer
MN 101 exertion and upekkha leads to virāga
MN 118 fourth satipaṭṭhāna, upekkha observes abandoning hindrances
MN 118 upekkha as 7th awakening factor observing mind in samādhi
MN 140 goldsmith using upekkha, meditator using upekkha to enter formless attainment
SN 46.3 upekkha as 7th awakening factor observing mind in samādhi
SN 54.10 same as MN 118 fourth satipaṭṭhāna, upekkha observes abandoning hindrances
SN 54.13 same as MN 118, 4th satipaṭṭhāna and 7th awakening factor
SN 54.16 same as MN 118, 4th satipaṭṭhāna and 7th awakening factor
SN 56.34 clothes on fire, not paying attention with upekkha
Results for:
ajjhupekkh
DN: 0
MN: 7
SN: 10
AN: 7
KN: 24
ajjhupekkhanaṭṭhaṃ (1) ajjhupekkhitvā (7)
ajjhupekkhanaṭṭho (1) ajjhupekkhiya (2)
ajjhupekkhanā (3) ajjhupekkhissatha (1)
ajjhupekkhā (1) ajjhupekkheyya (3)
ajjhupekkhi (1) ajjhupekkheyyāmāti (1)
ajjhupekkhiṃsu (1) ajjhupekkhati (8)
ajjhupekkhitabbaṃ (2) ajjhupekkhatīti (1)
ajjhupekkhitabbo (3) ajjhupekkhato (2)
ajjhupekkhitā (12) tadajjhupekkhitvā (2)
DN
MN
evamevaṃ kho, bhikkhave … pe … | In the same way, someone is prone to anger … and bitterness. |
seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, gūthakūpo kaṭṭhena vā kaṭhalāya vā ghaṭṭito bhiyyoso mattāya duggandho hoti; | They’re like a sewer, which, when you stir it with a stick or a stone, stinks even more. |
evamevaṃ kho, bhikkhave, idhekacco puggalo kodhano hoti upāyāsabahulo, | In the same way, someone is irritable and bad-tempered. |
appampi vutto samāno abhisajjati kuppati byāpajjati patitthīyati, kopañca dosañca appaccayañca pātukaroti. | Even when lightly criticized they lose their temper, becoming annoyed, hostile, and hard-hearted, and they display annoyance, hate, and bitterness. |
Evarūpo, bhikkhave, puggalo ajjhupekkhitabbo na sevitabbo na bhajitabbo na payirupāsitabbo. | You should regard such a person with equanimity, and you shouldn’t associate with, accompany, or attend them. |
Taṃ kissa hetu? | Why is that? |
Akkoseyyapi maṃ paribhāseyyapi maṃ anatthampi maṃ kareyyāti. | Thinking, ‘They might abuse or insult me, or do me harm.’ |
Tasmā evarūpo puggalo ajjhupekkhitabbo na sevitabbo na bhajitabbo na payirupāsitabbo. | That’s why you should regard such a person with equanimity, and you shouldn’t associate with, accompany, or attend them. |
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, suvaṇṇakāro vā suvaṇṇakārantevāsī vā ukkaṃ bandheyya, ukkaṃ bandhitvā ukkāmukhaṃ ālimpeyya, ukkāmukhaṃ ālimpetvā saṇḍāsena jātarūpaṃ gahetvā ukkāmukhe pakkhipeyya, ukkāmukhe pakkhipitvā kālena kālaṃ abhidhamati, kālena kālaṃ udakena paripphoseti, kālena kālaṃ ajjhupekkhati. | It’s like when a goldsmith or a goldsmith’s apprentice prepares a forge, fires the crucible, picks up some gold with tongs and puts it in the crucible. From time to time they fan it, from time to time they sprinkle water on it, and from time to time they just watch over it. |
AN 5, 4. catutthapaṇṇāsakaṃ, (17) 2. āghātavaggo, 6. nirodhasuttaṃ AN 5.166, para. 10 ⇒
Atha kho bhagavā āyasmantaṃ ānandaṃ āmantesi: | Then the Buddha said to Venerable Ānanda: |
“atthi nāma, ānanda, theraṃ bhikkhuṃ vihesiyamānaṃ ajjhupekkhissatha. | “Ānanda! There’s a senior monk being harassed, and you just watch it happening. |
Na hi nāma, ānanda, kāruññampi bhavissati theramhi bhikkhumhi vihesiyamānamhī”ti. | Don’t you have any compassion for a senior monk who is being harassed?” |
Chahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato bhikkhu bhabbo anuttaraṃ sītibhāvaṃ sacchikātuṃ. | A monk with six qualities can realize supreme coolness. |
Katamehi chahi? | What six? |
Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu yasmiṃ samaye cittaṃ niggahetabbaṃ tasmiṃ samaye cittaṃ niggaṇhāti, yasmiṃ samaye cittaṃ paggahetabbaṃ tasmiṃ samaye cittaṃ paggaṇhāti, yasmiṃ samaye cittaṃ sampahaṃsitabbaṃ tasmiṃ samaye cittaṃ sampahaṃseti, yasmiṃ samaye cittaṃ ajjhupekkhitabbaṃ tasmiṃ samaye cittaṃ ajjhupekkhati, paṇītādhimuttiko ca hoti nibbānābhirato ca. | It’s when a monk keeps their mind in check when they should. They exert their mind when they should. They encourage the mind when they should. They watch over the mind with equanimity when they should. They are committed to the sublime. They love nirvana. |
Idha, brāhmaṇa, ye te samaṇabrāhmaṇā parappavādā paṭiviratā khantisoracce niviṭṭhā ekamattānaṃ damenti, ekamattānaṃ samenti, ekamattānaṃ parinibbāpenti, ayaṃ vuccati, brāhmaṇa, dakkhiṇeyyaggi. | The ascetics and brahmins who avoid intoxication and negligence, are settled in patience and gentleness, and who tame, calm, and extinguish themselves are called the fire of those worthy of a teacher’s offering. |
Tasmāyaṃ dakkhiṇeyyaggi sakkatvā garuṃ katvā mānetvā pūjetvā sammā sukhaṃ parihātabbo. | So you should properly and happily take care of this fire, honoring, respecting, esteeming, and venerating it. |
Ime kho, brāhmaṇa, tayo aggī sakkatvā garuṃ katvā mānetvā pūjetvā sammā sukhaṃ parihātabbā. | You should properly and happily take care of these three fires, honoring, respecting, esteeming, and venerating them. |
Ayaṃ kho pana, brāhmaṇa, kaṭṭhaggi kālena kālaṃ ujjaletabbo, kālena kālaṃ ajjhupekkhitabbo, kālena kālaṃ nibbāpetabbo, kālena kālaṃ nikkhipitabbo”ti. | But the wood fire, brahmin, should, from time to time, be fanned, watched over with equanimity, nirvana'd, or put aside.” |
KN Ap.1, (paṭhamo bhāgo), 40. pilindavacchavaggo, 2. selattherāpadānaṃ KN 10.394, para. 192 ⇒
“‘ukkāsitañca khipitaṃ, ajjhupekkhiya māṇavā.
KN B.v., 1. ratanacaṅkamanakaṇḍaṃ KN 12.1, para. 156 ⇒
ukkāsitañca khipitaṃ {ukkāsitañca khipitañca (syā. aṭṭha.)}, ajjhupekkhiya subbatā.
KN Nidd I, 16. sāriputtasuttaniddeso, para. 323 ⇒
upekkhamārabbha samāhitattoti. upekkhāti yā catutthe jhāne upekkhā upekkhanā ajjhupekkhanā cittasamatā cittappassaddhatā majjhattatā cittassa. samāhitattoti yā cittassa ṭhiti saṇṭhiti avaṭṭhiti avisāhāro avikkhepo avisāhaṭamānasatā samatho samādhindriyaṃ samādhibalaṃ sammāsamādhi. upekkhamārabbha samāhitattoti. catutthe jhāne upekkhaṃ ārabbha ekaggacitto avikkhittacitto avisāhaṭamānasoti — upekkhamārabbha samāhitatto.
KN Nidd I, 16. sāriputtasuttaniddeso, para. 374 ⇒
“ajjhupekkhati kālena, so yogī kālakovido.
KN Nidd I, 16. sāriputtasuttaniddeso, para. 383 ⇒
samāhitacittamaññāya, ajjhupekkheyya tāvade.
KN Nidd II, pārāyanavaggo, pārāyanavagganiddeso, 13. udayamāṇavapucchāniddeso, para. 48 ⇒
upekkhāsatisaṃsuddhanti. upekkhāti yā catutthe jhāne upekkhā upekkhanā ajjhupekkhanā cittasamatā {cittasamatho (syā.) mahāni. 207} cittappassaddhatā majjhattatā cittassa. satīti yā catutthe jhāne upekkhaṃ ārabbha sati anussati. pe. sammāsati. upekkhāsatisaṃsuddhanti catutthe jhāne upekkhā ca sati ca suddhā honti visuddhā saṃsuddhā parisuddhā pariyodātā anaṅgaṇā vigatūpakkilesā mudubhūtā kammaniyā ṭhitā āneñjappattāti — upekkhāsatisaṃsuddhaṃ.
KN Nidd II, khaggavisāṇasutto, catutthavaggo, para. 28 ⇒
laddhānupekkhaṃ samathaṃ visuddhanti. upekkhāti yā catutthajjhāne upekkhā upekkhanā ajjhupekkhanā cittasamatā cittappassaddhatā {cittavisaṭatā (ka.) passa mahāni. 207} majjhattatā cittassa. samathoti yā cittassa ṭhiti saṇṭhiti avaṭṭhiti avisāhāro {avisaṃhāro (ka.) passa dha. sa. 11, 15} avikkhepo avisāhaṭamānasatā {avisaṃhaṭamānasatā (ka.)} samatho samādhindriyaṃ samādhibalaṃ sammāsamādhi; catutthajjhāne upekkhā ca samatho ca suddhā honti visuddhā pariyodātā anaṅgaṇā vigatūpakkilesā mudubhūtā kammaniyā ṭhitā āneñjappattā. laddhānupekkhaṃ samathaṃ visuddhanti catutthajjhānaṃ upekkhañca samathañca laddhā labhitvā vinditvā paṭilabhitvāti — laddhānupekkhaṃ samathaṃ visuddhaṃ, eko care khaggavisāṇakappo. tenāha so paccekasambuddho —
KN Paṭis, 1. mahāvaggo, 1. ñāṇakathā, 1. sutamayañāṇaniddeso, para. 55 ⇒
12. samathassa avikkhepaṭṭho abhiññeyyo; vipassanāya anupassanaṭṭho abhiññeyyo; samathavipassanānaṃ ekarasaṭṭho abhiññeyyo; yuganaddhassa anativattanaṭṭho abhiññeyyo; sikkhāya samādānaṭṭho abhiññeyyo; ārammaṇassa gocaraṭṭho abhiññeyyo; līnassa cittassa paggahaṭṭho abhiññeyyo; uddhatassa cittassa niggahaṭṭho abhiññeyyo; ubhovisuddhānaṃ ajjhupekkhanaṭṭho abhiññeyyo; visesādhigamaṭṭho abhiññeyyo; uttari paṭivedhaṭṭho abhiññeyyo; saccābhisamayaṭṭho abhiññeyyo; nirodhe patiṭṭhāpakaṭṭho abhiññeyyo.
KN Paṭis, 1. mahāvaggo, 1. ñāṇakathā, 9. saṅkhārupekkhāñāṇaniddeso, para. 6 ⇒
uppādo saṅkhārā, te saṅkhāre ajjhupekkhatīti — saṅkhārupekkhā. ye ca saṅkhārā yā ca upekkhā ubhopete saṅkhārā, te saṅkhāre ajjhupekkhatīti — saṅkhārupekkhā. pavattaṃ saṅkhārā. pe. nimittaṃ saṅkhārā. āyūhanā saṅkhārā. paṭisandhi saṅkhārā. gati saṅkhārā. nibbatti saṅkhārā. upapatti saṅkhārā. jāti saṅkhārā. jarā saṅkhārā. byādhi saṅkhārā. maraṇaṃ saṅkhārā. soko saṅkhārā. paridevo saṅkhārā. pe. upāyāso saṅkhārā, te saṅkhāre ajjhupekkhatīti — saṅkhārupekkhā. ye ca saṅkhārā yā ca upekkhā ubhopete saṅkhārā, te saṅkhāre ajjhupekkhatīti — saṅkhārupekkhā.
KN Paṭis, 1. mahāvaggo, 1. ñāṇakathā, 9. saṅkhārupekkhāñāṇaniddeso, para. 8 ⇒
puthujjanassa katamehi dvīhākārehi saṅkhārupekkhāya cittassa abhinīhāro hoti? puthujjano saṅkhārupekkhaṃ abhinandati vā vipassati vā. puthujjanassa imehi dvīhākārehi saṅkhārupekkhāya cittassa abhinīhāro hoti. sekkhassa katamehi tīhākārehi saṅkhārupekkhāya cittassa abhinīhāro hoti? sekkho saṅkhārupekkhaṃ abhinandati vā vipassati vā paṭisaṅkhāya vā phalasamāpattiṃ samāpajjati. sekkhassa imehi tīhākārehi saṅkhārupekkhāya cittassa abhinīhāro hoti. vītarāgassa katamehi tīhākārehi saṅkhārupekkhāya cittassa abhinīhāro hoti? vītarāgo saṅkhārupekkhaṃ vipassati vā paṭisaṅkhāya vā phalasamāpattiṃ samāpajjati, tadajjhupekkhitvā suññatavihārena vā animittavihārena vā appaṇihitavihārena vā viharati. vītarāgassa imehi tīhākārehi saṅkhārupekkhāya cittassa abhinīhāro hoti.
KN Paṭis, 1. mahāvaggo, 1. ñāṇakathā, 9. saṅkhārupekkhāñāṇaniddeso, para. 15 ⇒
kathaṃ sekkhassa ca vītarāgassa ca saṅkhārupekkhāya cittassa abhinīhāro nānattaṃ hoti? sekkho saṅkhārupekkhaṃ abhinandati vā vipassati vā paṭisaṅkhāya vā phalasamāpattiṃ samāpajjati. vītarāgo saṅkhārupekkhaṃ vipassati vā paṭisaṅkhāya vā phalasamāpattiṃ samāpajjati, tadajjhupekkhitvā suññatavihārena vā animittavihārena vā appaṇihitavihārena vā viharati. evaṃ sekkhassa ca vītarāgassa ca saṅkhārupekkhāya cittassa abhinīhāro nānattaṃ hoti vihārasamāpattaṭṭhena.
KN Paṭis, 1. mahāvaggo, 1. ñāṇakathā, 29-31. ñāṇattayaniddeso, para. 2 ⇒
nimittaṃ bhayato sampassamāno animitte adhimuttattā pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ animittaṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — animittā samāpatti. paṇidhiṃ bhayato sampassamāno appaṇihite adhimuttattā pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ appaṇihitaṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — appaṇihitā samāpatti. abhinivesaṃ bhayato sampassamāno suññate adhimuttattā pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ suññataṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — suññatā samāpatti.
KN Paṭis, 1. mahāvaggo, 1. ñāṇakathā, 29-31. ñāṇattayaniddeso, para. 3 ⇒
nimittaṃ bhayato sampassamāno animitte adhimuttattā phussa phussa vayaṃ passati, pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ animittaṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — animittavihārasamāpatti. paṇidhiṃ bhayato sampassamāno appaṇihite adhimuttattā phussa phussa vayaṃ passati, pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ appaṇihitaṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — appaṇihitavihārasamāpatti. abhinivesaṃ bhayato sampassamāno suññate adhimuttattā phussa phussa vayaṃ passati, pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ suññataṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — suññatavihārasamāpatti.
KN Paṭis, 1. mahāvaggo, 1. ñāṇakathā, 29-31. ñāṇattayaniddeso, para. 5 ⇒
rūpanimittaṃ bhayato sampassamāno animitte adhimuttattā pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ animittaṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — animittā samāpatti. rūpapaṇidhiṃ bhayato sampassamāno appaṇihite adhimuttattā pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ appaṇihitaṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — appaṇihitā samāpatti. rūpābhinivesaṃ bhayato sampassamāno suññate adhimuttattā pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ suññataṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — suññatā samāpatti.
KN Paṭis, 1. mahāvaggo, 1. ñāṇakathā, 29-31. ñāṇattayaniddeso, para. 6 ⇒
rūpanimittaṃ bhayato sampassamāno animitte adhimuttattā phussa phussa vayaṃ passati, pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ animittaṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — animittavihārasamāpatti. rūpapaṇidhiṃ bhayato sampassamāno appaṇihite adhimuttattā phussa phussa vayaṃ passati, pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ appaṇihitaṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — appaṇihitavihārasamāpatti. rūpābhinivesaṃ bhayato sampassamāno suññate adhimuttattā phussa phussa vayaṃ passati, pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ suññataṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — suññatavihārasamāpatti.
KN Paṭis, 1. mahāvaggo, 1. ñāṇakathā, 29-31. ñāṇattayaniddeso, para. 8 ⇒
jarāmaraṇanimittaṃ bhayato sampassamāno animitte adhimuttattā pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ animittaṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — animittā samāpatti. jarāmaraṇapaṇidhiṃ bhayato sampassamāno appaṇihite adhimuttattā pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ appaṇihitaṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — appaṇihitā samāpatti. jarāmaraṇābhinivesaṃ bhayato sampassamāno suññate adhimuttattā pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ suññataṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — suññatā samāpatti.
KN Paṭis, 1. mahāvaggo, 1. ñāṇakathā, 29-31. ñāṇattayaniddeso, para. 9 ⇒
jarāmaraṇanimittaṃ bhayato sampassamāno animitte adhimuttattā phussa phussa vayaṃ passati, pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ animittaṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — animittavihārasamāpatti. jarāmaraṇapaṇidhiṃ bhayato sampassamāno appaṇihite adhimuttattā phussa phussa vayaṃ passati, pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ appaṇihitaṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — appaṇihitavihārasamāpatti. jarāmaraṇābhinivesaṃ bhayato sampassamāno suññate adhimuttattā phussa phussa vayaṃ passati, pavattaṃ ajjhupekkhitvā nirodhaṃ nibbānaṃ suññataṃ āvajjitvā samāpajjati — suññatavihārasamāpatti. añño animitto vihāro, añño appaṇihito vihāro, añño suññato vihāro. aññā animittasamāpatti, aññā appaṇihitasamāpatti, aññā suññatasamāpatti. aññā animittā vihārasamāpatti, aññā appaṇihitā vihārasamāpatti, aññā suññatā vihārasamāpatti. taṃ ñātaṭṭhena ñāṇaṃ, pajānanaṭṭhena paññā. tena vuccati — “vihāranānatte paññā vihāraṭṭhe ñāṇaṃ, samāpattinānatte paññā samāpattaṭṭhe ñāṇaṃ, vihārasamāpattinānatte paññā vihārasamāpattaṭṭhe ñāṇaṃ”.
KN Paṭis, 1. mahāvaggo, 3. ānāpānassatikathā, 4. vodānañāṇaniddeso, para. 4 ⇒
paṭhamassa jhānassa upekkhānubrūhanā majjhe. majjhassa kati lakkhaṇāni? majjhassa tīṇi lakkhaṇāni. visuddhaṃ cittaṃ ajjhupekkhati, samathapaṭipannaṃ ajjhupekkhati, ekattupaṭṭhānaṃ ajjhupekkhati. yañca visuddhaṃ cittaṃ ajjhupekkhati, yañca samathapaṭipannaṃ ajjhupekkhati, yañca ekattupaṭṭhānaṃ ajjhupekkhati — paṭhamassa jhānassa upekkhānubrūhanā majjhe. majjhassa imāni tīṇi lakkhaṇāni. tena vuccati — “paṭhamaṃ jhānaṃ majjhekalyāṇañceva hoti lakkhaṇasampannañca”.
KN Paṭis, 1. mahāvaggo, 3. ānāpānassatikathā, 4. vodānañāṇaniddeso, para. 12 ⇒
arahattamaggassa upekkhānubrūhanā majjhe. majjhassa kati lakkhaṇāni? majjhassa tīṇi lakkhaṇāni. visuddhaṃ cittaṃ ajjhupekkhati, samathapaṭipannaṃ ajjhupekkhati, ekattupaṭṭhānaṃ ajjhupekkhati. yañca visuddhaṃ cittaṃ ajjhupekkhati, yañca samathapaṭipannaṃ ajjhupekkhati, yañca ekattupaṭṭhānaṃ ajjhupekkhati. tena vuccati — “arahattamaggo majjhekalyāṇo ceva hoti lakkhaṇasampanno ca”.
KN Paṭis, 1. mahāvaggo, 4. indriyakathā, ga. adhimattaṭṭhaniddeso, para. 1 ⇒
201. kathaṃ adhimattaṭṭhena indriyāni daṭṭhabbāni? saddhindriyassa bhāvanāya chando uppajjati — chandavasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. chandavasena pāmojjaṃ uppajjati — pāmojjavasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. pāmojjavasena pīti uppajjati — pītivasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. pītivasena passaddhi uppajjati — passaddhivasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. passaddhivasena sukhaṃ uppajjati — sukhavasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. sukhavasena obhāso uppajjati — obhāsavasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. obhāsavasena saṃvego uppajjati — saṃvegavasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. saṃvejetvā cittaṃ samādahati — samādhivasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. tathā samāhitaṃ cittaṃ sādhukaṃ paggaṇhāti — paggahavasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. tathāpaggahitaṃ cittaṃ sādhukaṃ ajjhupekkhati — upekkhāvasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. upekkhāvasena nānattakilesehi cittaṃ vimuccati — vimokkhavasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. vimuttattā te dhammā ekarasā honti — ekarasaṭṭhena bhāvanāvasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. bhāvitattā tato paṇītatare vivaṭṭanti — vivaṭṭanāvasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. vivaṭṭitattā tato vosajjati {vossajjati (syā. ka.)} — vosaggavasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. vosajjitattā tato nirujjhanti — nirodhavasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. nirodhavasena dve vosaggā — pariccāgavosaggo ca, pakkhandanavosaggo ca. kilese ca khandhe ca pariccajatīti — pariccāgavosaggo. nirodhanibbānadhātuyā cittaṃ pakkhandatīti — pakkhandanavosaggo. nirodhavasena ime dve vosaggā.
KN Paṭis, 1. mahāvaggo, 4. indriyakathā, ga. adhimattaṭṭhaniddeso, para. 2 ⇒
assaddhiyassa pahānāya chando uppajjati. pe. assaddhiyapariḷāhassa pahānāya chando uppajjati. diṭṭhekaṭṭhānaṃ kilesānaṃ pahānāya chando uppajjati. oḷārikānaṃ kilesānaṃ pahānāya chando uppajjati. anusahagatānaṃ kilesānaṃ pahānāya chando uppajjati. sabbakilesānaṃ pahānāya chando uppajjati — chandavasena saddhāvasena saddhindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. pe. vīriyindriyassa bhāvanāya chando uppajjati. pe. kosajjassa pahānāya chando uppajjati. kosajjapariḷāhassa pahānāya chando uppajjati. diṭṭhekaṭṭhānaṃ kilesānaṃ pahānāya chando uppajjati. pe. sabbakilesānaṃ pahānāya chando uppajjati. satindriyassa bhāvanāya chando uppajjati. pe. pamādassa pahānāya chando uppajjati. pamādapariḷāhassa pahānāya chando uppajjati. pe. sabbakilesānaṃ pahānāya chando uppajjati. samādhindriyassa bhāvanāya chando uppajjati. pe. uddhaccassa pahānāya chando uppajjati uddhaccapariḷāhassa pahānāya chando uppajjati. pe. sabbakilesānaṃ pahānāya chando uppajjati. paññindriyassa bhāvanāya chando uppajjati. pe. avijjāya pahānāya chando uppajjati. avijjāpariḷāhassa pahānāya chando uppajjati. diṭṭhekaṭṭhānaṃ kilesānaṃ pahānāya chando uppajjati. oḷārikānaṃ kilesānaṃ pahānāya chando uppajjati. anusahagatānaṃ kilesānaṃ pahānāya chando uppajjati. sabbakilesānaṃ pahānāya chando uppajjati — chandavasena paññāvasena paññindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. chandavasena pāmojjaṃ uppajjati — pāmojjavasena paññāvasena paññindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. pāmojjavasena pīti uppajjati — pītivasena paññā vasena paññindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. pītivasena passaddhi uppajjati — passaddhivasena paññāvasena paññindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. passaddhivasena sukhaṃ uppajjati — sukhavasena paññāvasena paññindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. sukhavasena obhāso uppajjati — obhāsavasena paññāvasena paññindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. obhāsavasena saṃvego uppajjati — saṃvegavasena paññāvasena paññindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. saṃvejetvā cittaṃ samādahati — samādhivasena paññāvasena paññindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. tathāsamāhitaṃ cittaṃ sādhukaṃ paggaṇhāti — paggahavasena paññāvasena paññindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. tathāpaggahitaṃ cittaṃ sādhukaṃ ajjhupekkhati — upekkhāvasena paññāvasena paññindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. upekkhāvasena nānattakilesehi cittaṃ vimuccati — vimokkhavasena paññāvasena paññindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. vimuttattā te dhammā ekarasā honti — bhāvanāvasena {ekarasaṭṭhena bhāvanāvasena (syā. ka.) aṭṭhakathā oloketabbo} paññāvasena paññindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. bhāvitattā tato paṇītatare vivaṭṭanti — vivaṭṭanāvasena paññāvasena paññindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. vivaṭṭitattā tato vosajjati — vosaggavasena paññāvasena paññindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. vosajjitattā tato nirujjhanti — nirodhavasena paññāvasena paññindriyaṃ adhimattaṃ hoti. nirodhavasena dve vosaggā — pariccāgavosaggo ca, pakkhandanavosaggo ca. kilese ca khandhe ca pariccajatīti — pariccāgavosaggo. nirodhanibbānadhātuyā cittaṃ pakkhandatīti — pakkhandanavosaggo. nirodhavasena ime dve vosaggā. evaṃ adhimattaṭṭhena indriyāni daṭṭhabbāni.
KN Paṭis, 2. yuganaddhavaggo, 3. bojjhaṅgakathā, mūlamūlakādidasakaṃ, para. 15 ⇒
samathassa avikkhepaṭṭhaṃ bujjhantīti — bojjhaṅgā. vipassanāya anupassanaṭṭhaṃ bujjhantīti — bojjhaṅgā. samathavipassanānaṃ ekarasaṭṭhaṃ bujjhantīti — bojjhaṅgā. yuganaddhassa anativattanaṭṭhaṃ bujjhantīti — bojjhaṅgā. sikkhāya samādānaṭṭhaṃ bujjhantīti — bojjhaṅgā. ārammaṇassa gocaraṭṭhaṃ bujjhantīti — bojjhaṅgā. līnassa cittassa paggahaṭṭhaṃ bujjhantīti — bojjhaṅgā. uddhatassa cittassa niggahaṭṭhaṃ bujjhantīti — bojjhaṅgā. ubhovisuddhānaṃ ajjhupekkhanaṭṭhaṃ bujjhantīti — bojjhaṅgā. visesādhigamaṭṭhaṃ bujjhantīti — bojjhaṅgā. uttari paṭivedhaṭṭhaṃ bujjhantīti — bojjhaṅgā. saccābhisamayaṭṭhaṃ bujjhantīti — bojjhaṅgā. nirodhe patiṭṭhāpakaṭṭhaṃ bujjhantīti — bojjhaṅgā.
KN Mil, 5. anumānapañho, 3. vessantaravaggo, 1. vessantarapañho, para. 3 ⇒
“idampi dutiyaṃ dukkarato dukkarataraṃ, yaṃ so attano orase piye putte bālake taruṇake latāya bandhitvā tena brāhmaṇena latāya anumajjīyante disvā ajjhupekkhi.
KN Peṭ, 7. hārasampātabhūmi, para. 17 ⇒
Tattha katamā bhāvanā? | 607. (vii) Herein, what is the keeping in being? |
Mettāsevanā abyāpādavitakkabhāvanā. | Cultivation of lovingkindness is the keeping of non-ill-will thinking in being. |
Karuṇāsevanā avihiṃsāvitakkabhāvanā. | Cultivation of compassion 1 is the keeping of non-cruelty thinking in being. |
Muditābhāvanā pītisukhasampajaññā kāritā. | Keeping gladness in being is the state of one who acts with happiness, pleasure, and awareness. |
upekkhābhāvanā passavatā upekkhābhāvanā apassavatā upekkhā ca ajjhupekkhā ca, asubhasaññābhāvanā dukkhāpaṭipadā dandhābhiññā bhavasandhābhiññā bhavasandhānaṃ, sā chabbidhā bhāvanā bhāvitā bahulīkatā anuṭṭhitā vatthukatā yānīkatā paricitā susamāraddhā. | [There is(? )] keeping onlooking- equanimity in being as productivity(? ) 2 [and there is(? )] keeping onlooking-equanimity in being as unproductivity (? ), 2 [which are respectively(? )] onlooking-equanimity and looking on at. [There is(? )] keeping perception of ugliness 3 in being [which is(? )] the painful way with sluggish acquaintance, [such(? )] acquaintance being that tied to existence(? ) [belonging] to those tied to existence (1). 4 That keeping in being in the six ways 5 is kept in being, made much of, established, made the basis, made the vehicle, 6 consolidated, 6 and thoroughly well instigated. 6 |
Tatra, bhikkhave, nevāpikassa ca nevāpikaparisāya ca etadahosi: | So the trapper and his companions thought: |
‘sace kho mayaṃ catutthe migajāte ghaṭṭessāma, te ghaṭṭitā aññe ghaṭṭissanti te ghaṭṭitā aññe ghaṭṭissanti. | ‘If we disturb this fourth herd of deer, they’ll disturb others, who in turn will disturb even more. |
Evaṃ imaṃ nivāpaṃ nivuttaṃ sabbaso migajātā parimuñcissanti. | Then all of the deer will be free from this bait we’ve cast. |
Yannūna mayaṃ catutthe migajāte ajjhupekkheyyāmā’ti. | Why don’t we just keep an eye on that fourth herd?’ |
Ajjhupekkhiṃsu kho, bhikkhave, nevāpiko ca nevāpikaparisā ca catutthe migajāte. | And that’s just what they did. |
Evañhi te, bhikkhave, catutthā migajātā parimucciṃsu nevāpikassa iddhānubhāvā. | And that’s how the fourth herd of deer got free from the trapper’s power. |
Upamā kho me ayaṃ, bhikkhave, katā atthassa viññāpanāya. | I’ve made up this simile to make a point. |
Ayaṃ cevettha attho— | And this is what it means. |
nivāpoti kho, bhikkhave, pañcannetaṃ kāmaguṇānaṃ adhivacanaṃ. | ‘Bait’ is a term for the five kinds of sensual stimulation. |
Nevāpikoti kho, bhikkhave, mārassetaṃ pāpimato adhivacanaṃ. | ‘Trapper’ is a term for Māra the Wicked. |
Nevāpikaparisāti kho, bhikkhave, māraparisāyetaṃ adhivacanaṃ. | ‘Trapper’s companions’ is a term for Māra’s assembly. |
Migajātāti kho, bhikkhave, samaṇabrāhmaṇānametaṃ adhivacanaṃ. | ‘Deer’ is a term for ascetics and brahmins. |
Kathañca, bhikkhave, saphalo upakkamo hoti, saphalaṃ padhānaṃ? | And how is exertion and striving fruitful? |
Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu na heva anaddhabhūtaṃ attānaṃ dukkhena addhabhāveti, dhammikañca sukhaṃ na pariccajati, tasmiñca sukhe anadhimucchito hoti. | It’s when a monk doesn’t bring suffering upon themselves; and they don’t give up legitimate pleasure, but they’re not stupefied with that pleasure. |
So evaṃ pajānāti: | They understand: |
‘imassa kho me dukkhanidānassa saṅkhāraṃ padahato saṅkhārappadhānā virāgo hoti, imassa pana me dukkhanidānassa ajjhupekkhato upekkhaṃ bhāvayato virāgo hotī’ti. | ‘When I actively strive I become dispassionate towards this source of suffering. But when I develop equanimity I become dispassionate towards this other source of suffering.’ |
So yassa hi khvāssa dukkhanidānassa saṅkhāraṃ padahato saṅkhārappadhānā virāgo hoti, saṅkhāraṃ tattha padahati. | So they either actively strive or develop equanimity as appropriate. |
Yassa panassa dukkhanidānassa ajjhupekkhato upekkhaṃ bhāvayato virāgo hoti, upekkhaṃ tattha bhāveti. | |
Tassa tassa dukkhanidānassa saṅkhāraṃ padahato saṅkhārappadhānā virāgo hoti— | Through active striving they become dispassionate towards that specific source of suffering, |
evampissa taṃ dukkhaṃ nijjiṇṇaṃ hoti. | and so that suffering is worn away. |
Tassa tassa dukkhanidānassa ajjhupekkhato upekkhaṃ bhāvayato virāgo hoti— | Through developing equanimity they become dispassionate towards that other source of suffering, |
evampissa taṃ dukkhaṃ nijjiṇṇaṃ hoti. | and so that suffering is worn away. |
Yasmiṃ samaye, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ‘aniccānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘aniccānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | Whenever a monk practices breathing while observing impermanence, |
‘virāgānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘virāgānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | or observing fading away, |
‘nirodhānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘nirodhānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | or observing cessation, |
‘paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati; | or observing letting go— |
dhammesu dhammānupassī, bhikkhave, tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhu viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṃ. | at that time they meditate observing an aspect of principles—keen, aware, and rememberful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. |
So yaṃ taṃ abhijjhādomanassānaṃ pahānaṃ taṃ paññāya disvā sādhukaṃ ajjhupekkhitā hoti. | Having seen with wisdom the giving up of desire and aversion, they watch over closely with equanimity. |
Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, dhammesu dhammānupassī tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhu viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṃ. (4) | That’s why at that time a monk is meditating by observing an aspect of principles—keen, aware, and rememberful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. |
Evaṃ bhāvitā kho, bhikkhave, ānāpānassati evaṃ bahulīkatā cattāro satipaṭṭhāne paripūreti. | That’s how remembering of breathing, when developed and cultivated, fulfills the four kinds of remembering meditation. |
Passaddhakāyassa sukhino cittaṃ samādhiyati. | When the body is pacified and they feel pleasure, the mind becomes undistractified-&-lucidified in samādhi. |
Yasmiṃ samaye, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno passaddhakāyassa sukhino cittaṃ samādhiyati, samādhisambojjhaṅgo tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhuno āraddho hoti, samādhisambojjhaṅgaṃ tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhu bhāveti, samādhisambojjhaṅgo tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhuno bhāvanāpāripūriṃ gacchati. (6) | At such a time, a monk has activated the awakening factor of undistractible-lucidity; they develop it and perfect it. |
So tathāsamāhitaṃ cittaṃ sādhukaṃ ajjhupekkhitā hoti. | They closely watch over that mind undistractified-&-lucidified in samādhi. |
Yasmiṃ samaye, bhikkhave, bhikkhu tathāsamāhitaṃ cittaṃ sādhukaṃ ajjhupekkhitā hoti, upekkhāsambojjhaṅgo tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhuno āraddho hoti, upekkhāsambojjhaṅgaṃ tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhu bhāveti, upekkhāsambojjhaṅgo tasmiṃ samaye bhikkhuno bhāvanāpāripūriṃ gacchati. (7) | At such a time, a monk has activated the awakening factor of equanimity; they develop it and perfect it. |
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, dakkho suvaṇṇakāro vā suvaṇṇakārantevāsī vā | Suppose, bhikkhu, a skilled goldsmith or his apprentice |
ukkaṃ bandheyya, | were to prepare a furnace, |
ukkaṃ bandhitvā ukkāmukhaṃ ālimpeyya, | heat up the crucible, |
ukkāmukhaṃ ālimpetvā saṇḍāsena jātarūpaṃ | take some gold with tongs, |
gahetvā ukkāmukhe pakkhipeyya, | and put it into the crucible. |
tamenaṃ kālena kālaṃ abhidhameyya, | From time to time he would blow on it, |
kālena kālaṃ udakena paripphoseyya, | from time to time he would sprinkle water over it, |
kālena kālaṃ ajjhupekkheyya, | and from time to time he would just look on. |
taṃ hoti jātarūpaṃ" sudhantaṃ niddhantaṃ" nīhaṭaṃ ninnītakasāvaṃ mudu ca kammaññañca pabhassarañca, | That gold would become refined, well refined, completely refined, faultless, rid of dross, malleable, wieldy, and radiant. |
yassā yassā ca piḷandhanavikatiyā ākaṅkhati—yadi paṭṭikāya yadi kuṇḍalāya yadi gīveyyakāya yadi suvaṇṇamālāya tañcassa atthaṃ anubhoti; | Then whatever kind of ornament he wished to make from it, whether a golden chain or earrings or a necklace or a golden garland, it would serve his purpose. |
evameva kho, bhikkhu, athāparaṃ upekkhāyeva avasissati parisuddhā pariyodātā mudu ca kammaññā ca pabhassarā ca. | So too, bhikkhu, then there remains only equanimity, purified and bright, malleable, wieldy, and radiant. |
direct equanitmity to 4 formless attainments | |
So evaṃ pajānāti: | “He understands thus: |
‘imañce ahaṃ upekkhaṃ evaṃ parisuddhaṃ evaṃ pariyodātaṃ ākāsānañcāyatanaṃ upasaṃhareyyaṃ, tadanudhammañca cittaṃ bhāveyyaṃ. | ‘If I were to direct this equanimity, so purified and bright, to the base of infinite space and to develop my mind accordingly, |
Evaṃ me ayaṃ upekkhā tannissitā tadupādānā ciraṃ dīghamaddhānaṃ tiṭṭheyya. | then this equanimity of mine, supported by that base, clinging to it, would remain for a very long time. |
Imañce ahaṃ upekkhaṃ evaṃ parisuddhaṃ evaṃ pariyodātaṃ viññāṇañcāyatanaṃ upasaṃhareyyaṃ, tadanudhammañca cittaṃ bhāveyyaṃ. | If I were to direct this equanimity, so purified and bright, to the base of infinite consciousness…… |
So | "He, |
tathā-samāhitaṃ cittaṃ | (of) such-undistractable-&-lucid mind |
sādhukaṃ ajjh-upekkhitā hoti | thoroughly looks-on-with-equanimity **** |
. | . |
. Yasmiṃ samaye, bhikkhave, bhikkhu | . On-the occasion, monks, a-monk |
tathā-samāhitaṃ cittaṃ | (of) such-undistractable-&-lucid mind |
sādhukaṃ ajjh-upekkhitā hoti | thoroughly looks-on-with-equanimity **** |
, | , |
upekkhā-sam-bojjh-aṅgo tasmiṃ samaye | equanimity-awakening-factor on-that occasion |
bhikkhuno āraddho hoti; | (the) monk has-aroused; |
upekkhā-sam-bojjh-aṅgaṃ tasmiṃ samaye | equanimity-awakening-factor on-that occasion |
bhikkhu bhāveti; | (the) monk develops; |
upekkhā-sam-bojjh-aṅgo tasmiṃ samaye | equanimity-awakening-factor on-that occasion |
bhikkhuno bhāvanā-pāripūriṃ gacchati. | (the) monk has-developed-(and)-fulfilled *******. |
nirodhānupassī … | They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in observing cessation.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out observing cessation.’ |
‘paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati— | They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe in observing letting go.’ They practice like this: ‘I’ll breathe out observing letting go.’ |
dhammesu dhammānupassī, ānanda, bhikkhu tasmiṃ samaye viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṃ. | At such a time a monk is meditating by observing an aspect of principles—keen, aware, and rememberful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. |
So yaṃ taṃ hoti abhijjhādomanassānaṃ pahānaṃ taṃ paññāya disvā sādhukaṃ ajjhupekkhitā hoti. | Having seen with wisdom the giving up of desire and aversion, they watch closely over with equanimity. |
Tasmātihānanda, dhammesu dhammānupassī bhikkhu tasmiṃ samaye viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṃ. (4) | Therefore, at such a time a monk is meditating by observing an aspect of principles—keen, aware, and rememberful, rid of desire and aversion for the world. |
SN 5, 10. ānāpānasaṃyuttaṃ, 2. dutiyavaggo, 3. paṭhamāanandasuttaṃ SN 54.13, para. 7 ⇒
“yasmiṃ samaye, ānanda, bhikkhu aniccānupassī. pe. virāgānupassī. pe. nirodhānupassī. pe. ‘paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati — dhammesu dhammānupassī, ānanda, bhikkhu tasmiṃ samaye viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṃ. so yaṃ taṃ hoti abhijjhādomanassānaṃ pahānaṃ taṃ paññāya disvā sādhukaṃ ajjhupekkhitā hoti. tasmātihānanda, dhammesu dhammānupassī bhikkhu tasmiṃ samaye viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṃ.
SN 5, 10. ānāpānasaṃyuttaṃ, 2. dutiyavaggo, 6. dutiyabhikkhusuttaṃ SN 54.16, para. 7 ⇒
“yasmiṃ samaye, bhikkhave, bhikkhu aniccānupassī. pe. virāgānupassī. pe. nirodhānupassī. pe. ‘paṭinissaggānupassī assasissāmī’ti sikkhati, ‘paṭinissaggānupassī passasissāmī’ti sikkhati — dhammesu dhammānupassī, bhikkhave, bhikkhu tasmiṃ samaye viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṃ. so yaṃ taṃ hoti abhijjhādomanassānaṃ pahānaṃ taṃ paññāya disvā sādhukaṃ ajjhupekkhitā hoti. tasmātiha, bhikkhave, dhammesu dhammānupassī bhikkhu tasmiṃ samaye viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṃ.
“Āditte, bhante, cele vā sīse vā, tasseva celassa vā sīsassa vā nibbāpanāya adhimatto chando ca vāyāmo ca ussāho ca ussoḷhī ca appaṭivānī ca sati ca sampajaññañca karaṇīyan”ti. | “Sir, if our clothes or head were on fire, we’d apply intense enthusiasm, effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, rememberfulness, and lucid-discerning in order to extinguish it.” |
“Ādittaṃ, bhikkhave, celaṃ vā sīsaṃ vā ajjhupekkhitvā amanasikaritvā anabhisametānaṃ catunnaṃ ariyasaccānaṃ yathābhūtaṃ abhisamayāya adhimatto chando ca vāyāmo ca ussāho ca ussoḷhī ca appaṭivānī ca sati ca sampajaññañca karaṇīyaṃ. | “monks, regarding your burning head or clothes with equanimity, not paying attention to them, you should apply intense enthusiasm, effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, rememberfulness, and lucid-discerning to truly comprehending the four noble truths. |
Katamesaṃ catunnaṃ? | What four? |
Dukkhassa ariyasaccassa … pe … dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ariyasaccassa. | The noble truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path. |
(end of 7.7 upekkha ⏹️)
These fundamentals should be done whenever you stand, not just when you’re intentionally doing a meditation in the ‘standing’ posture.
* knees, ankles, hips locked – often you see people standing with legs straight, like stilts or crutches.
Why is this ‘wrong’ or bad? Because parts of your leg are totally tense to lock everything out into a stilt, and other muscle and tissue that isn’t getting used starts to atrophy. The tension from tightened tissue blocks circulation of qi, blood, and energy leading to further decline of both tense and relaxed parts of the leg.
You may not realize how wrong this is when you’re young, but when you get old you’ll definitely know the effects of wrong standing with the pain and injuries you accumulate.
Why do people stand wrong in this way? Maybe because they’re tired, and this allows some parts of their leg to feel more relaxed.
* full body weight not evenly distributed on entire foot.
If your foot is not evenly supporting all of your body weight, it means you’re biased leaning forward, or backward with most of your body weight on your heels, or favoring the outsides or insdes of your feet.
Why is this ‘wrong’ or bad? Because you want to share the load equally whenever you can. Putting extra pressure on one part diminishes circulation of energy.
* spine is crooked, leaning forward, leaning backward, or sideways
* wearing uncomfortable shoes because they’re fashionable – this damages not just your feet, but causes a chain reaction of other body parts along your spine getting damaged to compensate for foot pain and discomfort. You have to decide whether fashion is more important to you, or health. If you’re really powerful and successful, you can flex and flaunt your power by wearing comfortable shoes and clothing that promotes good health, and thereby change the culture by trickling down and influence everyone else to abandon fickle fashion.
* don’t tense up following good standing meditation advice: There’s plenty of good advice out there on good standing practice, but sometimes Taiji and qigong instructions are too many, too detailed, and as a result the student becomes very tense trying to do all those details. I’m not saying don’t listen to your teachers, but your first priority is don’t block jhāna by being tense and nervous trying to follow details. Maintain passaddhi/pacification of body and mind, deeply relax, THEN gradually try to incorporate the details of whatever qigong system you’re doing.
* Your hips, knees, ankles, all have at least a tiny bit of bend in them.
* If you have damaged nerves, numb parts in your calves, lower leg, entire leg, hips, butt, etc., from too much sitting meditation, really make sure to bend your knees and ankles at least a tiny bit, and get your calves and foot muscles to engage and feel like they’re working, supporting the whole body weight. It took me many years to regenerate nerves and sensation in all parts of my feet and lower leg, before I could do standing meditation properly in this aspect.* Your body weight is centered on your feet, meaning that, imagining your foot is completely flat for simplicity, the weight is evenly distributed across the entire flat surface, not biased to the front, back, or sides.
* spine is straight, not leaning forward, leaning backward, or sideways
Ones you have jhāna, you’ll get the J.A.S.I. ('Jazzy') effect, the ideal way to effortlessly maintain straight spine.
Engage your entire legs, entire body, every cell of your body. If you’ve got jhāna, you should feel like you’re boneless, no skeleton, nothing that feels rough, heavy, stiff, tense in your body. Your body feels like soft liquid, or light as air, empty as space. Or like a single contiguous blob of magnetic gooey force, no arms, no legs. If you flex your elbows, knees, ankles, you don’t feel any bones. You feel light, weightless, like you could levitate if you meditate for a couple of weeks without doing anything else.
Every cell in your leg, every cell in your body feels like it’s effortlessly sharing the load it takes to stand. This is advanced higher level. At lower levels, it should feel like the work load is distributed evenly among all your foot and leg cells, there are no body parts taking undue extra pressure, and no slacker cells idling and wasting away.
