Sir Lal : “Nibbāna sukha” is NOT a feeling. It is the absence of suffering.
Me : This statement remind me this sutta !
At one time Venerable Sāriputta was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.
Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā sāriputto rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.
There he addressed the mendicants:
Tatra kho āyasmā sāriputto bhikkhū āmantesi:
“Reverends, extinguishment is bliss!
“sukhamidaṁ, āvuso, nibbānaṁ.
Extinguishment is bliss!”
Sukhamidaṁ, āvuso, nibbānan”ti.
When he said this, Venerable Udāyī said to him,
Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā udāyī āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca:
“But Reverend Sāriputta, what’s blissful about it, since nothing is felt?”
“kiṁ panettha, āvuso sāriputta, sukhaṁ yadettha natthi vedayitan”ti?
“The fact that nothing is felt is precisely what’s blissful about it.
“Etadeva khvettha, āvuso, sukhaṁ yadettha natthi vedayitaṁ.
- This is a very good sutta where Venerable Arahant Sāriputta further explains that the pleasures of Kāma loka, Rūpa loka and Arupa loka are sufferings.They are different from Nibbāna. The explanation given is that an arahant who attains nirodha samapatti is free from suffering. This is noteworthy because Venerable Arahant Sāriputta, who is a pannavimutta, discusses Nirodha Samapatti. He chose one day to experience all the jhānas and samapattis leading up to Nirodha.
- I would like to address a controversial point regarding the Pannavimuttas Arahants. It is often assumed that they are unable to develop jhānas, samapattis, and nirodha samapatti. I will present evidence that may contradict this prevailing belief.
- See the Anupadasutta
Furthermore, going totally beyond the dimension of nothingness, he entered and remained in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception.
Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, sāriputto sabbaso ākiñcaññāyatanaṁ samatikkamma nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṁ upasampajja viharati.
And he emerged from that attainment with mindfulness.
So tāya samāpattiyā sato vuṭṭhahati.
Then he contemplated the phenomena of that attainment that had passed, ceased, and perished:
So tāya samāpattiyā sato vuṭṭhahitvā ye dhammā atītā niruddhā vipariṇatā te dhamme samanupassati:
‘So it seems that these phenomena, not having been, come to be; and having come to be, they flit away.’
‘evaṁ kirame dhammā ahutvā sambhonti, hutvā paṭiventī’ti.
Regarding those phenomena, he meditated without going near or going away, independent, untied, liberated, detached, his mind free of limits.
So tesu dhammesu anupāyo anapāyo anissito appaṭibaddho vippamutto visaṁyutto vimariyādīkatena cetasā viharati.
He understood: ‘There is an escape beyond.’
So ‘atthi uttari nissaraṇan’ti pajānāti.
Repeated practice of that confirmed this for him.
Tabbahulīkārā atthitvevassa hoti.
Furthermore, going totally beyond the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, he entered and remained in the cessation of perception and feeling. And, having seen with wisdom, his defilements came to an end.
Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, sāriputto sabbaso nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṁ samatikkamma saññāvedayitanirodhaṁ upasampajja viharati. Paññāya cassa disvā āsavā parikkhīṇā honti.
- In the Dīghanakhautta, Venerable Arahant Sāriputta became an arahant by listening to a discourse from Lord Buddha without attaining any jhānas.
Now at that time Venerable Sāriputta was standing behind the Buddha fanning him.
Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā sāriputto bhagavato piṭṭhito ṭhito hoti bhagavantaṁ bījayamāno.
Then he thought,
Atha kho āyasmato sāriputtassa etadahosi:
“It seems the Buddha speaks of giving up and letting go all these things through direct knowledge.”
“tesaṁ tesaṁ kira no bhagavā dhammānaṁ abhiññā pahānamāha, tesaṁ tesaṁ kira no sugato dhammānaṁ abhiññā paṭinissaggamāhā”ti.
Reflecting like this, Venerable Sāriputta’s mind was freed from the defilements by not grasping.
Iti hidaṁ āyasmato sāriputtassa paṭisañcikkhato anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimucci.
- In the Theragatha, he states that he attained arahantship by listening to a Dhamma discourse.
“The Blessed One, the Buddha, the seer
Aññassa bhagavā buddho,
was teaching Dhamma to another.
dhammaṁ desesi cakkhumā;
As he taught the Dhamma,
Dhamme desiyamānamhi,
I lent an ear to get the meaning.
sotamodhesimatthiko.
My listening wasn’t wasted:
Taṁ me amoghaṁ savanaṁ,
I’m freed, without defilements.”
vimuttomhi anāsavo.
“Not for knowledge of past lives,
Neva pubbenivāsāya,
nor even for clairvoyance;
napi dibbassa cakkhuno;
not for psychic powers, or reading the minds of others,
Cetopariyāya iddhiyā,
nor for knowing people’s passing away and being reborn;
cutiyā upapattiyā;
not for purifying the power of clairaudience,
Sotadhātuvisuddhiyā,
did I have any wish.”
- He also confirms that he does not desire to develop iddhi powers. However, arahants who attain Nirodha samapatti automatically possess these powers, and it is beyond their control (Anatta).
- Achieving Nirodha Samapatti is similar to learning how to run; once a person knows how to run, they automatically know how to walk. To reach Nirodha Samapatti, one must have perfected all the jhānas and arupavacaras samapattis. Additionally, to attain iddhis, one must have mastered all four jhānas to perfection.
- All the evidence supports the idea that pannavimutta arahants who wish to develop jhanas, arupavacara samapatti, iddhis, and Nirodha samapatti can do so through focused concentration. It is important to remember that concentration and the removal of the five obstacles are essential for achieving jhānas and arupavacara samapattis. No being is more focused than an arahant, who has not only removed the five obstacles but has completely eradicated them. Most pannavimutta arahants simply choose not to pursue the development of these attainements and focus on the pure citta. Venerable Arahant Sāriputta did develop them to analyze them in detail and understand their causes. It is no surprise that Lord Buddha imparted the Abhidhamma to him.