..续本文上一页ight skills, or the four forms of acumen — they still master the one crucial skill, the knowledge that does away with the effluents of defilement (asavakkhaya-ñana).
Those who tend more toward tranquillity meditation, though, are in no great hurry. They develop all the levels of jhana, going back and forth, again and again, until they”re expert in both rupa jhana and arupa jhana. Then they return to the fourth level of rupa jhana and focus strongly on it, taking the inner sense of the form of the body as their object — their uggaha nimitta — and then manipulating it back and forth (patibhaga nimitta) to the point where their powers of mindfulness and alertness are firm. They focus until their minds are neutral and still, steady with a single object, uninvolved with any outside preoccupations. They then will be able to identify exactly how rupa jhana and arupa jhana differ — and will realize that the fourth level of rupa jhana is the crucial one, giving the mind strength in a variety of ways.
When you reach this point, focus on the fourth level of rupa jhana. Keep the mind neutral and still, constantly focused on a single object. Focus on one spot as your frame of reference (satipatthana), i.e., on the subtle sense of the body at this level, in and of itself. When you are strongly focused, a sense of brightness will develop, and a variety of amazing skills — either mundane or transcendent, depending in part on the power of your jhana — will arise in the mind.
The knowledge and skills arising from jhana can free you from all suffering and stress. But most of us, by and large, don”t think of looking for these skills. We”re interested only in those skills and forms of knowledge that will keep us bound to suffering and stress on and on through time. So those who aim for well-being that is clear and clean should train their minds to give rise to jhana, which is one of the treasures of the Noble Ones.
The four levels of rupa jhana and the four levels of arupa jhana, taken together, are called the eight attainments (samapatti), all of which come down to two sorts: mundane and transcendent. In mundane jhana, the person who has attained jhana assumes that, ”This is my self,” or ”I am that,” and holds fast to these assumptions, not giving rise to the knowledge that can let go of those things in line with their true nature. This is classed as sakkaya-ditthi, the viewpoint that leads us to self-identification, the feeling that, ”This is me,” or ”This is mine.” This in turn leads to silabbata-paramasa, attachment to our accustomed practices, i.e., seeing jhana as something of magical potency, that whatever we set our minds on attaining will have to come true. As for our doubts (vicikiccha) about the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, these haven”t been cleared up, because we”ve been deflected at this level and haven”t gotten any further.
Thus whoever attains jhana without abandoning the three fetters (sanyojana) is practicing mundane jhana. Mundane jhana, unless you”re really expert at it, is the easiest thing in the world to lose. It”s always ready to deteriorate at the slightest disturbance from sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas. Sometimes you may be sitting in jhana and then, when you get up and walk away, it”s gone.
As for transcendent jhana: When you”ve attained rupa jhana, you go back to examine the various levels until you are expert at them and then develop insight meditation so as to see mundane jhana for what it really is. In other words, you see that the preoccupations of both rupa jhana and arupa jhana are inconstant, stressful, and not-self. Once this knowledge arises, you are able to let go of the various preoccupations of jhana; and once the mind is set loose from rupa jhana and arupa jhana, it enters the transcendent level; the stream to nibbana. It cuts the three fetters — self-identification, grasping at practices and habits, and uncertainty — and is headed straight for nibbana. When you have cut the three fetters, your jhana is transcendent jhana; your virtue, concentration, and discernment are all transcendent.
Once you have mastered these two modes of jhana, they will give rise to the various abilities, mundane or transcendent, taught by Buddhism that differ from worldly skills in that they can arise only after the attainment of jhana. Among these skills are the three skills (vijja), the eight skills, and the four forms of acumen (patisambhida-ñana).
《The Craft of the Heart - Jhana》全文阅读结束。