emptyuniverse

Calm Abiding (Samatha)

The sage (muni) who resorts to empty dwellings is excellent, empty of self.... The great sage who goes to an empty place does not move even a hair of the body. (SN 4.6)

Calm abiding relates directly to emptiness in a couple of ways. In the Sutta Pitaka the meditator is often advised to go to empty places such as a forest, a cemetery, the foot of a tree, or to an empty dwelling in order to develop their meditation. This is the most literal understanding of emptiness and is purely functional. Simply because there are no outstanding distractions in such places, empty places are well suited for developing and unifying the mind. In the suttas we also find the mind of the meditator being described as an empty place, or 'abode of emptiness' (sunnata-vihara), and it's on this metaphoric level that abiding in emptiness relates most directly to calm abiding. In MN 151: Pindapataparisuddhi Sutta, the Buddha asks Sariputta:

Sariputta, your faculties are bright, and your complexion is pure and clear. In which abode do you now abide much, Sariputta?

Sariputta replied: Venerable Sir, I now abide much in the abode of emptiness (sunnata-vihara).

Good, good, Sariputta. Surely you, Sariputta, now abide much in the abode of great men. For this, Sariputta, is the abode of great men, namely, emptiness (sunnata).

So the practitioner is to go to an empty place and then develop the mind into an 'abode of emptiness,' to the degree that one can remain calm and clear even during the daily routine (which for monastics traditionally includes the morning almsround). As the Buddha says here, this is the abode of great men (mahapurisa-vihara).

But what exactly is the mind to be emptied of? The Pindapataparisuddhi Sutta goes on to say that such a mind is empty of desire (chanda), infatuation (raga), hatred (dosa), delusion (moha), and aversion (patigha). And as already indicated, such a mind is not to be developed only at the time of meditation — one is to abide in this emptiness during all activities. In this way emptiness is the abode of great men. So clearly, the mind abiding in emptiness isn't abiding in a blank or vacant state. Rather, it's a calm and clear state which is empty of the above mentioned defilements.

Furthermore, as one progresses in one's practice of calm abiding (abiding in emptiness) and clear seeing (vipassana of an 'empty world') one realizes that the two practices aren't separate and distinct. With continued development calm abiding stabilizes clear seeing and clear seeing strengthens calm abiding to the point where the two practices are so integrated in one's mind that they become completely unified. With this integration abiding in emptiness is abiding in an empty world, and one realizes that this empty abiding is actually nonabiding. But first things first. Let's take a look at calm abiding meditation.

Calming the Mind: Mindful Breathing (Anapanasati)

Now how is mindfulness of in-&-out breathing developed & pursued so as to be of great fruit, of great benefit?

There is the case where a monk, having gone to the wilderness, to the shade of a tree, or to an empty building, sits down folding his legs crosswise, holding his body erect, and setting mindfulness to the fore. Always mindful, he breathes in; mindful he breathes out. (MN 118: Anapanasati Sutta)

Calm abiding (samatha) is a process of unifying and centering the mind to calm it down and release it from its habitual discursiveness, and the practice of mindful breathing can help us do just that. But it's important to acknowledge from the outset that this is best approached without any preconceptions or expectations. This is a practice of simply softening and opening. Softening the judgmental heart-mind and opening ourselves to the unmediated experience of the mind's natural clarity, and even beginning to recognize the expansiveness of mind (appamanacetasa) experienced when right mindfulness (samma sati) is present.

Two qualities essential for calm abiding are those of nonjudgmental 'effortless exertion' and nonstriving 'surrender' to the 'object' of meditation. The initial object in this case is the nostril area (for one breathing through their nose) or upper lip (for one breathing through their mouth) where the tactile sensation of the in and out-breaths can be felt. This area is what is traditionally called the 'sign (nimitta) for the anchoring of mindfulness.'

Begin by sitting (either on a chair or cross-legged on the floor) with your back straight but not forced or rigid. Next, simplify matters by recognizing that your experience at this time consists of four simple processes: seeing (visual consciousness), hearing (auditory consciousness), tactual sensation (tactile consciousness), and thinking (mental consciousness). And if you gently close your eyes you've simplified your experience to three. Now you can begin to enter into this experience of tactual sensation, and specifically, the aspect of that experience perceived as the 'sign for the anchoring of mindfulness,' by paying attention to either the nostril area or the upper lip as the breath contacts this area. This is the first step toward unifying the mind using the breath as objective support. In the Anapanasati Sutta, the Buddha gives the first specific instruction regarding mindful breathing as follows:

Breathing in long, he discerns that he is breathing in long; or breathing out long, he discerns that he is breathing out long. Or breathing in short, he discerns that he is breathing in short; or breathing out short, he discerns that he is breathing out short.

Now we can turn to the Patisambhidamagga Treatise on Breathing (Anapanasati-katha) to see how it explains the objects of mindfulness and where we are advised to station our mindful attention. It states:

Sign (nimitta), in-breath, and out-breath, are not objects of a single mind; one who knows these three phenomena (dhammas) well can thereby obtain development.

[T]he monk sits, having established mindfulness at the nose tip [i.e. nostril area] or on the upper lip....

And so the suggested 'spot' for the placing of our mindful attention is the nostril area for one breathing through the nose, or the upper lip of the mouth for one, who for whatever reason, is unable to breathe through their nose at this time — if one has a cold for example. (Because nasal breathing seems to be somewhat more effective for establishing mindfulness and thereby calming the mind, I'm going to explain the 'sign' only in terms of nasal breathing, but keep in mind that if you're not able to breathe freely through your nose at any time you can simply locate the 'sign' on the upper lip, and proceed from there.)

The nostril area is the 'sign for the anchoring of mindfulness.' As such, this area is the focus of our attention while we remain mindful of the sensations of the in-breath and out-breath as we breathe, as well as the the felt sense of this area during the 'gap' that is experienced between the out-breath and the next in-breath when breathing naturally. Because this area of attention is obviously fairly small (the entire area at the base of the nose surrounding the nostrils), the tactual sensation experienced here between out-breath and subsequent in-breath is fairly subtle, but as the tactual sensations of the in-breath and out-breath are slightly less subtle in comparison, these sensations of the in and out-breath are what aid us to remain focused on this spot between breaths. If you have difficulty at first sensing any tactual sensation between out-breath and in-breath that's okay. Experience shows that over time one's awareness of this area increases in sensitivity, and then this will no longer be an issue.

Now the sutta states that the meditator should discern whether an in-breath and out-breath are long or short. The commentary indicates that this just refers to the relative duration of each breath. The injunction is to simply recognize that each breath is unique — no two breaths have the same duration. The idea here isn't to attempt to control the breath in any way, but to just be attentive to the natural involuntary breathing process that is occurring.

Of course, as soon as that is said one becomes self-conscious and it's impossible to know if the breath is occurring as it usually does as an involuntary process when we aren't aware of it, or if we really are manipulating it in some way. So to remain aware of the basic involuntary process, simply exhale normally, and 'wait' for the next inhalation. Just watch and wait — and sure enough — there it is. Unprompted by you, the breath breathes, reaches its own level of fullness, and naturally exhales again. The entire process is effortless.

This is a very straightforward and direct form of meditation. There is no effort to manipulate the breath in any way. There is no expectation whatsoever of experiencing anything any more 'spectacular,' or 'mystical,' or 'ecstatic' than the bare tactual sensation just described. On doesn't need to attempt to become a 'super-yogi.' In fact, any such notions that one is going to 'become' something more special than what one already is, is just more samsaric craving (tanha) that feeds becoming (bhava), which is the antithesis of the third noble truth — the cessation of suffering. To practice mindful breathing one needs no more than a somewhat calm environment, working lungs, and air, preferably somewhat clean air. These are the only 'paraphernalia' one ever needs to practice the pragmatic meditation that the Buddha taught as 'mindfulness of in and out breathing.' And when practiced over some period of time, this mindfulness of breathing will naturally lead to a unified state of mind called jhana, completely without any added manipulation.

And so returning to the process of meditation: when you're able to remain attentive to each in-breath and out-breath and the 'sign' between each breath, as they occur in sequence, for some period of time (fifteen to twenty-five minutes — you have to judge for yourself what is right for you), without becoming completely distracted by discursive thinking and thereby losing awareness of the objective support as it is presently occurring, you can then expand this area of the 'sign' to include awareness of the tactual sensation of the entire body as a whole, as experienced from within. It's important to mention at this juncture that we're not trying to forcibly suppress discursive thinking so as to remain with our object of mindfulness. Again, attempts at forcible manipulation or suppression are not very helpful. Unless the discursive thoughts that are arising are tainted by one of the hindrances (impulsive sensual desire, aggression, agitation, laziness/sleepiness, or doubt about the efficacy of practice), they should simply be left alone. Just remain attentive to the tactual sensation of the present object, while not intentionally giving attention to any sounds or thoughts.

Remember what was said at the outset about simplifying your present experience to tactual sensing, hearing, and thinking, and thereby recognizing that the only spheres that presently interest you are the tactile sphere (photthabbayatana) and the body sphere (kayayatana). These other spheres related to hearing and thinking can in no way block or hinder your full awareness of the tactile sphere and the inner felt sense of the body unless you intentionally give attention to them. The Anapanasati Sutta continues:

He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to the entire body, and to breathe out sensitive to the entire body.

Simply expand your sphere of attention to include the awareness of the felt sense of your whole body as you experience it from within, including the tip of the nose, and including the tactile sensation experienced as the breath. Remain attentive to this expanded awareness of the whole body (sabbakaya). (5)

As you continue to breathe mindfully, you can begin to experience the total sphere of the entire body as a flowing inner energy field. Experience this inner field/sphere (kayayatana) as a vibrational 'whole' without allowing your awareness to 'collapse' by focusing attention on any particular point within the felt sense of the entire sphere. Recognize that the shape of your body represents the shape and expanse of this inner objective field. Relax into this experience without being either 'for' or 'against' any particular inner sensation that's arising. Just go deeply into this experience of the inner felt sense of the body. When either 'hearing' or 'thinking' arise simply let them go by remaining with this ongoing internal flux — this inner felt sense of the whole body.

While remaining aware of the entire felt sense of this inner energy sphere, and without forcing the breath in any way, simply notice a subtle expansion of the whole body sphere as you breathe in, and then a very slight deflation as you breathe out. The body is like a three-quarters filled balloon inflating slightly and deflating slightly. The inner felt sense of the body sphere is the airy space inside the balloon. Just remain aware of this natural process as it is occurring. Once again, this is a very straightforward and direct form of meditation. There is no effort to manipulate the breath in any way.

There is a subtle shift occurring at this stage, away from the external tactual sensations resulting from the breath contacting the nostril area, and deeper and deeper into the inner felt sense of the body. Specifically, this is a movement away from tactile consciousness (kayavinnana, which is dependent upon external sensory contact for its arising), toward experiencing the inner body sphere (kayayatana) through the mind (mano).

And with some practice, one recognizes that this expansive experience of the entire inner felt sense of the body is one of the most rewarding, naturally satisfying, healthful, and serene states of awareness possible. With this simple recognition one naturally chooses to enter into this sphere as often as possible, and thereby experience serenity and calm. In this way calm abiding meditation, very naturally, over time, leads to more and more subtle and refined states of mental tranquility. The Buddha expresses this with the next statement in the Anapanasati Sutta:

He trains himself to breathe in calming bodily fabrication (the breath), and to breathe out calming bodily fabrication.

This basic introduction covers the concise process of calm abiding meditation using the breath as object, as the initial steps toward unifying the mind and developing the mental factors of the first jhana. Exactly where calm abiding 'ends' and jhana 'begins' is subjective, and therefore a matter for each meditator to discern for him or herself. That said, there are some specific mental factors that we can become aware of, which are clear indications of the first jhana.

Jhana

Jhana, according to the Buddha, is a stable state of mental unification. This state of unification proceeds through four stages of refinement, characterized by progressively greater suppleness, expansiveness, and mental calm. But before the first stage of jhana can be attained, the meditator must be free of the five hindrances of impulsive sensual desire, anger, restlessness, laziness/sleepiness, and doubt. If any one of these hindrances are present, we need to take up an appropriate antidote to eliminate it.

There are various contemplations which can serve as effective antidotes to these hindrances, such as the four meditations we discussed on the previous page. The contemplation of foulness is an antidote for sensual desire in that it instills an attitude of renunciation. Loving kindness is the primary antidote for anger, and as such instills an attitude of nonaggression. The perception of light as an antidote for sleepiness, involves no more than looking toward a light source or going outside into the sunlight. Extrasensory perceptions of lights that we discussed previously aren't necessary as an antidote for abandoning sleepiness. The suttas also mention other antidotes for abandoning sleepiness such as stretching and walking meditation. As for laziness, which has more to do with lack of motivation than general sleepiness, the contemplation of the uncertainty of the moment of death is a very powerful antidote to re-invigorate our motivation. Regarding the hindrance of restlessness, mindfulness of breathing is an appropriate antidote. Finally, if doubt about the purpose or efficacy of Dhamma practice arises, one can contemplate phenomena and discern that the Buddha was correct in what he taught, or one can engender an attitude of faith by recollecting the qualities of the Buddha as previously mentioned. When there are no hindrances present we can then proceed to develop the first jhana. DN 2: Samaññaphala Sutta, gives us a summary overview of this progression from the abandoning of the hindrances to the entry into the jhanas:

Seeing that [the five hindrances] have been abandoned within him, he becomes glad. Glad, he becomes enraptured. Enraptured, his body grows tranquil. His body tranquil, he is sensitive to pleasure. Feeling pleasure, his mind becomes concentrated.

The Four Stages of Jhana

Jhana is described as 'singleness of mind' (cittekaggata) where the mind is unified with the the inner felt sense of the body (kayayatana). This mental unification with the inner felt sense of the body means that awareness completely suffuses the entire body, and that the felt sense of the body is experienced in its totality. In this way the mind and the body sphere are unified and expand to completely pervade each other. But this in no way means that the internal experience of the body remains fixed in a static state. The inner felt sense of the body is experienced as a continual flux of subtle vibrational energy-sensations occurring concurrently with various mental fabrications such as mindfulness (sati), attention (manasikara), feeling (vedana), perception (sanna), etc.. It's this unification of the mind with the inner felt sense of the body that gives rise to the jhanic factors of rapture and pleasure (pitisukha). Accordingly, in the four jhanic stages the five aggregates are still experienced, but the mind is internally centered and unified to a level of calm and sensory withdrawal wherein no external sensory phenomena distract the mind from attention to the entire felt sense of the body and the various concomitant mental factors of jhana.

The jhanic state progresses through four stages of refinement wherein the mind becomes increasingly calmer and the experiential quality of the inner felt sense of the body becomes increasingly more subtle. The attainment of the first jhana is signaled by the presence of five mental factors: directed thought (vitakka), evaluation (vicara), rapture (piti), pleasure (sukha), and singleness of mind (cittekaggata). As one's meditation becomes more refined the coarser of these mental factors begin to fall away and one simply remains attentive to the more subtle concomitant factors that remain. This progression is partly volitional (one intentionally begins to evaluate the drawbacks of the coarser qualities and the usefulness of the more refined qualities) and partly the spontaneous outcome of the natural calming of the mind (as the mind becomes more settled it spontaneously abandons the coarser factors). But please remember what was mentioned previously. The volitional intention required here is very subtle, being a nonjudgmental 'effortless exertion' and a nonstriving 'surrender' to the practice. It's an open ended process of 'opening' and 'unifying' and is not goal oriented. Any sort of forceful exertion or expectations of a preconceived result are certainly hindrances and will bear no fruit.

The following is a continuation of what we discussed previously pertaining to calming the body fabrication (the breath) as stated in the Anapanasati Sutta. Once awareness of the entire internal sphere of the body has been stabilized (kayayatana, the experience of which isn't dependent upon any external sensory impingement), and the breath has gone from its usual quality to a more subtle quality as a result of unifying the mind with the body sphere, we can begin to shift our frame of reference regarding the inner felt sense of the body. Now instead of focusing on the bare inner energy-sensation of the body, we can focus on the quality of happiness that the mind is experiencing in relation to its unified contact with the inner felt sense of the body. (6) Specifically, we can begin to notice the mental factor of rapture (piti) present as the mind begins to settle into jhana.

first jhana: rapture; pleasure; directed thought; evaluation; singleness of mind

The five factors of the first jhana are listed in MN 43: Mahavedalla Sutta:

'[W]ith how many [factors is the first jhana] endowed?...'

'[T]here occur directed thought (vitakka), evaluation (vicara), rapture (piti), pleasure (sukha), & singleness of mind (cittekaggata).'

The basic jhana formula is stated in DN 2: Samaññaphala Sutta:

Quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful mental qualities, he enters and remains in the first jhana: rapture and pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought and evaluation. He permeates and pervades, suffuses and fills this very body with the rapture and pleasure born from withdrawal.

The progression from focusing on the internal felt sense of the body to focusing on the arisen mental factors of rapture (piti) and pleasure (sukha) represents our movement toward and into the first jhana. As this is a subjective experience, the mental and physical qualities that we're about to discuss will vary somewhat from person to person and even from sitting to sitting, but there are some general indicators that we can become aware of as we progress from a discursive mind involved in external sensual impingement, to a unified mind characterized by internal happiness and well-being, and beyond that, a state of serene tranquility.

While the phenomenal factors of rapture and pleasure may seem to be similar, there are subtle and distinctive differences that we can become aware of. And as rapture (piti) is the coarser of the two qualities, we first turn our attention to it.

Remaining unified with the entire internal felt sense of the body, experienced in its totality, we begin to focus on the mental quality of rapture when it arises. This joy is mental (i.e. not bodily) and is more than just the bare mental feeling (vedana) of pleasure associated with the contact between the settled mind and the inner body sphere. Synonyms for this rapture include: delight (pamojja), rejoicing (amodana), joy (pamodana), shining mirth (bhasa pabhasa), bliss (vitti), elation (odagya), satisfaction (attamanta), and mental uplift (cittassa).

So what we're talking about here is a mental quality that can range from a sense of internal satisfaction (openness and joyous ease) to ecstatic bliss. Again, the experience will vary from occasion to occasion and person to person. But whatever this quality is for each of us individually, it arises as a direct result of the unification of mind with the inner felt sense of the entire body. There's nothing necessarily ecstatic or blissful about this experience. The mind simply enjoys paying attention to the body and being free from the hindrances and all associated worldly concerns. By breathing mindfully, paying attention and surrendering to the whole felt sense of the body, and thereby allowing the breath to calm itself, a sense of ease, lightness, and happiness spontaneously arises. It's the basic goodness of not being preoccupied by any concerns, which then leads to a sense of openness and joy as the mind continues to settle.

That said, powerful experiences of ecstatic bliss and profoundly delightful experiences of the heart area spontaneously opening and being saturated with feelings of universal love, or strong vibrational currents within the body causing it to tremble or spasm uncontrollably, or other similar occurrences can certainly arise. This is usually more common when one sits for long sessions in retreat (1.5 to 4 or more hours per sitting). Although some of these powerful experiences of rapture can be very pleasurable, some of them can be so enticing that the meditator gets stuck trying to recreate the experience in every sitting. Such experiences can also overwhelm one's mental calm. And so these very powerful types of rapture can actually be more of a hindrance than a help. Therefore, it's appropriate to consult with an experienced meditation teacher should these types of experience arise.

Returning now to the less extreme experiences of rapture: by intentionally focusing on this open sense of internal satisfaction, this quality of joyous happiness, the concomitant experience of the inner felt sense of the body may begin to intensify into tingling sensations throughout the body (often along the spine and scalp), or the mental happiness itself may open into a sense of either subtle or very profound well-being (the profound type of well-being can feel like passing through an invisible 'membrane' wherein all sense of constriction is simply gone). It may be blissful (colored or white light(s) can appear before the closed eyelids) or it may just be an experience of internal joyous satisfaction. Regardless of what presents itself, the idea is to continue to unify mind and body by paying attention to and acknowledging the mental factor of joyous well-being present, and not trying to manufacture or force something that isn't there. The only volitional component involved over and above attention to the mental factor of rapture presently occurring, is to attend to this joyous well-being 'permeating' and 'pervading' the entire body. The Samaññaphala Sutta continues:

Just as if a skilled bathman or bathman's apprentice would pour bath powder into a brass basin and knead it together, sprinkling it again and again with water, so that his ball of bath powder — saturated, moisture-laden, permeated within and without — would nevertheless not drip; even so, the monk permeates... this very body with the rapture and pleasure born of withdrawal. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by rapture and pleasure born from withdrawal.

Here we recognize that this mental joy isn't something separate from the awareness of the entirety of the felt sense of the body. As rapture pervades the entire mind, it simultaneously permeates the entire body because the mind is aware of the entire body. It's that straightforward. But this is not a state of 'fixed absorption.' Employing clear seeing (vipassana) one still knows the various concomitant mental phenomena arising in jhana one by one as they occur (anupadadhammavipassana). As the Buddha says in MN 111: Anupada Sutta (speaking of Ven. Sariputta's jhana practice):

Whatever qualities there are in the first jhana — directed thought, evaluation, rapture, pleasure, singleness of mind, contact, feeling, perception, intention, consciousness, desire, decision, persistence, mindfulness, equanimity, & attention — he ferreted them out one after another. Known to him they arose, known to him they remained, known to him they subsided. He discerned, 'So this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play. Having been, they vanish.' He remained unattracted & unrepelled with regard to those qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness rid of barriers.

Furthermore, once the first jhana is stabilized, one can readily turn one's attention to any internal or external phenomena, and clearly see the three characteristics as they pertain to the five aggregates. AN 9.36: Jhana Sutta, states:

There is the case where a monk ... enters & remains in the first jhana.... He regards whatever phenomena there that are connected with form, feeling, perception, fabrications, & consciousness, as inconstant, stressful ... an emptiness, not-self. He turns his mind away from those phenomena, and having done so, inclines his mind to the property of deathlessness: 'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.'

This is possible because the mind isn't isolated from the five sense faculties (idriyanas) while abiding in the jhanas. The complete isolation of the mind from the other faculties doesn't occur until the meditator fully purifies the formless attainment of the sphere of infinite space, as indicated by MN 43: Mahavedalla Sutta:

'Friend, what can be known with the purified intellect-consciousness (manovinnana) divorced from the five [sense] faculties?'

'Friend, with the purified intellect-consciousness divorced from the five faculties the dimension of the infinitude of space can be known [as] "infinite space." The dimension of the infinitude of consciousness can be known [as] "infinite consciousness." The dimension of nothingness can be known [as] "There is nothing."'

And as AN 9.36 states, one need progress no further than the first jhana in order to discern phenomena and thereby give rise to nonfashioning (atammayata) and incline toward the deathless element (amata dhatu).

But of course, if we so choose, we are free to develop jhana to a more refined stage of unification and calm. To do this we simply continue to intentionally focus on the concomitant mental factors of rapture (piti) and physical and mental pleasure (sukha). Over time, as we develop this practice, the mental factors of directed thought and evaluation will begin to subside as the mind grows increasingly satisfied and calm. When this stage is reached these factors of thought and evaluation no longer receive the 'fuel' that they need to sustain their operation. This doesn't necessarily mean that at this point there are never any thoughts arising whatsoever. But it does mean that the mind has reached a state of unification which it realizes is superior to any state of conceptual thinking. The mind has abandoned attention to perceptions associated with thoughts. It has realized the satisfaction and vast stillness of the silent mind.

This stilling of discursive thinking is a natural process and isn't intentionally willed during meditation. We just surrender completely to the experience of rapture and pleasure and allow the path of practice to take its course. Over time — weeks, months, years, decades — the mind settles and lets go of discursive conceptualization during sitting meditation. This is aided by our ongoing development of sense restraint (indriya samvara), clear seeing (vipassana), and the increasing integration of the entire eightfold path. Together with a committed daily meditation practice, preferably in conjunction with regular retreat periods, our integrated path allows us to be able to relinquish coarse thoughts which we realize are often a cause of further stress and becoming, and by so doing we begin to enter into the stillness of the silent mind.

And when directed thought and evaluation subside, what remains is:

second jhana: rapture; pleasure; unification of mind; internal assurance

Again, returning to the Samaññaphala Sutta:

Furthermore, with the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, he enters and remains in the second jhana: rapture and pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free from directed thought and evaluation — internal assurance. He permeates and pervades, suffuses and fills this very body with the rapture and pleasure born of composure.

Here the intentional focus remains on the concomitant mental qualities of rapture and pleasure, but the qualities of rapture and pleasurable feeling begin to become more refined as the mind experiences deepening calm through unification and composure:

Just like a lake with spring-water welling up from within, having no inflow from the east, west, north, or south, and with the skies supplying abundant showers time and again, so that the cool fount of water welling up from within the lake would permeate and pervade, suffuse and fill it with cool waters, there being no part of the lake unpervaded by the cool waters; even so, the monk permeates... this very body with the rapture and pleasure born of composure. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by rapture and pleasure born of composure.

This image indicates that rapture and pleasure aren't dependent upon any external sensory impingement, but arise from the mind's composed unification with the internal felt sense of the body.

At this stage we can begin to shift our attention from the quality of rapture to the underlying feeling tone (vedana) of pleasure (sukha) that is present. What we're talking about here is the basic quality of bare mental and physical pleasantness arising from our unification of mind and body. This is more basic than any mental fabrications (sankharas) of elation or bliss which may or may not still be be present. We simply remain attentive to the quality of pleasure without trying to manipulate it in any way.

And here too, our experience of the second jhana isn't a state of total fixed absorption. Clear seeing (vipassana) still 'ferrets out' the mental phenomena present in this jhana. The Anupada Sutta:

Whatever qualities there are in the second jhana — internal assurance, rapture, pleasure, singleness of mind, contact, feeling, perception, intention, consciousness, desire, decision, persistence, mindfulness, equanimity, & attention — he ferreted them out one after another. Known to him they arose, known to him they remained, known to him they subsided. He discerned, 'So this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play. Having been, they vanish.' He remained unattracted & unrepelled with regard to those qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness rid of barriers.

And again, the Jhana Sutta describes how one can discern the three characteristics of the five aggregates in the second jhana:

There is the case where a monk ... enters & remains in the second jhana.... He regards whatever phenomena there that are connected with form, feeling, perception, fabrications, & consciousness, as inconstant, stressful ... an emptiness, not-self. He turns his mind away from those phenomena, and having done so, inclines his mind to the property of deathlessness: 'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.'

And if the meditator, instead of inclining toward the deathless dhatu at this point, continues to focus on the quality of the entire pleasurable felt sense of the body, mental happiness (piti) and mental pleasure (sukha) will spontaneously begin to subside, leaving:

third jhana: equanimity; mindfulness; alertness; physical pleasure

The Samaññaphala Sutta:

And furthermore, with the fading of rapture, he remains in equanimity, is mindful & alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters & remains in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abiding.' He permeates and pervades, suffuses and fills this very body with the pleasure divested of rapture.

And we continue to attend to the pleasure associated with the felt sense of the entire body:

Just as in a lotus pond, some of the lotuses, born and growing in the water, stay immersed in the water and flourish without standing up out of the water, so that they are permeated and pervaded, suffused and filled with cool water from their roots to their tips, and nothing of those lotuses would be unpervaded with cool water; even so, the monk permeates... this very body with the pleasure divested of rapture. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded with pleasure divested of rapture.

What remains at this stage of jhanic unification is simply a pleasurable feeling of physical well-being. Here the feeling of mental pleasure has subsided because rapture has subsided. But volitional intention is still operational. The meditator still 'permeates, suffuses and fills this very body with the pleasure divested of rapture.' That is, one continues to intentionally focus on the qualities of physical pleasure present, and also fully comprehends that this is a very refined abiding. And here too, one can still discern the concomitant arising of the other mental factors present in this jhana. The Anupada Sutta:

Whatever qualities there are in the third jhana — equanimity-pleasure, singleness of mind, contact, feeling, perception, intention, consciousness, desire, decision, persistence, mindfulness, equanimity, & attention — he ferreted them out one after another. Known to him they arose, known to him they remained, known to him they subsided. He discerned, 'So this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play. Having been, they vanish.' He remained unattracted & unrepelled with regard to those qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness rid of barriers.

One can also still discern any internal or external phenomena, and clearly see the three characteristics as they pertain to the five aggregates. The Jhana Sutta:

There is the case where a monk ... enters & remains in the third jhana.... He regards whatever phenomena there that are connected with form, feeling, perception, fabrications, & consciousness, as inconstant, stressful ... an emptiness, not-self. He turns his mind away from those phenomena, and having done so, inclines his mind to the property of deathlessness: 'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.'

And finally, if the meditator, instead of inclining toward the deathless dhatu at this point, continues to focus on the quality of the entire felt sense of the body, the physical pleasure will eventually spontaneously subside, leaving:

fourth jhana: equanimity; mindfulness; neither pleasure nor pain

The Samaññaphala Sutta:

And furthermore, with the abandoning of pleasure and stress — as with the earlier disappearance of elation and distress — he enters and remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity and mindfulness, neither-pleasure nor stress. He sits, permeating the body with a pure, bright awareness.

This is the full unified attainment of form jhana. It's the complete unification of the whole body with pure, bright awareness. The Samaññaphala Sutta continues:

Just as if a man were sitting covered from head to foot with a white cloth so that there would be no part of his body to which the white cloth did not extend; even so, the monk sits, permeating the body with a pure, bright awareness. There is nothing of his entire body unpervaded by pure, bright awareness.

Here too we can 'ferret out' the concomitant mental factors as they arise. The Anupada Sutta:

Whatever qualities there are in the fourth jhana — a feeling of equanimity, neither pleasure nor pain; an unconcern due to serenity of awareness; singleness of mind, contact, feeling, perception, intention, consciousness, desire, decision, persistence, mindfulness, equanimity, & attention — he ferreted them out one after another. Known to him they arose, known to him they remained, known to him they subsided. He discerned, 'So this is how these qualities, not having been, come into play. Having been, they vanish.' He remained unattracted & unrepelled with regard to those qualities, independent, detached, released, dissociated, with an awareness rid of barriers.

At this point, or indeed at any point after the stabilization of the first jhana, we can apply clear seeing (vipassana) and discernment (panna), according to whichever of the three characteristics we choose to contemplate, and which phenomena we choose to attend to as our frame of reference. This involves clearly seeing conditioned phenomena of body and mind as being impermanent (inconstant), unsatisfactory (stressful), empty of self-nature (an emptiness), and therefore not-self. The Jhana Sutta:

There is the case where a monk ... enters & remains in the first ... second ... third ... fourth jhana.... He regards whatever phenomena there that are connected with form, feeling, perception, fabrications, & consciousness, as inconstant, stressful ... an emptiness, not-self. He turns his mind away from those phenomena, and having done so, inclines his mind to the property of deathlessness: 'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.'

The clear seeing of the three characteristics in conjunction with the conditionality of phenomena gives rise to 'knowledge of the regularity of phenomena' (dhamma-thiti-nana), which in turn gives rise to nonfashioning (atammayata). This allows one to let go of conditioned phenomena altogether by inclining toward the deathless element (amata-dhatu), and eventually realizing Nibbana (Nibbana-nana).

This entire developmental process is given in MN 38: Mahatanhasankhaya Sutta. Due to it's clarity in describing the gradual training culminating in liberation it's worth citing a lengthy excerpt:

Possessing this aggregate of noble virtue, and this noble restraint of the faculties, and possessing this noble mindfulness and full awareness, he resorts to a secluded resting place: the forest, the root of a tree, a mountain, a ravine, a hillside cave, a charnel ground, a jungle thicket, an open space, a heap of straw.

On returning from his almsround, after his meal he sits down, folding his legs crosswise, setting his body erect, and establishing mindfulness before him. Abandoning covetousness for the world he abides with a mind free from covetousness; he purifies his mind from covetousness. Abandoning ill-will and hatred, he abides with a mind free from ill-will, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings; he purifies his mind from ill-will and hatred. Abandoning sloth and torpor, he abides free from sloth and torpor, percipient of light, mindful and fully aware; he purifies his mind from sloth and torpor. Abandoning restlessness and remorse, he abides unagitated with a mind inwardly peaceful; he purifies his mind from restlessness and remorse. Abandoning doubt, he abides having gone beyond doubt, unperplexed about wholesome states; he purifies his mind of doubt.

Having thus abandoned these five hindrances, imperfections of the mind that weaken wisdom, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, he enters upon and abides in the first jhana, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with rapture and pleasure born of seclusion. With the stilling of applied and sustained thought, he enters and abides in the second jhana which has self-confidence and singleness of mind without applied and sustained thought, with rapture and pleasure born of concentration. With the fading away as well of rapture a bhikkhu abides in equanimity, and mindful and fully aware, still feeling pleasure with the body, he enters and abides in the third jhana, on account of which noble ones announce: 'He has a pleasant abiding who has equanimity and is mindful.' With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, a bhikkhu enters upon and abides in the fourth jhana, which has neither-pain-nor-pleasure and purity of mindfulness due to equanimity.

On seeing a form with the eye, he does not lust after it if it is pleasing; he does not dislike it if it is unpleasing. He abides with mindfulness of the body established, with an immeasurable mind (appamanacetasa), and he understands as it actually is the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom wherein those evil unwholesome states cease without remainder. Having thus abandoned favoring and opposing, whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, he does not delight in that feeling, welcome it, or remain holding to it. As he does not do so, delight in feelings ceases in him. With the cessation of his delight comes cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, cessation of being; with the cessation of being, cessation of birth; with the cessation of birth, ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair cease. Such is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.

On hearing a sound with the ear, he does not lust after it if it is pleasing; he does not dislike it if it is unpleasing. He abides with mindfulness of the body established, with an immeasurable mind, and he understands as it actually is the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom wherein those evil unwholesome states cease without remainder. Having thus abandoned favoring and opposing, whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, he does not delight in that feeling, welcome it, or remain holding to it. As he does not do so, delight in feelings ceases in him. With the cessation of his delight comes cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, cessation of being; with the cessation of being, cessation of birth; with the cessation of birth, ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair cease. Such is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.

On smelling an odor with the nose, he does not lust after it if it is pleasing; he does not dislike it if it is unpleasing. He abides with mindfulness of the body established, with an immeasurable mind, and he understands as it actually is the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom wherein those evil unwholesome states cease without remainder. Having thus abandoned favoring and opposing, whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, he does not delight in that feeling, welcome it, or remain holding to it. As he does not do so, delight in feelings ceases in him. With the cessation of his delight comes cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, cessation of being; with the cessation of being, cessation of birth; with the cessation of birth, ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair cease. Such is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.

On tasting a flavor with the tongue, he does not lust after it if it is pleasing; he does not dislike it if it is unpleasing. He abides with mindfulness of the body established, with an immeasurable mind, and he understands as it actually is the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom wherein those evil unwholesome states cease without remainder. Having thus abandoned favoring and opposing, whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, he does not delight in that feeling, welcome it, or remain holding to it. As he does not do so, delight in feelings ceases in him. With the cessation of his delight comes cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, cessation of being; with the cessation of being, cessation of birth; with the cessation of birth, ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair cease. Such is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.

On touching a tangible with the body, he does not lust after it if it is pleasing; he does not dislike it if it is unpleasing. He abides with mindfulness of the body established, with an immeasurable mind, and he understands as it actually is the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom wherein those evil unwholesome states cease without remainder. Having thus abandoned favoring and opposing, whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, he does not delight in that feeling, welcome it, or remain holding to it. As he does not do so, delight in feelings ceases in him. With the cessation of his delight comes cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, cessation of being; with the cessation of being, cessation of birth; with the cessation of birth, ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair cease. Such is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.

On cognizing a mind-object with the mind, he does not lust after it if it is pleasing; he does not dislike it if it is unpleasing. He abides with mindfulness of the body established, with an immeasurable mind, and he understands as it actually is the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom wherein those evil unwholesome states cease without remainder. Having thus abandoned favoring and opposing, whatever feeling he feels, whether pleasant, painful, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant, he does not delight in that feeling, welcome it, or remain holding to it. As he does not do so, delight in feelings ceases in him. With the cessation of his delight comes cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging, cessation of being; with the cessation of being, cessation of birth; with the cessation of birth, ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair cease. Such is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.

Phrased in terms of discernment of the four noble truths resulting in the ending of the mental fermentations/effluents (asavas), this fruitional insight process is articulated in the Samaññaphala Sutta. After describing the fourth jhana, and the five mundane higher knowledges (lokiya abhinna) that can arise from mastering the four jhanas, the sutta goes on to describe the supramundane higher knowledge (lokuttara abhinna) of complete liberation, which is the extinction of the mental fermentations. This liberation is described as occurring while still employing the same level of concentration as the fourth jhana. It's important to remember that the first noble truth includes the five aggregates of clinging, and by extension, the twelve sense spheres and the eighteen elements:

With his mind thus concentrated, purified, and bright, unblemished, free from defects, pliant, malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, the monk directs and inclines it to the knowledge of the ending of the mental fermentations. He discerns, as it has come to be, that 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress... This is the way leading to the cessation of stress... These are mental fermentations... This is the origination of fermentations... This is the cessation of fermentations... This is the way leading to the cessation of fermentations.' His heart, thus knowing, thus seeing, is released from the fermentation of sensuality, the fermentation of becoming, the fermentation of ignorance. With release, there is the knowledge, 'Released.' He discerns that 'Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.'

We can investigate the development of clear seeing further on the next page.

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