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v&v, vitakka & vicāra in EBT Jhāna vs. heretical Vism. and Brahm "Jhāna" (illustrated)

 

Genuine EBT jhāna


vitakka = directed verbal thought
vicāra = evaluation of that thought one was directed to, for further exploration, pondering, examination
ekagga citta = singular focus of mind, undistracted

Watson is the man on left, he is vitakka = directed thought. 
He's directing the mind to the subject of "is the skull self or not self".
Sherlock is the man on the right, he's vicāra = evaluation of the topical thought directed to by Watson.
Watson raised the thought, "is skull self",
and Sherlock explores, investigates that topic in detail, in depth.

ekagga citta  means Sherlock is not distracted, not thinking about lunch, his girl friend. He's single mindedly, with undistractible lucidity, with singular focus examining what's in front of him (parimukha), the topic brought up by vitakka/watson.






LBT heretical jhāna as taught by Visuddhimagga and Ajahn Brahm



vitakka = place the mind on visual kasina until you enter a disembodied frozen stupor
vicāra = keep the mind connected to visual kasina until you enter a disembodied frozen stupor
ekagga citta = your mind is locked on a visual kasina as you dwell in a disembodied frozen stupor












So what's the difference between vitakka, vicāra, and ekagga then?




1. how is it possible to be in a samādhi of only vicāra and ekkagga but no vitakka?
2. how is it possible to do 31 body parts in first jhāna, as vism. claims is possible, if all you can be aware of while you're in a frozen disembodied stupor is a visual kasina?
3. how is it possible to simultaneously do metta and 3rd jhāna, as vism. claims? are you sending love to an imaginary visual kasina? Does it love you back? But how can you emote love when the mind is in a frozen stupor with only a "one pointed" perception of a kasina?

You start digging into these questions, it becomes obvious LBT and Brahm heretical interpretation of "jhāna" is not at all how the suttas define and explain Jhāna.


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