Saññā includes kāma saññā, rupa loka saññā, and arupa loka saññā. Sentient beings in kāma, rupa, and arupa lokas are all born with specific types of “distorted or viparita saññā,” also known as “saññā vipallāsa.” That is the reason why attachment to sensual pleasures, jhānic pleasures, and arupa samāpatti pleasures are difficult to overcome.
September 20, 2025
Can One Meditate Without focusing on a Loka Saññā?
1. The “Saññā Sutta (AN 11.7)” Ven. Ānanda asks the Buddha: “Siyā nu kho, bhante, bhikkhuno tathārūpo samādhi paṭilābho yathā neva pathaviyaṁ pathavisaññī assa, na āpasmiṁ āposaññī assa, na tejasmiṁ tejosaññī assa, na vāyasmiṁ vāyosaññī assa, na ākāsānañcāyatane ākāsānañcāyatanasaññī assa, na viññāṇañcāyatane viññāṇañcāyatanasaññī assa, na ākiñcaññāyatane ākiñcaññāyatanasaññī assa, na nevasaññānāsannayatane nevasaññānāsannayatanasaññī assa, na idhaloke idhalokasaññī assa, na paraloke paralokasaññī assa, yampidaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sutaṁ mutaṁ viññātaṁ pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā, tatrāpi na saññī assa; saññī ca pana assā”ti?“
- I have highlighted different sections to make it easier to see the translation. Pāli grammar is different, so the order of sentence structure is somewhat confusing.
- Translation: “Could it be, Bhante, that a bhikkhu might gain a state of samādhi without taking in the ‘pathavisaññā of a solid object, āposaññā of a liquid (say, water), tejo saññā of a fire, vāyo saññā of the wind, ākāsānañcāyatana saññā, viññāṇañcāyatana saññā, ākiñcaññāyatana saññā, nevasaññānāsannayatana saññā (those latter four for arupa loka samāpatti), any saññā associated with this world (what we experience now), any saññā associated with a future existence, or any saññā associated with what is seen, heard, tastes, smelled, touched, or grasped by viññāna. And yet they would still perceive (still have a saññā).”
- The sentences highlighted in green refer to the four ‘great elements’ that are present in any realm. They also refer to the types of nimitta (mind focus) used by anariya yogis to cultivate rupa loka jhāna (kasina meditations with a clay ball, a water bowl, a fire, and breath). Those highlighted in black refer to arupa loka samāpatti and other existences. Those highlighted in purple refer to ‘regular saññā’ while living daily life.
- In the last sentence, Ven. Ānanda is asking whether there is a samādhi without any of the above types of saññā, yet still with a saññā.
“Cooling Down Saññā” is Associated With Nibbāna
2. @ mareker 5.1, the Buddha says: “Idhānanda, bhikkhu evaṁ saññī hoti: ‘etaṁ santaṁ etaṁ paṇītaṁ, yadidaṁ sabbasaṅkhārasamatho sabbūpadhipaṭinissaggo taṇhākkhayo virāgo nirodho nibbānan’ti.“
- Translation: Of course. There is such a samādhi: It is the “cooling down saññā” associated with Nibbāna: “‘etaṁ santaṁ etaṁ paṇītaṁ, yadidaṁ sabbasaṅkhārasamatho sabbūpadhipaṭinissaggo taṇhākkhayo virāgo nirodho nibbānan’ti.”
- That saññā associated with Nibbāna is devoid of any distortion in perception, i.e., without any lokiya saññā (any saññā associated with the world or pañcupādānakkhandha), which are all distorted (viparita), i.e., with “saññā vipallāsa.”
- As we have discussed, even an Arahant living a daily life will experience lokiya saññā (without attaching to it). However, while in Arahant-phala samāpatti (re-experiencing the Arahant-phala experience), they experience the ‘pure saññā’ (without any distortions).
- Furthermore, anyone above the Sotapanna stage can also experience that ‘pure saññā‘ (without any distortions) while in the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi. See #19 in “Avijjā is Triggered by Kāma Saññā in Kāma Loka” and “Overcoming Kāma Saññā – Satipaṭṭhāna Bhumi or Jhāna.”
Sammā Samādhi Not Possible With Loka Saññā
3. At the marker 5.3, the Buddha emphasizes that ‘Nibbānic saññā‘ does not have any of the lokiya saññā listed in #1 above.
- After that conversation, Ven. Ānanda went to Ven. Sāriputta, and asked the same question.
- Venerable Ānanda was astonished to hear Ven. Sāriputta gives the same exact explanation. He uttered (@marker 10.1), “It’s incredible, it’s amazing! How the teacher and the disciple gave the exact same answer without any contradictions!”
Direct Evidence That Ānāpānasati Is Not Breath Meditation
4. The above sutta is direct evidence from the Tipiṭaka that breath meditation or any mundane kasina meditation would not be a Buddhist meditation.
- Breath meditation takes vāyo saññā (saññā of air coming in and out of the nose) as the meditation focus. Mundane kasina meditations by anariya yogis use a clay ball (pathavi saññā), a water bowl (āpo saññā), or a fire (tejo saññā) as the nimitta or the focus.
- As we have discussed (see “Loka and Nibbāna (Aloka) – Complete Overview“), there is nothing common between “the world” and Nibbāna. Anything present in the loka is absent in Nibbāna.
- In the mundane sense, “loka” is usually considered to be the physical world with people and the environment, extending to include stars, planets, etc., in the vast universe. But the Buddha most times referred to one’s pañcupādānakkhandha as “one’s world” (which gives rise to the external world).
- There is absolutely nothing common between Nibbāna and “loka” in both of those interpretations.
- Therefore, anything associated with the “world/loka” cannot be taken as a nimitta for meditation or the cultivation of the Noble Path.
One Must be a Sotapanna to Take the ‘Nibbānic Saññā‘
5. However, one must be at least a Sotapanna to be able to take the ‘Nibbānic saññā‘ (peaceful state of mind) as the focus for meditation, because they have experienced it at least momentarily.
- As we have discussed, a person ‘sees with the dhamma eye’ (or with ‘dhamma cakkhu‘ or ‘with wisdom’) the ‘Nibbānic saññā‘ without any types of ‘distorted saññā‘ for the first time when attaining the Sotapanna phala moment.
- As discussed, that happens when one overcomes any type of ‘loka saññā‘ while listening to a discourse or while contemplating Dhamma concepts. At that moment, the mind realizes the dangers of attaching to pañcupādānakkhandha and eliminates the first three saṁyojana that bind one to the rebirth process.
- Those three saṁyojana are associated with wrong views about the world (pañcupādānakkhandha), i.e., sakkāya diṭṭhi. Simultaneously, one would realize that just following rituals is not enough and cultivation of paññā is necessary, and any doubts about Buddha’s teachings will be eliminated. Those latter two are related to silabbata parāmāsa and vicikicchā.
Understanding the Importance of Automatic Attachment to ‘Loka Saññā‘
6. One also becomes a ‘Sandiṭṭhiko‘ at that moment of overcoming ‘loka saññā,’ i.e., one can ‘see with wisdom’ how automatic attachment ot the ‘loka saññā‘ at the very early stage of a sensory event takes one away from Nibbāna and leads to the start of another phase of the pañcupādānakkhandha. See “Sandiṭṭhiko – What Does It Mean?“
- That ‘automatic attachment’ will occur as long as the corresponding saṁyojana remains unbroken. This is discussed in “Growth of Pañcupādānakkhandha – ‘Anusotagāmi’.”
- For example, “kāma saññā” (“distorted saññā” in kāma loka due to the kāma rāga saṁyojana) will cause the mind to become automatically attached to any sensory input in kāma loka in Step 1 of a series of attachments (as discussed in the above post).
- An Arahant has eliminated all three of kama rāga, rupa rāga, and arupa rāga saṁyojana. Thus, they will not attach to any of the ‘loka saññā.’
Variety of Saññā Is Highest in Kāma Loka
7. The number or types of ‘loka saññā‘ present in the 11 realms of kāma loka is the highest. ‘Kāma assāda‘ or ‘sensual pleasures with close contact with taste, smell, and touch (and with related sights and sounds) are present only in kāma loka, and they have the strongest types of associated ‘loka saññā‘ (for sex, tasty foods, and enticing sights, sounds, and smells). These are called “nānatta saññā‘ or a ‘wide variety of saññā.’
- Then, in the sixteen Brahma realms in ‘rupa loka,’ the mind experiences a smaller number of saññā. In these realms, ‘jhānic saññā‘ is present. Those are savitakka, savicāra, piti, sukha, and ekaggatā. As one moves up to higher rupa loka realms, the number of saññā decreases, and so does the associated ‘stress’ or ‘suffering.’ By the fourth jhāna, the four of the ‘jhānic saññā‘ mentioned above have been eliminated, and one only experiences ekaggatā.
- In the ‘arupa loka‘ (four arupa Brahma realms), only the mind is present, and most of the time, the mind is focused on only one saññā. For example, in the Ākāsānancāyatana and Viññāṇañcāyatana realms, the mind is focused on the infinite space and the infinite viññāṇa, respectively. These are the ‘arupa loka samāpatti‘ with the least stress! The least stress (suffering) is experienced in those highest Brahma realms.
- Therefore, if an anariya yogi moves up systematically from the kāma loka to the rupa loka, and eventually to the arupa loka, the number of ‘distorted saññā‘ experienced will reduce. That is why jhānic experiences are better than kāma assāda (sensual pleasures), and arupa samāpattis are even better. However, those attainments are temporary, as discussed below.
- Since an Arahant‘s mind still receives the kama saññā, they can enjoy kāma assāda without attaching to them. If they have cultivated jhāna or arupa samāpatti, they can experience those as well, without attaching to them!
Ubhatovimutti Arahants – Proceeding via Jhāna and Samāpatti
8. During the days of the Buddhās (especially in the early days), there were ubhatovimutti Arahants who attained Arahanthood in a systematic way, overcoming the saññās present in the kāma loka, rupa loka, and arupa loka in that order. While some proceeded through all the steps (all rupa jhāna and all arupa samāpatti), others either attained Arahanthood from intermediate jhānic or samāpatti states (or directly from the kāma loka).
- This is discussed in many suttās. Let us consider the “Mahāmālukya Sutta (MN 64).”
- I have linked to where it describes attaining the first Ariya jhāna by eliminating the first five saṁyojanā. At marker 9.7, it says one can attain Arahanthood from there by seeing the unfruitful nature of all existence (@9.3: “So yadeva tattha hoti rūpagataṁ vedanāgataṁ sannagataṁ saṅkhāragataṁ viññāṇagataṁ te dhamme aniccato dukkhato rogato gaṇḍato sallato aghato ābādhato parato palokato suññato anattato samanupassati“) and by contempalting the ‘Nibbānic sukha‘ (@9.6: “‘etaṁ santaṁ etaṁ paṇītaṁ yadidaṁ sabbasaṅkhārasamatho sabbūpadhipaṭinissaggo taṇhākkhayo virāgo nirodho nibbānan’ti.”)
- If they don’t attain Arahanthood from the first jhāna, they can move to the second jhāna by only eliminating the vitakka/vicāra (@10.12.1: “..vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā“).
9. Then the sutta repeats that process for all four jhānās, i.e., some attain Arahanthood from the second, third, or fourth jhāna, but others may just move up to the next jhāna.
- @13.1, the sutta describes a Sekha who does not attain Arahanthood from the fourth jhāna, but moves up to the first arupa samāpatti (ākāsānañcāyatana) by having overcome all types of saññā up to that time (‘..sabbaso rūpasaññānaṁ samatikkamā paṭighasaññānaṁ atthaṅgamā nānattasaññānaṁ amanasikārā..’).
- Then the same process is applied to the subsequent steps involving the other three realms in the arupa loka (viññāṇañcāyatana, ākiñcaññāyatana, and nevasaññānāsaññāyatana).
- Once the remaining trace of ‘loka saññā‘ in nevasaññānāsaññāyatana is removed, one moves to ‘saññāvedayitanirodha’ or ‘nirodha samāpatti.’ Note that ‘saññāvedayitanirodha’ is abbreviated for ‘saññā avedayita nirodha’ or the ‘cessation of vedanā and saññā’ meaning actual experience of Nibbāna with the cessation of all thoughts.” That is why it is called ‘nirodha samāpatti.’
- That is where all saññā associated with the world are absent, and one can experience ‘full Nibbāna‘ even while alive.
Nibbāna Is the Same for All Arahants
10. Finally, @marker 16.1 Ven. Ānanda asked the Buddha, “Eso ce, bhante, maggo esā paṭipadā pañcannaṁ orambhāgiyānaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ pahānāya, atha kiñcarahi idhekacce bhikkhū cetovimuttino ekacce bhikkhū paññāvimuttino‘ ti?”
- Translation: “..how come some Arahants here are cetovimutti (with all the jhāna and samāpatti) while others are released without attaining cetovimutti (i.e., they are only paññāvimutti)?
- The Buddha explains that it is due to the disparity of their faculties (not sense faculties, but sati, saddhā, viriya, samādhi, paññā). Some attain Arahanthood without cultivating a single jhāna; some attain Arahanthood via a jhāna or a samāpatti; a relatively few attain all the jhānās and samāpattis and have the capability to enter ‘nirodha samāpatti‘ and experience ‘full Nibbāna‘ even while alive.
- The ultimate attainment, Nibbāna, is the same for any type of Arahant or the Buddha. Nibbānā is reached when rāga, dosa, and moha cease to arise in the mind.
- Finally, in the “Anupada Sutta (MN 111),” the Buddha describes how Ven. Sāriputta sequentially enters all the jhānās and samāpattis, culminating in nirodha samāpatti to experience ‘full Nibbana‘ (during his life, after he attained Arahanthood).
Sansāric Journey Among the 31 Realms
11. Regardless of the realm one is presently in, one could be reborn in any of the 31 realms in the future (including in the lowest four realms or the apāyās), if all ten saṁyojana remain intact.
- One could cultivate anariya jhāna and be reborn in the rupa loka and live in a ‘rupa loka‘ realm for millions of years.
- Some others transcend jhānās and cultivate anariya arupa samāpatti. They will be reborn in a realm in the ‘arupa loka‘ and may live there for even longer.
- However, they will all still have all ten saṁyojana unbroken, and thus, they will always come back to the human realm first. After that, they could be reborn even in an apāya.
- This is why it is crucial to comprehend how the saṁyojana can be broken and the ensuing consequences. We will do that in the upcoming posts.
‘Distorted Saññā‘ In the Arupa Loka
12. From the above discussion, we can make a critical observation. Even focusing the mind on empty space (to attain ākāsānañcāyatana samāpatti) is done with ‘distorted/viparita saññā.’
- It is easy to understand how the mind becomes attached to a ‘likeable sensory input’ such as tasty food or a jhānic experience (both belong to rāga). We can also see why the mind attaches to an “undesirable sensory input’ like seeing an enemy with anger of dosa.
- It is harder to figure out how a mind attaches to a ‘seemingly neutral sensory object’ like empty space (as in ākāsānañcāyatana) or any of the anariya kasina objects, like a clay ball or a fire (used to attain jhāna) mentioned in #1 above. This happens with arupa rāga. This is a subtle point: ‘Rupa‘ refers to something that can be given a shape. In arupa loka, infinite space (for example) does not have that characteristic. Yet, one attaches to it with arupa rāga due to avijjā!
- In ultimate reality, the whole world (encompassing everything mentioned above) is created by the collective kammic energies of all sentient beings. Anything created by the mind is an illusion! That is why the Buddha called saññā a mirage and viññāṇa a magician: “Fooled by Distorted Saññā (Sañjānāti) – Origin of Attachment (Taṇhā)” and “Avijjā is Triggered by Kāma Saññā in Kāma Loka.”