[Zapper]

Hello people,
I know that Lal has said to me that there are some contradictions in this particular Paticcasamuppada Vibhanga but I am not sure if this is a contradiction or I just don’t understand how it works.

“Paṭiccasamuppāda Vibhaṅga“

To me, it seems like it’s implied that Lokuttara kusala citta is connected with the first Jhāna (and possibly the rest of the meditative absorptions).

Here is the text. I will bold the specific words that have gotten my attention:

2.10.4. Lokuttarakusalacitta

279.1Katame dhammā kusalā? 279.2Yasmiṁ samaye lokuttaraṁ jhānaṁ bhāveti niyyānikaṁ apacayagāmiṁ diṭṭhigatānaṁ pahānāya paṭhamāya bhūmiyā pattiyā vivicceva kāmehi …pe… paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati dukkhapaṭipadaṁ dandhābhiññaṁ

My questions are:
How is Lokuttara connected with Jhāna? Isn’t Lokuttara above Jhāna? Or is Lokuttara also a more refined Jhāna? (Like Ariya Jhānas)

[Lal]

Kusalaniddesa (section on Kusala Citta) starts here: “2. Kusalaniddesa“

1. Section 2.10.1.1. Mahākusalacitta through 2.10.1.4. Mahākusalacitta are on kamavacara (kama loka) kusala citta.

2. Section 2.10.2. Rūpāvacarakusalacitta on mundane rupavacara (rupa loka) kusala citta. These are mundane (anariya) jhana.

3. Section 2.10.3. Arūpāvacarakusalacitta on mundane arupavacara (arupa loka) kusala citta. These are mundane (anariya) rupa samapatti.

4. Section 2.10.4. Lokuttarakusalacitta on rupavacara (rupa loka) Lokuttara kusala citta. These are Lokuttara (Ariya) jhana: “2.10.4. Lokuttarakusalacitta“

• It starts with “Yasmiṁ samaye lokuttaraṁ jhānaṁ bhāveti ..”

__________

So, I hope you have the answer above. 

• Those cultivated mundane (anariya) jhana have kama raga suppressed, not eliminated.
• In contrast, even the first Ariya jhana is reached by eliminating kama raga. Thus, only an Anagami or an Arahant would have Ariya jhana.

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Jittananto, Zapper

[Lal]

The above explains why it is only the Ariya fourth jhana that can be defined as the peak of Samma Samadhi.

• If an Anagami can get there, they are almost at Arahanthood.
• See the current post “Sammā Samādhi – How to Define It?“

________

P.S. We all had cultivated rupa jhana and arupa samapatti countless times in our deep past. Most of us are still trapped in this rebirth process among the 31 realms.

• That is just moving from realm to realm among the 31 realms in the world. Any anariya  rupa jhana and arupa samapatti belong to the world, not a part of Nibbana.
• If one can attain the Sotapanna stage, that surpasses any jhana or samapatti, because it is when one breaks free from the trap. Of course, one can use an anariya jhana to attain the Sotapanna stage by seeing the anicca nature of that jhana and moving into the Satipatthana Bhumi.

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Jittananto, Zapper

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