Compendium of Phenomena
2.1 Arising of Mind
2.1.8. In the path of the Supermundane
1. The First Path
(i) Rapt Meditation
The Four Modes of Progress in Purification.
Which are the states that are indeterminate?
When he cultivates the Jhāna of the Supermundane (the rapt meditation), whereby there is a going forth and onward, making for the undoing of rebirth, and when, that he may attain to the First Stage, he has put away views and opinions, and so, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, he enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … continue as in §277progress thereto being difficult and intuition sluggish—then there is contact … balance. Now these … are states that are good.
But when, as the result of just this good Jhāna having been wrought, having been cultivated in pursuit of the Supermundane, he, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … progress whereto is painful, intuition wherein is sluggish, and which is Empty—then there is contact … the faculty of knowledge made perfect … balance. And these … are states that are indeterminate.
Which are the states that are indeterminate?
When he cultivates the Jhāna of the Supermundane (the rapt meditation) whereby there is a going forth and onward, making for the undoing of rebirth, and when, that he may attain to the First Stage, he has put away views and opinions, and so, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, he enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … continue as in §277progress thereto being difficult and intuition sluggish—then there is contact … balance. Now these … are states that are good.
But when, as the result of just this good Jhāna having been wrought, having been cultivated in pursuit of the Supermundane, he, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … progress whereto is painful, intuition wherein is sluggish, and which is Signless …
[or]
which is Aimless—then there is contact … the faculty of knowledge made perfect … balance. And these … are states that are indeterminate.
Which are the states that are indeterminate?
When he cultivates the Jhāna of the Supermundane (the rapt meditation), whereby there is a going forth and onward, making for the undoing of rebirth, and when, that he may attain to the First Stage, he has put away views and opinions, and so, suppressing theworking of conception and of thought discursive, enters into and abides in the Second Jhāna …
- [or] … in the Third Jhāna …
- [or] … in the Fourth Jhāna …
- [or] … continue in the same way for fivefold Jhāna… progress whereto is painful and intuition sluggish, then this constitutes good (karma).
But when, as the result of this or that Jhāna the corresponding Jhāna is attainedprogress whereto is painful, intuition wherein is sluggish,
- and which is Empty,
- Signless,
- [or] Aimless,
then the contact … the balance that arises—these … are states that are indeterminate.
Repeat the two foregoing sections, substituting in order the three remaining Modes of Progress: ‘progress whereto is painful, but intuition quick’, ‘progress whereto is easy, but intuition sluggish’, and ‘progress whereto is easy, and intuition quick’ (§§176–180).
(ii.) The Notion of Emptiness applied to Purification
Which are the states that are indeterminate?
When he cultivates the Jhāna of the Supermundane (the rapt meditation), whereby there is a going forth and onward, making for the undoing of rebirth, and when, that he may attain to the First Stage, he has put away views and opinions, and so, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, he enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … which is Empty—then there is contact … balance. Now these … are states that are good.
But when, as the result of just this good Jhāna having been wrought, having been cultivated in pursuit of the Supermundane, he, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … which is Empty …
[or] which is Aimless—then there is contact … balance. And these … are states that are indeterminate.
Repeat in the case of each of the remaining Jhānas on the Fourfold System, and of all the J lianas on the Fivefold System,
(iii.) The Four Modes of Progress taken in connexion with the Notion of Emptiness
The First Mode
Which are the states that are indeterminate?
When he cultivates the Jhāna of the Supermundane (the rapt meditation), whereby there is a going forth and onward, making for the undoing of rebirth, and when, that he may attain to the First Stage, he has put away views and opinions, and so, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, he enters into and abides in the First Jhāna . . progress whereto is painful and intuition sluggish,
- and which is Empty,
then there is contact … balance. Now these … are states that are good.
But when, as the result of just this good Jhāna having been wrought, having been cultivated in pursuit of the Supermundane, he, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … progress whereto is painful and intuition sluggish,
then there is contact … balance. And these … are states that are indeterminate.
Repeat in the case of each of the remaining Jhānas on the Fourfold System, and of all the Jhānas on the Fivefold System.
The Second, Third and Fourth Modes.
Which are the states that are indeterminate?
When he cultivates the Jhāna of the Supermundane (the rapt meditation), whereby there is a going forth and onward, making for the undoing of rebirth, and when, that he may attain to the First Stage, he has put away views and opinions, and so, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, he enters into and abides in the First Jhāna …
- — progress whereto is painful, but intuition quick,
- and which is Empty …
- — progress whereto is easy, but intuition sluggish,
- and which is Empty …
- — progress whereto is easy and intuition quick,
- and which is Empty …
Repeat, substituting each of the remaining Jhānas in the case of each of the three Modes
… then these constitute good (karma).
But when, as the result [of this or that Jhāna in any the three Modes], he enters into and abides in any of the Jhānas taken in order, which is in any of the three Modes,
- and which is Empty …
- …[or] which is Signless …
- …[or] which is Aimless,
then there is contact … balance. And these … are states that are indeterminate.
(iv) The Notion of Aimlessness applied to Purification
Which are the states that are indeterminate?
When he cultivates the Jhāna of the Supermundane (the rapt meditation), whereby there is a going forth and onward, making for the undoing of rebirth, and when, that he may attain to the First Stage, he has put away views and opinions, and so, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, he enters into and abides in the First Jhāna …
- which is Aimless,
then there is contact … balance. Now these … are states that are good.
But when, as the result of just this good Jhāna having been wrought, having been cultivated in pursuit of the Supermundane, he, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna …
then there is contact … balance. And these … are states that are indeterminate.
Repeat in the case of each of the remaining Jhānas on the Fourfold System, and of all the Jhānas on the Fivefold System,
(v) The Four Modes of Progress taken in connexion with the Notion of Aimlessness
Which are the states that are indeterminate?
When he cultivates the Jhāna of the Supermundane (the rapt meditation), whereby there is a going forth and onward, making for the undoing of rebirth, and when, that he may attain to the First Stage, he has put away views and opinions, and so, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … progress whereto is difficult and intuition sluggish,
- and which is Aimless,
then there is contact … balance. Now these … are states that are good.
But when, as the result of just this good Jhāna having been wrought, having been cultivated in pursuit of the Supermundane, he, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the first Jhāna … progress whereto is difficult and intuition sluggish,
then there is contact … balance. And these … are states that are indeterminate.
Which are the states that are indeterminate?
When he cultivates the Jhāna of the Supermundane (the rapt meditation) whereby there is a going forth and onward, making for the undoing of rebirth, and when, that he may attain to the First Stage, he has put away views and opinions, and so, suppressing the working of conception and of thought discursive, he enters into and abides in the Second Jhāna, or into any of the remaining Jhānas, both on the Fourfold and the Fivefold System… progress whereto is difficult and intuition sluggish,
- and which is Aimless,
then this constitutes good (karma).
But when, as the result of this or that Jhāna the corresponding Jhāna is attained progress whereto is difficult and intuition sluggish,
then there is contact … balance. And these … are states that are indeterminate.
The Second, Third and Fourth Modes are now substituted in turn, as was done in §518.
2–20. The Remaining Nineteen Great Methods.
Which are the states that are indeterminate?
Here follow nineteen concepts, each of which can he substituted for ‘the Jhāna of the Supermundane’ in the preceding exercises (§§505–528), the exercise to which they are actually applied in this paragraph being the ‘Modes of Progress in Purification’ given in §§505–509. These nineteen concepts are enumerated in §358.
(vi) The Modes of Progress in Purification taken in connexion with the Dominant Influence of Desire
Which are the states that are indeterminate?
When he cultivates the Jhāna of the Supermundane (the rapt meditation), whereby there is a going forth and onward, making for the undoing of rebirth, and when, that he may attain to the First Stage, he has put away views and opinions, and so, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … progress whereto is difficult and intuition sluggish, and the dominant influence in which is Desire—then there is contact … balance. Now these … are states that are good.
But when, as the result of just this good Jhāna having been wrought, having been cultivated in pursuit of the Supermundane, he, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … progress whereto is difficult and intuition sluggish.
and the dominant influence in which is Desire—then there is contact … balance. And these … are states that are indeterminate.
Repeat in the case of each of the remaining Jhānas on both systems.
Repeat in the case of each of the three remaining ‘Modes of Progress’ applied to each Jhdna.
(vii.) The Notion of Emptiness applied to Purification, and taken in connexion with Desire as the Dominant Influence
Which are the states that are indeterminate?
When he cultivates the Jhāna of the Supermundane (the rapt meditation), whereby there is a going forth and onward, making for the undoing of rebirth, and when, that he may attain to the First Stage, he has put away views and opinions, and so, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … which is Empty, and the dominant influence in which is Desire—then there is contact … balance. Now these … are states that are good.
But when, as the result of just this good Jhāna having been wrought, having been cultivated in pursuit of the Supermundane, he, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna …
and the dominant influence in which is Desire—then there is contact … balance. And these … are states that are indeterminate.
Repeat in the case of each of the remaining Jhānas on both systems.
(viii)
Which are the states that are indeterminate?
When he cultivates the Jhāna of the Supermundane (the rapt meditation), whereby there is a going forth and onward, making for the undoing of rebirth, and when, that he may attain to the First Stage, he has put away views and opinions, and so, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … progress whereto is difficult and intuition sluggish, which is Empty, and the dominant influence in which is Desire—then there is contact … balance. Now these … are states that are good.
But when, as the result of just this good Jhāna having been wrought, having been cultivated in pursuit of the Supermundane, he, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … progress whereto is difficult and intuition sluggish,
and the dominant influence in which is Desire—then there is contact … balance. And these … are states that are indeterminate.
Repeat in the case of each remaining Jhāna as passim,
Repeat in the case of each of the three remaining ‘Modes of Progress’ applied to each Jhāna,
(ix)
This group is identical with group vii. [§§534–537], except that the concept Aimless takes the place of the concept Empty, and conversely.
(x)
This group is identical with group viii. [§§538–542], except that the concept Aimless takes the place of the concept Empty, and conversely.
2–20. The Remaining Nineteen Great Methods.
Which are the states that are indeterminate?
When he cultivates the Path of the Supermundane, the Advance in Mindfulness toward the Supermundane, the System of Eight Efforts toward the Supermundane, etc. [continue as in §358, doum to ‘Thought relating to the Supermundane'], whereby there is a going forth and onward, making for the undoing of rebirth, and when, that he may attain to the First Stage, he has put away views and opinions, and so, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … progress whereto is difficult and intuition sluggish, and the dominant influence in which is Desire—then there is contact … balance. Now these … are states that are good.
But when, as the result of just this good Jhāna having been wrought, having been cultivated in pursuit of the Supermundane, he, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … progress whereto is difficult and intuition sluggish, which is
- Empty,
- or Signless,
- or Aimless,
and the dominant influence in which is
then there is contact … balance. And these … are states that are indeterminate.
Here ends the Fourfold System of Jhāna.
2–4. The Remaining Three Paths
Cf. §§362–364a.
Which are the states that are indeterminate?
When he cultivates the Jhāna of the Supermundane (the rapt meditation), whereby there is a going forth and onward, making for the undoing of rebirth, and when, that he may attain to the Second Stage, he has diminished the strength of sensual passions and of malice …
[or] when, that he may attain to the Third Stage, he has put away the entire residuum of sensual passions and of malice …
[or] when, that he may attain to the Fourth Stage, he has put away absolutely and entirely all passion for Form, all passion for the Formless, all conceit, excitement, and ignorance—and so, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … progress whereto is difficult and intuition sluggish, then there is contact … the faculty of knowledge made perfect … balance.
Now these … are states that are good.
But when, as the result of just this good Jhāna having been wrought, having been cultivated in pursuit of the Supermundane, he, aloof from sensuous appetites, aloof from evil ideas, enters into and abides in the First Jhāna … progress whereto is difficult and intuition sluggish, and which is Empty, then there is contact … the faculty of one whose knowledge is made perfect … balance. And these … are states that are indeterminate.
Question and answer on ‘contact’ as above passim.
What on that occasion is the faculty of one whose knowledge is made perfect?
The perfected knowledge, the science, the understanding of the doctrines of those whose knowledge is made perfect, their searching, research, searching the Truth; discernment, discrimination, differentiation; erudition, proficiency, subtlety; criticism, reflection, analysis; breadth, sagacity, leading; insight, intelligence, incitement; wisdom as faculty and as power; wisdom as a sword, as a height, as light, as glory, as splendour, as a precious stone; the absence of dullness, searching the Truth, right views, that searching the truth which is a factor in the Great Awakening; a Path-component, contained in the Path—this is on that occasion the faculty of one whose knowledge is made perfect.
Or whatever other incorporeal, causally induced states there are on that occasion, these are states that are indeterminate.
Here ends the Fourfold System of Jhāna.