JST🥪 and Upekkha (equanimous-observation) in KN Snp 5 pārāyana is about 16 brahman jhāna meditators

KN Snp 5 pārāyana is about 16 brahman jhāna meditators, asking the Buddha the way to nirvana.

They could do jhāna, and some of them the formless attainments, before meeting the Buddha.

(There goes Ajahn Brahm's unfounded idea that the Buddha invented jhāna)

KN Snp is all verse.

And in verse, sometimes they'll use a slight variant of a word.

Because Snp 5 context is 16 jhāna meditators asking about nirvana, we can establish these variants for upekkha are equivalent in meaning.

Upekkha equivalents in jhāna context

upekkha = upa + √ikkh

√ikkh = looking at: root. √ikkh･1 a (see, mark) 

upekkhā (3rd + 4th jhāna context, 4th brahma-vihāra, upekkha as 7th awakening factor)

fem. looking on; mental poise; mental balance; equanimity; equipoise; non-reactivity; composure [upa + √ikkh + ā] ✓

upekkha (ordinary non-jhāna context)

adj. disinterested, unaffected ✗ 

avekkhanta

prp. (+acc) seeing; regarding; viewing; considering; lit. looking down [ava + √ikkh + a + nta] ✓

samavekkhiya

ger. (+acc) considering; reflecting (on); lit. looking down together [saṃ + ava + √ikkh + iya] ✓

pekkhamāna

prp. (+acc) seeing; observing [pa + √ikkh + a + māna] ✓

KN Snp 5.7 Upasīva-māṇava-pucchā: The Questions of Upasiva

(2022 SP-FLUENT translation by frankk‍ derived from B. Sujato‍)

Upasīva-māṇava-pucchā	5.7 The Questions of Upasiva
“Eko ahaṁ sakka mahantamoghaṁ,	“Alone and independent, O Sakyan,”
(iccāyasmā upasīvo)	(said Venerable Upasiva,)
Anissito no visahāmi tārituṁ;	“I am not able to cross the great flood.
Ārammaṇaṁ brūhi samantacakkhu,	Tell me a support, All-seer,
Yaṁ nissito oghamimaṁ tareyyaṁ”.	depending on which I may cross this flood.”
“Ākiñcaññaṁ pekkhamāno satimā,	“[In the dimension of] nothingness, equanimously-observing and remembering [the Dharma],”
(upasīvāti bhagavā)	(replied the Buddha,)

... upekkha is a factor in all 7 perception attainments (4 jhānas + first 3 formless), see MN 111.

KN Snp 5.13 Bhadrāvudhamāṇavapucchā: The Questions of Bhadrāvudha

“Ādānataṇhaṁ vinayetha sabbaṁ,	“Dispel all acquisitive craving,”
(bhadrāvudhāti bhagavā	replied the Buddha,
Uddhaṁ adho tiriyañcāpi majjhe;	“above, below, all round, between.
Yaṁ yañhi lokasmimupādiyanti,	For Māra pursues a person
Teneva māro anveti jantuṁ.	using whatever they grasp in the world.
Tasmā pajānaṁ na upādiyetha,	So let a rememberful monk who understands
Bhikkhu sato kiñcanaṁ sabbaloke;	not grasp anything in all the world,
Ādānasatte iti pekkhamāno,	observing that these people who cling to the domain of death Norman’s suggestion to read ādānasatte (against Niddesa) as locative singular would be tempting were it not that at snp5.13:4.3 and thag19.1:20.3 iti pekkhamāno qualifies the former part of the line.
Pajaṁ imaṁ maccudheyye visattan”ti.	are clinging to attachment.”

KN Snp 5.14 Udaya-māṇava-pucchā: The Questions of Udaya

Kukkuccānaṁ nivāraṇaṁ.	regrets being warded off. [These are referencing the five hindrances]
Upekkhā-sati-saṁ-suddhaṁ,	[fourth jhāna is] equanimous observation & [Dharma] remembrance purified,
dhammatakkapurejavaṁ;	with ☸Dharma-thoughts [of first jhāna] preceding that.

KN Snp 5.16 Mogharājamāṇavapucchā: The Questions of Mogharājā

Evaṁ abhikkantadassāviṁ,	So I’ve come in need with a question
atthi pañhena āgamaṁ;	to the one of excellent vision.
Kathaṁ lokaṁ avekkhantaṁ,	How to look upon the world
maccurājā na passati”.	so the King of Death won’t see you?”
“Suññato lokaṁ avekkhassu,	“Look upon the world as empty,
Mogharāja sadā sato;	Mogharājā, ever rememberful.
Attānudiṭṭhiṁ ūhacca,	Having uprooted the view of self,
Evaṁ maccutaro siyā;	you may thus cross over death.
Evaṁ lokaṁ avekkhantaṁ,	That’s how to look upon the world
Maccurājā na passatī”ti.	so the King of Death won’t see you.”

KN Snp 5.17 Piṅgiya-māṇava-pucchā: The Questions of Piṅgiya

“Taṇhādhipanne manuje pekkhamāno,	“Observing people sunk in craving,”
(piṅgiyāti bhagavā)	replied the Buddha,
Santāpajāte jarasā parete;	“tormented, mired in old age;
Tasmā tuvaṁ piṅgiya appamatto,	therefore, Piṅgiya, being assiduous,
Jahassu taṇhaṁ apunabbhavāyā”ti.	give up craving so as not to be reborn.”

KN Snp 1.6 Parābhava: Downfalls

Not in Snp 5 pārāyana chapter, but this context of 'noble person' obviously means a jhāna context, hence upekkha of the jhānas.

Ete parābhave loke,	Seeing these downfalls in the world,
Paṇḍito samavekkhiya;	an astute and noble person,
Ariyo dassanasampanno,	accomplished in vision,
Sa lokaṁ bhajate sivan”ti.	will enjoy a world of grace.”

4👑☸ → EBpedia📚 → JST🥪: (J)hāna (S)andwich (T)heorem

1 – JST🥪 (J)hāna (S)andwich (T)heorem

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JST: If the sutta has sīla on one end and arahantship on the other, 4 jhānas must be sandwiched in between even if jhāna is not explicitly mentioned.

1. Arahantship and non-return requires 4th jhāna quality of samādhi or better.

2. The various psychic powers in the 6ab ⚡☸ (abhiñña) require 4th jhāna or higher.

The slice of bread on the bottom is sīla (virtue) + other foundational Dharmas.

The top slice is arahantship (or a momentary direct, experiential nirvana).

The JST theorem states that somewhere in the filling between those two slices of bread, even if you can't see all the sandwich ingredients clearly, somewhere among the lettuce, tomatoes, etc., are four slices of samādhi.

Four slices of jhāna.

The theorem states those slices of samādhi must be 4th jhāna or higher.

This is implied by the vast majority of suttas in the EBT that mention nirvana/arahantship with gradual training instructions.

5 – JST🥪 Upekkha corollary – when it’s nirvana context, upekkha is 4th jhāna

Where’s the sandwich in this corollary?

Top bread in the sandwich is nirvana, meaning the sutta context is nirvana taking place.

Bottom bread is ‘upekkha’, equanimous-observation.

The hidden part in the middle of the sandwich: the four jhānas.

Meaning even though none of the 4 jhānas are mentioned, since nirvana is taking place, at minimum one of the 4 jhānas is operative,

∴ therefore ‘upekkha’ must be the upekkha that’s explicit in 3rd and 4th jhāna, and the 7sb☀️ awakening factors.

examples where upekkha is used, and jhāna is not mentioned but we’re in a nirvana context:

MN 152 the last sutta in MN, doesn’t explicitly mention jhāna, but instead talks about upekkha and the 5👑abi️ .

KN Snp 5.1 and the 16 suttas that follow that, also see 🔗📝 upekkha in KN Snp 5