June 26, 2021– DN 33 – The Chanting Together – Third Recitation: Sets of nine

Thank you. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, everyone. I hope you are all doing well. I'll continue from where we left off in the Digha Nikaya number 33, the Sangiti Sutta, and we're going to start from the sets of nine. This is a translation by Maurice Walsh. There are sets of nine things: nine causes of malice. Malice is stirred up by the thought: he has done me an injury, he is doing me an injury, he will do me an injury.

somebody who has made fun of you, and so on and so forth, in whatever way they have done an injury to you. When you think about that person, or when anybody with an untrained mind thinks about that person, they immediately have a set of thoughts that are hateful, that are rooted in ill will, that are rooted in this resentment. The more one thinks about it in this way, and the more one has the wrong intention of attaching to these things, to memories of things that someone has done to you, the more it will reinforce those same formations to ignite, activate, rise up and continue to give rise to defiled consciousnesses that are rooted in unwholesome states, rooted in resentment. And the more that happens, the more automated that process becomes, and this leads to a bhava, a set of habitual tendencies, a set of identities from which one acts with that malice in mind, with that resentment in. So these are the nine causes. That is to say, you think about somebody who

has done something wrong in the past towards you, or you have that ill intention when somebody is saying something wrong to you, saying something hurtful to you, who is in a conflict with you for some reason or another. If you find yourself becoming spiteful, if you find yourself becoming filled with ill will, then the process of the 6R's helps you to recognize it, let it go, and replace it with love and kindness, which we'll talk about in the next part. But this is the way to resolve that conflict: be mindful whenever you see the uprising of any kind of ill will and resentment coming up into the mind. You will do me an injury, that is to say, you have suspicions about somebody who will harm you just because they did something in the past. This expectation, or this suspicion that one has, that somebody will injure you in the future because they did so in the past, or whatever it might be, is based in again the conditioned reality in which the mind

takes the past to be self, takes the past to be something that is concrete, when in fact all it is is a series of causes and conditions that then come up and manifest in your mind as a thought or a memory. And it would be unfair to think that somebody would do an injury to you just because they did it in the past, if you're able to forgive and, more importantly, forget. Because that's really important to know is that if you're truly forgiven somebody, then you will forget what they did and see them as a new person, because in truth every moment is a refresher for every single being. Every moment there is a new sense of being, or for everybody there is a new sense of behavior, a new sense of ideas, a new sense of personality.

It's not like that person that you have suspicions about is literally scheming against you in that moment. They probably don't even have any idea of what they think towards you in terms of that. Maybe they have let go of that, they have forgiven themselves, and they have decided to turn over a new leaf and change. So you need to be able to give that benefit of the doubt, and if you notice that you have suspicions, then recognize it, let it go, and see that perhaps you require more forgiveness practice, as we'll discuss in the next part. It's the same that applies for those who do something towards somebody else, somebody who is close to one, a loved one, a friend, a family member, whatever it might be. The understanding here is that it's all a karmic process

and if you start to identify with that process, then you cause yourself to, so to speak, get into that process, and then become muddled by those karmic streams, so to speak. So allow the karma to evolve as it is, and with a mind that is free of any ill will, with a mind that is free of any thoughts of harm, a mind that is free of any kind of attachment or aversion, and that has mindfulness and is rooted in love and kindness, rooted in compassion, then you can see if it's necessary for you to interfere in a way that will resolve the conflict, in a way that will help the person injuring the other person from continuing to create that unwholesome karma for themselves, and at the same time protecting the one who is being injured, in whatever way it might be.

So it's all about how the intention is. If the intention brings up loving kindness, meaning first one has the wisdom to see that this is all an impersonal process, and then recognizes if ill will is there, lets it go, brings in loving kindness, brings in that compassion, brings in the equanimity, and just sees things as they really are without taking sides, to resolve the conflict. So in this process, he has done, is doing, will do an injury to someone who is dear and pleasant to me doesn't seem like that anymore. It just seems like two people, two beings

interacting with one another through conflict, and that it's through karma, two karmic streams that are interacting with one another. But you see that one is producing unwholesome karma for themselves, and the other requires assistance in the way of not having to deal with that suffering. So if the intention is to alleviate suffering through conflict resolution, then by all means understand that first the thought process needs to be changed. It cannot be rooted in malice, and from there, by not identifying and not personalizing, you can resolve that conflict. He has done, is doing, will do a favor to someone who is hateful and unpleasant to me. First of all, this idea of someone who is hateful and unpleasant towards somebody, that is rooted already in ill will, that is rooted in thoughts of harm. Such a person requires forgiveness practice, requires the practice to be able to let go of all of these resentments that they're holding on to. Say that they are hateful towards you or they're unpleasant towards you, that might be the case, but if you have spite against them, if you have any

unwholesome reaction towards that idea, then you need to understand it, recognize it, abandon it, and replace it with something wholesome. And so now you start to see this whole process as being impersonal. You start to understand that whatever one is doing, is doing because of their own karma, and it has nothing to do with you personally. The only thing that you can do is to let go of your attachments and any kind of ill will that you might have, for the sake of mental peace, for the sake of cessation of mental suffering.

continues to do that, so that the formations rooted in the unwholesome states become rooted out. They become replaced by formations and strengthened by those same wholesome formations, formations rooted in wholesome tendencies, wholesome ideas and thoughts, and so on. Likewise, one can use compassion in the same way, if there are thoughts of inflicting harm, if there are thoughts of using words that are harmful, that are harsh and abusive, or having thoughts of intentionally harming or even killing someone or another being. This can be counteracted

this can be resolved through compassion. So anytime these thoughts come up related to these events or these nine different circumstances, one can use compassion to let go of any thoughts of harm by abandoning and replacing them with compassion. Equanimity is another brahmavihara one can use, in the sense that if you notice that this is agitating the mind, if you notice that this is creating restlessness in the mind, you can tranquilize the mind through the 6R's process, specifically the relax step, and replace it with equanimity. You start to see that person as being impersonal. You start to see those situations as being impersonal. The fourth understanding is to just see that person as impersonal without having to do these other three things. But usually it'll be a natural progression: the loving kindness will lead to compassion, that compassion will lead to equanimity in this practical situation.

Then you start to see that this person is their own inheritor of karma. This is the fifth way. The fourth way is you see them as being impersonal, as a series of causes and conditions, and they're doing whatever they're doing through their own intentions, and you are not responsible for that. All you are responsible for is your own karma and how you deal with the situation. So this fifth understanding of karma, on that level, helps one to let go of that malice, let go of that ill will, those thoughts of harm, and let go of this resentment.

Nine abodes of beings: beings different in body and different in perception; beings different in body and alike in perception; beings alike in body and different in perception; beings alike in body and alike in perception; the realm of unconscious beings; the realm of neither perception nor non-perception; beings who have attained to the sphere of infinite space; beings who have attained to the sphere of infinite consciousness; beings who have attained to the sphere of nothingness. So this is very similar to when we were looking at the sets of seven, when we were looking at the seven stations of consciousness. What this is doing is showing that, and adding two extra realms. Well, it's really all the realms that make up the entire planes of existence. And so the two additional realms here are essentially the realm of unconscious beings and the realm of neither perception nor non-perception.

So let's just briefly go through each one, so we have clarity here. The beings different in body and different in perception: this is to do with the human realms, some of the deva realms, the animal realms, the hungry ghost realms and the hell realms. So everybody has a different way of perceiving reality, dependent upon their mentality and materiality. Beings different in body and alike in perception: these are the brahma realms. This is the first brahma realm, which is associated with the first jhana, where you have the three categories of beings. You have the supreme maha brahma, then you have below that the purohitas, which are the advisors of the brahma, and then you have the citizenry of the brahma, the parisajjas.

Who are basically assembling people of that realm. So they are different in body because of the categories of beings, and they're alike in perception because they experience the same factors of the first jhana. They experience vitakka, they experience vicara, they experience piti, and they experience sukha. Then you have the beings alike in body and different in perception. These are the abhassara beings. These abhassara beings essentially have the same kind of body. They experience the same kind of, even the subhakinna, they experience the same kind of body in the way of their radiance. Um, so, sorry, I made a mistake here. Beings alike in body and different in perception are the abhassara beings. The reason is because they are alike in body, just like the subhakinnas, as I just mentioned, but they have difference in perceptions.

And the reason is because you have the three categories of beings here as well in the abhassara realms, but there is a fourth category known as defiled radiance. So everybody experiences the same kind of factors of the second jhana, where they experience the piti and the sukha, but they don't experience the vitakka and vicara. However, within this realm, the beings who experience the defiled radiance are those who experience some form of mental movement, some kind of mental verbalization, and that's why they're known as defiled radiance. So these are the beings that are alike in body because they have the similar radiance, but they're different in perception in the way they experience the factors of the jhana. The beings alike in body and alike in perception are essentially the subhakinna and the vehapphala. They're alike in body in terms of their radiance, their luminosity.

In their body, and they're alike in perception because they experience the same form of tranquility and happiness in the third jhana, and equanimity and mindfulness in the fourth jhana, for the vehapphala. So within that same category of the vehapphala there is another realm, which is known as the realm of unconscious beings. This is translated as unconscious, but in the original Pali it's asanyata, which would mean the beings without perception. So naturally, beings without perception would no longer have any consciousness, because consciousness is dependent upon feeling, and perception dependent upon some kind of contact. So beings who don't experience the jhanas, but they have their own meditative processes, for example certain groups of meditators outside of the Buddha's dispensation, will experience different levels of suspended animation.

And they call this, in their own schools of thought, samadhi. That's their version of samadhi, which is where they experience a point where the mind is completely unconscious. When they do this, it's a level of absorption, a deep level of absorption, a very strong level of absorption, that leads to this sense of unconsciousness. And so what happens is those beings, because they continue to be in this kind of state, will then take birth into this realm of unconscious beings. The mental stream will have stopped, will have taken a pause, and whatever intention was there before, it will be paused. And for the duration of that period of being in that realm of unconscious beings there won't be any mental stream that moves; it will be just pure unconsciousness. And at the end of that lifespan there will be an intention that arises, which then immediately gives rise to a new consciousness, which will become established in the new mentality-materiality dependent upon the karma from that intention.

dependent upon the karmic aspiration that immediately arises and so it will it will then give rise to a new mentality materiality so in the realm of neither perception or non-perception if you think about the experience of neither perception or non-perception it's a level of experiencing certain gaps in consciousness it's a level where there is very subtle perception happening there is what I would call proto perception which is to say that you start to see certain things based on formations that arise and pass away and they create these imageries they create these kinds of disconnected thoughts that don't seem to make a whole lot of sense and in that process there is like a dreamlike state and eventually the mind becomes uh quite uh silent it becomes very tranquil that's the quiet mind that arises and here there is no intention if you notice there is no sense of intention that arises in this realm of neither perception or non-perception at the level of nothingness there is an intention to radiate equanimity

eventually that stops and you let go of even the perception of nothingness and so now when you let go of the perception of this object of nothingness let's say this idea or state of mind that is this no thingness that gives rise because of the dropping of the intention because of the dropping of perceiving anything uh it starts to d it starts to incline towards in the realm of neither perception and non-perception so in the same way when a being is habitually persistently uh arising in this state meaning always going into the realm of neither perception or non-perception in their meditation practice when they pass away their intention lies no there is no intention to go here or there but there is still a subtle sense of i am ness there's still a certain certain sense of identification

and so that gives rise alone to the to the existence in the realm of neither perception or non-perception and here there is some mental movement but there's not a lot of clarity on what's going on there's different formations that arise but they're not acted upon obviously there's uh different images that arise through that those formations and so there is some kind of semi-consciousness so to speak and then eventually at the end of the ice spine similarly just like the unconscious beings there is an intention that arises all throughout the existence in that realm of neither perception or non-perception there is no intention and then when the intention arises whatever the intention is that is the way the formations arise they will give rise to some kind of a consciousness which will then become established in a new nama rupa in a new mentality materiality that has been built by the karma based on that intention so it's the best match for that particular ripening of that immediate karma that is brought about that immediate intention at the end of that lifespan in the realm of neither perception of substance

So then, we talked about last time the beings who have attained, or the stations of consciousness rather: beings who have attained to the sphere of infinite space, beings who have attained to the sphere of infinite consciousness, and beings who have attained to the sphere of nothingness. In these three cases there is that being who meditates and persistently accesses these states, that is to say the ayatanas of infinite space, or of infinite consciousness, or of nothingness. And so there is something there in the way of formations that are rooted in that experience.

So the beings who experience this persistently, when they pass on, the formations that arise are rooted from that particular state and give rise to the mentality within that particular realm, which is either infinite space or infinite consciousness or nothingness. And in these states there will be the nama, there will be the contact, there will be the feeling, there will be the perception, there will be the intention, there will be the attention, there will be all of these things, but it will be experiencing whatever that category of experience is, whether it's infinite space or infinite consciousness or nothingness. Nine unfortunate, inopportune times for leading the holy life: a Tathagata has been born in the world, the arahant, fully enlightened Buddha, and the Dhamma is taught which leads to calm and perfect nibbana, which leads to enlightenment as taught by the Welfare, and this person is born in a health state. So while there is a Buddha there present, while the teachings of the Buddha are present, the being is in a health state, and there's no way for them to be able to experience

The teachings of the Buddha, there's no way for them to experience the holy life. Likewise, if they're among the animals, animals have different capacities to experience and learn and so on, but not to the extent that human beings might have, because there are certain kinds of faculties that humans possess, like language, for example, the ability to discern in certain ways, and so on. So when one is an animal, it will not be possible as well, because according to the Vinaya, no animal can be entered into the monastic order. So in the same way, anyone who is born in the animal realm while the Buddha is present and teaching, or while his teachings are still preserved and taught long after he is gone, it's not possible for such an animal to experience the entrance into the holy life.

the entrance into the holy life among the petas among the holy i'm sorry amongst the hungry ghosts rather uh the paytas they cannot experience uh good or bad karma they can only experience the effects of karma that they have produced in a past life and the effects of merit that relatives from previous lives dedicate towards them so that will ensure for them some kind of beneficial karma either then uh or in a future life but that doesn't warrant them the ability to experience the holy life they still have to experience the fruits of their karma they're not able to go beyond that and experience the human life in which one has the capacity to know the wholesome and the unwholesome and act in a way to be able to discern the unwholesome and the wholesome continue to cultivate for themselves the wholesome and therefore continue to progress on the path that is not available for the hungry ghosts uh the asuras so there's two categories of asuras here there are the asuras within the subcategory within the category of paytas they are a giant form of hungry ghosts they have a different kind of

body they have a different kind of form and they are still under the category of the pathos but there's a second which is part of the realms of the four great kings they are the rivals of the 33 gods they are the rivals of the gods of the tavatimsa heaven so these asuras they still have certain defilements in them and they are still um they are still prone to anger still prone to ill will still prone to jealousy and other defilements and it's not uh it's not beneficial for them to experience the dama because their minds are not ready for that they are just in there to experience the roots of their karma and then whatever comes comes next will then lead on to a new life

In a long-lived group of devas, this is to say those devas who have long lifespans, it can happen that they might not have access to the teachings of the Buddha, because they are born at a time when there is no Buddha present and none of his teachings are present. Say they missed the opportunity to be able to experience the Dhamma, or they are born in the border regions among foolish barbarians, where there is no access for monks and nuns or male and female lay followers.

so this is an interesting translation foolish barbarians this idea of barbarians actually comes from the word in uh pali which is milaka and milaka comes from the sanskrit mlecha and mlecha means essentially foreign or outsider so somehow it became um deconstructed it became erupted into this idea that all outsiders and foreigners outside the land of aryavern outside the land where the buddha was that indian subcontinent let's say the northern part of the subcontinent outside of that were people who were barbarians for whatever reason because they were different and they didn't speak the language or share the culture and so on and so forth so they had different philosophies and because anyone who was born there uh won't really be receptive to the teachings and they won't be receptive to the nuns or the monks or to the male or female lay followers they won't really be receptive to accepting a different kind of philosophy

a different way of life or teaching and so the idea is as anyone is born there it will be difficult for them to experience the dhamma he is born in the middle country that is to say that part of the indian subcontinent which is known as the gangetic gangetic plane it's the area in uh northern india where the river ganges flows the ganga river and so that's really where the buddha spent most of his time that the daga spent most of his time teaching there in varanasi

In Jeta's Grove and so on and so forth, it was all around that area. But he has wrong views and distorted vision, thinking there is no giving, offering or sacrificing, there is no fruit or result of good or bad deeds, there is not this world and the next world, there are no parents, and there is no spontaneous rebirth, there are no ascetics and brahmins in the world who, having attained to the highest and realized for themselves the highest knowledge about this world and the next, proclaim it. So that's to say that somebody is born in that region at the time when the Buddha is present

and his teachings are present, or at a time when the teachings are present but he's not present, but at least one can continue to learn from studying the words of the Buddha through the Dhamma and the texts of the Dhamma and so on and so forth. And of course, because there is a tradition of sanghas, of the Sangha of monks and nuns who continue on the teachings, they are able to have access to it. But even though they are born in such a region, and even though they might have access to all of this, whether it's the Buddha himself or his teachings through his monastic community or through the transmission of texts of the Dhamma, they still have this distorted thinking, this distorted view, this distorted vision, that there is no giving, offering or sacrifice. So they don't really have any value for generosity. They don't think that there is a meaning in giving, a meaning in generosity.

They have the wrong view that there is no fruit or results of good or bad deeds. So it's difficult for such a person, who believes in a sense of causelessness, that there is no cause and consequence, no action and reaction when it comes to karma and rebirth, they don't believe in that. And so it was difficult for them to be able to understand the Dhamma. There is not this world and the next world, so they are not open-minded enough to understand that there are other worlds possible, where there are other beings existing, whether it's the deva realms or different other planets where other humans exist, and so on.

There are no parents, and there is no spontaneous rebirth. There are no parents means there is no meaning in being grateful to one's parents. There is no gratitude towards them, or there's no gratitude towards anyone else, one's elders. There's no gratitude towards one's teachers, people who brought one up throughout one's childhood, and so on. And the idea that there is no spontaneous rebirth: the person doesn't believe in rebirth or doesn't have an open mind to be able to know and understand that rebirth is not the reincarnation of the soul, but rather rebirth from every moment, you're arising and passing away of new consciousnesses. And the spontaneous rebirth, that is to say, they don't have an understanding that there can be a possibility where, after the death and dissolution of one life, there is an immediate birth text. There are no ascetics and brahmins in the world who, having attained to the highest and realized for themselves the highest knowledge about this world and the next, proclaim it. But they don't have, first and foremost,

the respect. Nor do they have the idea that there are beings who know about this world, who know about this highest knowledge, know about the Dhamma, have attained to a level of Dhamma, and are able to teach it and are able to proclaim it. So even if all the other external factors are ripe, and there is this distorted view, this wrong view present in them, it makes it that much more difficult for them to be able to understand and practise the Dhamma.

Or he is in the middle country but lacks wisdom and is stupid, or is deaf and dumb and cannot tell whether something has been well said or ill said. So this isn't really an extension, and when it says deaf and dumb, that doesn't really mean physically deaf or mute. It really means somebody who turns a deaf ear to the teachings and isn't able to discern what is wholesome, what is unwholesome, to discern what could be the right teaching and what could be the wrong teaching, and so on, or not, that has arisen. And this person is born in the middle country and is intelligent, not stupid, and not deaf or dumb, and well able to tell whether something has been well said or ill said. So in other words, the other categories of requirements might be fulfilled, but there is not a target, there is no teaching, and they live at a time when access to the teachings is no longer available. And so that is something that would be considered an unfortunate, inopportune time for leading the holy life.

Nine successive abidings, that is to say the first, second, third and fourth jhana, the spheres or ayatanas of infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, neither perception nor non-perception, and cessation of perception and feeling. So nine successive abidings meaning one leads to the other, one progresses into the other. What's important to understand here is, after a certain point in time, when somebody has a level of mastery of each of these states, then it's not necessary for one to go through the progressive steps to attain the next abiding, the next successive abiding. One can actually jump, let's say, from the first jhana to the fourth jhana, from the fourth to the second, the second to infinite consciousness, from infinite consciousness to the fourth, from the fourth to nothingness, from nothingness to cessation of perception and feeling, and so on. So once you have that level of mastery, when you can do the determinations, you're able to skip different parts of this whole process.

but in terms of understanding the progression this is the natural progression first there is the first jhana where you have certain factors and certain factors uh fade away and lead to the second jhana then other factors within that jhana fade away and lead to the third and so on and so on until you leave you reach the ayatana of infinite space which naturally gives the perception of infinite consciousness which naturally gives the experience of nothingness which then letting go of all intention letting go of all kinds of uh perception of nothingness leads to the need of perception or non-perception and when all formations even the subtlest formations of this i am the sense of self um is let go of is abandoned you enter into the cessation of perception and healing and so here in the next section it's going to talk about the successive cessations that is to say the fading away of certain things as you progress through these successive abidings so by the attainment of the first jhana perceptions of sensuality cease

That is to say, once you sit down for meditation, you close your eyes, you immediately let go of all visual experience. All you see is your eyelids. As you start to center the mind around an object, let's say it's loving kindness or whatever it might be, the attention is no longer given to any sensual experience in the way of the eye, the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and all that's happening is the mental process of collecting the mind around the object of meditation. And in this way

there is the piti and the sukha born of seclusion, and that seclusion is born because one no longer pays attention to the external sense experiences, and in fact withdraws the mind away from them quite naturally, because the attention is no longer deviating to them but collected around the object of meditation. By the attainment of the second jhana, thinking and pondering cease. So in the first jhana we have the vitakka and the vicara, the thinking and pondering, which is to say you have an initial intention to experience the metta, for example, experience loving kindness. You verbalize or you bring up an image, and then you wait with that image, wait with that verbalization, and start to feel, and then the attention starts to grow that metta, and you start to rest on that metta. Eventually you let go of the image, let go of the verbalization, and all that's left is the piti and the sukha, the happiness and the joy, or the rapture and the happiness, the comfort. The body feels at ease and is quite tranquil and peaceful.

So, at the second jhana, the initial application of thought, the intention, goes away. The consistent sustenance, or sustaining rather, of that thought in order to continue having the attention of the metta goes away, because now the attention quite naturally is collected around that metta, and so you experience that. Therefore, at the second jhana, by the attainment of the third jhana, delight or piti ceases. So as you're in the second jhana, you experience the collectedness of mind. You're able to see the mind paying attention, or observing the mind paying attention to the loving kindness, and you experience the joy, the piti that comes from the second jhana. And eventually it sort of gradually goes away and fades away, and all that's left is the sense of comfort, the sense of tranquility, the sense of happiness. It's a very soft, comforting happiness, and it's not as energetic, it's not as effervescent, it's not as bubbly as the piti. And so when that piti ceases, all that's left is that sukha, and eventually even that sukha goes away, and you will see that by the attainment of the fourth jhana, in and out breathing ceases.

So traditionally there is the understanding, in certain schools of thought, that in the fourth jhana all breathing ceases. And because of this one line here, there's no more breathing. But the way one sees it, or the way one experiences it, is that the mind becomes so equanimous, so quiet, so balanced, so tranquil, and so mindful that it is at such a level of restfulness, in terms of the physicality and even the mind itself being so restful, that it requires less and less oxygenation. It requires less and less respiration. There might be some breathing going on, but so subtle that it's almost imperceptible. And so that ceases, so to speak. In that sense, the need for the normal amount of oxygenation

goes away, and the mind becomes so clear, the body becomes so relaxed, that you don't require as much in-breathing or out-breathing. So when one says ceasing, in that sense it's really the imperceptibility of the breathing aspect, the action of breathing, because the mind is so calm and the body is so relaxed. By the attainment of the sphere of infinite space, the perception of materiality ceases. That is to say, at a certain point as you get into the fourth jhana, you start to let go of any experience of the physicality, and you start to feel as if it's risen to the head. You become more aware of the experience of the head, and eventually that also goes away as you radiate, and that experience then

the sensory impingement, that is to say the experience of hearing a sound in the distance, becomes minuscule. It feels like everything is at a distance, so you might barely experience something, but it's no longer bothersome, it no longer detracts the attention. So the attention is non-dispersed. The attention doesn't disperse into different avenues of the sense doors. So if there is a smell and order, even if there's a recognition of it, or if there's a sound, even if there's a recognition of it, the attention doesn't just go there. It stays collected. And so whatever arises in the way of sensory experiences passes away, and as you start to radiate, even the experience of the body itself, this materiality, this physicality, ceases, and you feel as if you are a disembodied awareness, so to speak. You are essentially in infinite space. You become as if you have completely lost any sense of the body, and you experience this radiating that's going on, that continues to expand the sense of awareness and the sense of space. By the attainment of the sphere of infinite consciousness, the perception of infinite space ceases.

So infinite consciousness here is really infinite consciousnesses. As you continue to radiate, you'll reach a certain kind of limit, so to speak. Although it is limitless, there comes a point where the awareness or the attention becomes so spread out, so thinned out, that it starts to break apart, and it becomes fragmented. This awareness that becomes fragmented happens because everything slows down in the mind. So the sense doors, the experience of the sense doors, and the internal contact that arises in each of the sense doors starts to slow down. The awareness slows down, and you start to see the arising and passing away of, let's say, the eye consciousness, the ear consciousness, the nose consciousness, the tongue consciousness, or the body consciousness. You experience it in different ways, or you see the gaps in thoughts. The thoughts start to slow down to such a level that while you're observing them come and go, you start to see the gaps in there. You start to see the fragmentary arising and passing away of consciousnesses.

then the perception of infinite sorry by the attainment of the sphere of nothingness the perception of infinite consciousnesses cease that's to say this no thingness at a certain point everything slows down in the way of the arising and passing away you have the experience of seeing the impermanent nature of consciousness you have in seeing the impermanence you see the dukkha in that impermanence you see how tiresome it gets in seeing that dukkha you see the anata of that dukkha you see the impersonal nature of the impermanence and the suffering in seeing that uh anata you then abandon you have the perception of abandoning any seeing of that and you come to the cessation of the arising and passing away of those consciousnesses and now the mind's attention moves to the perception of nothingness it's this blank and it can be understood depending upon a being's formation some people experience it as this dark space uh just blackness void some people experience it in different colors it's just like this white space or light blue space or whatever but there's nothing there

There's like infinite nothing in that sense. You don't see anything anywhere. You don't have a perception of space, perception of any of the consciousnesses. It's just no-thing. And one of the reasons that you do this is because the mind starts to look in on itself, having started to see the internal consciousnesses arising and passing away, in other words seeing the internal contacts of each of the sense doors. The mind has already turned in on itself and is no longer worried about other thoughts, about, you know, what am I going to do for dinner, or, you know, when am I meeting this person, or when do I have the next appointment. All of these mundane things no longer arise in the mind. What might arise are formations which give rise to certain thoughts internally, but those are all related to the mind, all related to what's happening internally in the mind. So there's no-thingness. There are no thoughts of external externalities that the mind goes after. This perception of this nothingness just gives rise to the intention

or rather, the intention to give gives rise to seeing the perception. In other words, the intention of letting go of perceiving infinite consciousness, by seeing the gaps, by turning your attention towards the gaps, gives rise to the sphere of nothingness, and the perception of the infinite consciousnesses ceases. Now, in this process, there is the intention of radiating equanimity. Eventually what happens is that the mind stops radiating equanimity, and there's this deep silence. And then you have another intention that you drop, and it starts radiating again, and eventually it stops again. At a certain point, when you radiate and the mind starts to radiate this equanimity, it feels attention, you feel a resistance to radiating. And so do you stop? The mind stops radiating and just rests within itself. Now it has let go of the perception of nothingness, let go of any kind of intention. There's only this observation of this quiet mind, this tranquil mind, letting go of all intention. This is where it says, by the attainment of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, this perception of the sphere of nothingness ceases.

And so now the perception of nothing has ceased because you have let go of all intention, let go of all perception, and you come to a point where there are gaps in your perception. You see certain things, as we were talking about just a little earlier, you see certain things that seem to be quite disconnected, because whatever formations are arising, and eventually everything starts to become quiet as you start to let go. As you see it, you let go. As soon as you recognize it, you release it, relax and come back. You recognize, release, come back, meaning

whatever formations arise, they are little vibrations that start to detract the mind away from its resting in on itself, resting in on the quiet mind. And so there, this is the state, as they say, which is where you feel like you are asleep but you're awake. It's like a lucid deep sleep where there's all kinds of wisps of thoughts and dreamlike occurrences. The mind is very bright and sharp and clear and tranquil, but these little wisps are like these formations, are generated by the formations, and so one just lets go of them and continues to remain in that quiet mind. Eventually there is nothing but that quietude, and when you let go of that, that is to say by the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, perception and feeling cease. So at that point you let go of the subtlest formation that will give rise to a consciousness, which will give rise to a feeling. This is all internal and mental, of course, and give rise to a perception, and that subtlest formation is that I am letting go of all identity

the cessation of all identity you then have the attainment of cessation of perception feeling these are the sets of nine things does anybody have any questions or comments hi Delson I have one question though um this is about you know uh jumping around in the jhana that you um mentioned but uh you said it's in the mastery and then need the intention can we do that without even the intention so time to time like this is in the deep meditations you know uh especially in the lower jhana i can really see that from a first jhana all of the sun in the fourth you know like it's without intention because yeah yeah yes it is possible in fact uh i have come across a lot of people who just meditate sit down and they're able to just get into quiet mind immediately yes so that's just based on the fact that your formations are built in such a way that you have some level of clarity and some level of what's the word I'm looking for some level of understanding some level of

knowing that this is the Jana you know like you just have some level some degree of mastery to the extent of recognizing the different factors of the genres so for whatever reason the mind has inclined towards that particular giant let's say the fork genre maybe because the formations rooted in that genre have become more strengthened and it's easier to bypass now having said that there are times when even when one is meditating for the first time or the first few times let's say on their retreat or whatever it might be it's possible that they can still bypass certain janus or certain ayatanas it's not like they always experience a successive abidings and that's just because of maybe built up uh karma that they have from previous lifetimes they might have already experienced it and their formations are strengthened in such a way that it's almost like a recognition that they feel at home that's the word i'm looking for they feel at home at a certain jhana or at a certain ayatana it just feels natural to be there and bypass the other ones

I have a question, when you were talking about the another perception or non-perception, and you said something about the formation of I am this, and we kind of let that go. So if one is in that state, does one consciously choose to let go of the I am-ness, or is that something that sort of evolves or naturally progresses when you're in the perception or non-perception that you let go, like the letting go happens on its own, if you will, or is that like intentional, I am now letting go of I am?

yeah yeah so so so the thing is there's two two levels to this when you are in neither perception or non-perception there is no actual intention present there is just this process that's basically automated automated so it just continues to let go on its own but there comes a time where you see course or formations and you come out of that eye at the night come out of the neither perception non-perception and so you consciously let go you recognize you release you relax and so on and then come back so there's two levels if you come out of that state then you consciously do it but you might notice in your own practice that when you're doing when you are in that state whatever arises immediately just is let go of without you having to even think of it so it's a natural progression that it just continues to be let go of because you have continued to let go to such an extent that it becomes automated and so even the formations

that are rooted in letting go arise in that letting go but what you have to let go of this is the sense of self start to continue to see and that doesn't mean you intentionally see it it's just a natural progression you don't have to force it let it come naturally of seeing that these formations of i am come up this formations of i am experiencing this you know even in the neither perception or non-perception there is a sense of i am there there's a very subtle sense of i am meditating i am experiencing this even if it can't be

completely pinpointed, even if it's very hazy, it's still there. So for the time being all you're doing is just letting it automatically let go of and just being able to see it. And so what I'm saying is, having seen this, one can then, as they continue to progress through the process of determining when to enter cessation of perception and feeling, their mindfulness becomes sharper and sharper, so that they're able to see the subtle formations and have the intuitive sense that this formation is rooted in the I am. So all formations ultimately being let go of are rooted in the I am. So when you let go, continue to let go, and it's automatic, eventually all things come together in the sense of having let go, and everything is in balance, and then there is the cessation of perception. I see. Is this something that we can practice in our day-to-day activities? So, for example, like when we're encouraged to practice smiling and mindfulness throughout the day, or to try to be in a jhana throughout the day, is this something that we can intentionally try to remind ourselves

of or try to notice throughout the day how we create a sense of self, or how I'm attached to a sense of self? For example, if I'm enjoying a meal, I'm like, oh, I am here, and there's this whole story of me who has this favorite meal. Or someone says something that bothers me, and I say, oh, I must have a sense of self here that believes should be treated certain ways, and that's why I'm upset. So try to catch myself creating that sense of self throughout the day. Is that something that's possible or helpful? Yes, yes. And one way is to start to distance the mind from the self. What one means by that is when you notice that the mind gets caught up in this personalized and gets caught in this identification, upon recognizing it, you realize that there is no personalizing going on. Actually it's just a series of causes and conditions

So I know the question you're asking when you say myself, but I'm trying to point out here is what you're seeing is how the causes and conditions bring up this sense of conceit, rather than that there is a self that one is letting go of, and so on and so forth. So you have to get deeper and start to see the reasoning of why this idea of self came up, the cause for why this idea of self came up. And when you catch that, upon catching it it stops that flow, and you let go of it using the 6R's process. Oh, so it sounds like

rather than saying, aha, I am catching myself creating an I, it's more of a recognizing that there's causes and conditions and a process taking place that gives sense, that gives rise to the sense of I, but it's not something that I am doing per se. It's more increasing my observation or mindfulness to see what's happening in that moment that makes me think that there's an I, or that I am making an I. It's more these are just causes and conditions and processes taking place. Yes, yes, and that's how the mind distances itself from continuing to personalize, so even the

even the observation of that, you just see it as just plain observation. Don't have the sense of an observer behind the observation. It's just the observation that's looking at it and the recognition of that, so really distancing any sense of self towards it. Um, one might have talked about this before, but there is, uh, there is, uh, I think the Sariputta vagga or something like that, and in that, Sariputta is talking to Ananda, and it's just very short suttas, like very short, one or two or three lines or something, but it's all the same thing each sutta. And it's basically, Sariputta says, you know, I, there was the experience of jhana all day long and everything. And so Sariputta says when the mind goes into that jhana there's no idea that I am entering the jhana or I am about to enter the jhana or I am in the jhana or I am emerging out of the jhana. There is just this process of mind going into jhana, and so on

It is so void of any kind of 'I am' that there is just this observation of happening. And in fact, if I'm not mistaken, in that sutta Ananda then comments and says it is because the fetter of conceit is destroyed in yourself, meaning in Sariputta, that you are probably experiencing it in this way. And that's really the truth of it. He's experiencing it in that way because he has let go of any sense of 'I am' and sees everything as just being a series of causes and conditions. Nice, thank you so much, I appreciate it. You're welcome.

I have a question, if I may. Yes, let me check my notes. So you talked about beings with the same bodies and the same perceptions. Now, if I were to reason, that would mean that since perceptions are the starts of concepts and views, in such a realm there would be no conflict between them, so no bad kamma would be created from there. Could it be that you could say that there truly will not be bad kamma from that realm, but only the bad kamma from previous experiences? Or could it be that because of those formations from previous existences, there still will be able to arise conflict between such beings?

Yeah, that's a very good line of reasoning, actually, seeing how differences in perception cause conflict because of the different kinds of reactions and responses. I would say yes, exactly. And I would say, in the case of the Abhassara beings and in the case of the Subhakinha beings, let's say just the Subhakinha beings, but just broadly speaking within these particular realms, there is no capacity to create any new karma, good or bad, because of that very reason as you mentioned. But more importantly, it's the fruition

that's being experienced, and that fruition, or that fruit of that karma that's been experienced, which is the bliss, the happiness, or the joy depending upon the realm. And so in the case of the Abhassara beings, they're experiencing this immense piti and sukha constantly, and they are essentially just not doing anything but just experiencing it. They don't have any interest in doing anything but just experiencing that fruit. So any karma that would arise in the way of giving rise to a new rebirth would be because of prior karma before taking rebirth into that existence. So let's say the negative or the bad karma, unwholesome karma, from an existence in the human realm before they took birth into that realm of the Abhassara or the Subhakinha, will then give rise to some kind of intention at the end of that lifespan, so that karma will then produce a new lifetime. But within that realm itself there won't be any experiencing of unwholesome or wholesome, just the effect of being in that jhana, just the effect of the second jhana or the third jhana. But there would still be a subtle sense of self, or not?

Yes, they would. Hi Delson, I have one more question, or, you could say it's clarifications of my understanding. There's six senses, right? But five of them, we can only experience in the present moment. Like for example seeing, smelling, right? We can't, there's no sight at that moment, we can't really. So it's always in that present moment that we experience. But the mental sense, like thoughts, is the only sense that can go back and forth, in the time spectrum, like past and future, right? So is that correct, my understanding, or am I missing something? Because of that, probably when we just recognize thought, it's just the thought, then that's when all the malice that you might have is gone, dissolving. I'm experiencing it lately day in and day out, right? Is it becoming right? It's so, yeah, anyway, that's

partial thought process that's happening in my head at this moment. Yeah. The way I would look at it is, yes, it's all happening in, let's say, the mental sphere. So everything that is happening in the way of memories and things like that is happening in the process of thought. But there are some thoughts that are so vivid, and memories so vivid, that somehow you can still experience, for example, the music that you experience while listening. You can remember that music, and so you're accessing, let's say, the internal sense space. It's still in the realm of thought, it's still in the realm of mentality. It's not like the ear consciousness or the ear faculty is experiencing right now in that present moment the contact

with the music that's being played, but internally it's being accessed, the memory of that is being accessed. Likewise with certain odors or whatever it might be. So some people, some beings, have a very vivid memory. Some beings are able to only think in pictures, while some beings are only able to think in words, and different ways of thinking are dependent upon their formations. So it all is in the realm of thought, but at the same time you're accessing memories based in the past experiences of those senses. It can happen. But upon recognizing it, going back to what you were saying, upon recognizing that this is a thought which is giving rise to ill will, you immediately are able to stop that flow of ill will continuing, and then continue on with that process of the six R's: abandon, let go, and replace that ill will with something awesome.

That whole thing happens in this, in the mental continuum, in the mental sphere. You're not doing anything else. Even the experience of the five physical senses, immediately, essentially, are all coming through the physical faculties, but the experience itself is being experienced, so to speak, through the mind. It's still being experienced on the mental level as well. That's why the feeling that you have, even if it is a physical feeling, there's a mental component to that physical in the sense of the perception and so on and so forth. That's why mind is chief, mind is the forerunner. It is where everything comes together, and then you experience it, process it, and then let go of the unwholesome through that mental process. Yes, I'm trying to pinpoint the underlying tendency, right? So things that have happened in, like, the physical senses, that's when the underlying tendency, without even us realizing it, goes into our mental process, and that's when you will experience it in one way or the other, in forms, and eventually in the future.

So I think the best way, this is clarification for me, the best way is probably, if we are always mindful in the present moment, that then the underlying tendency will reduce. Am I correct? You are correct if you are present, meaning you have the mindfulness to be able to observe in that stillness of mind, to be able to observe when contact arises and then the feeling arises. Then it actually, you might see the underlying tendency giving rise to craving, or you might see the underlying tendency giving rise to aversion or doubt or views or whatever it might be. When you start to see it with mindfulness, upon recognizing it, you stop it right there and then, you abandon it. That is the way to uproot it, through non-reactivity, through non-reaction

towards the experience. So this is why, actually referencing back to the hanibal sutta, where you see that the Buddha says non-reaction, not taking part, stops the process of the underlying tendencies. I'm paraphrasing, but this is the meaning behind that: in recognizing, in being mindful, you stop any possibility or any potential for further proliferation to occur. That proliferation is fueled by the rising of that underlying tendency. That underlying tendency is in the experience of a pleasant, painful, or neutral feeling. It's not the feeling itself, it's the reaction to that feeling. If there is no reaction to that feeling, then no underlying tendency will otherwise, therefore no craving, therefore no more proliferation.

And therefore no more being in songs. Thank you. Oh, sorry, I have already asked one, so go ahead, Delson. Going back to an earlier question about the horizon of the self, would you say that a good intention would be being able to say, in the present moment, there is a self-arising? And that would be the thought, there is a self-arising, because it seems if you're at that point, all the ideas about an unfortunate or fortunate rebirth, that's way down the line. If you cut it off at that point, that's right, kind of that arises? Yeah, it's a very good point. I would put emphasis on that too, which is to say that even the language you use mentally really makes a difference. So when you say there is a self-arising, it's not you're saying myself is arising, or I am experiencing a self arising, but rather, that's what I mean by that distance. Like if you start to feel angry, it's not you becoming angry, there is anger arising.

Right. As soon as you're able to do that, then you put a distance between the mind and the emotion. You can use a six R's process to let go of it and no longer experience it. So that's a very good point. When you start to see the arising of some kind of identification going on, just a mere pointing out of that is the starting process of the six R's. They're recognizing that there is this arising and seeing it in that way, or mentally seeing it in that way, makes it much clearer for you to be able to distance yourself and then immediately just let go. Thank you. Welcome. So you had a question? Yeah, well, it's actually more of a comment, because I think I might be able

to clarify why they state in that sutta that in and out breathing are ceasing. It might be that they actually are talking not about the physical breathing but the physical formations, which are in and out breathing, but also the other body functions. So there is an emphasis on the stopping of the breath, while it's actually meant that the stilling of the physical formations. Just thinking out loud here. Yeah, that's a very good point, actually. Yeah, because if you think about it, when you're in the fourth jhana, you start to lose awareness of the body, so to speak, start to lose the sensory experiences of the body, and so the physical formations

are really what give rise to that physical consciousness, or the awareness of the physical, is dependent upon the physical formation. So that's a very astute point. It's not just the in and out breathing, although the majority of suttas, or maybe all the suttas that one can only say based on what one has read, is that whenever the physical formations are talked about they mention the in and out breathing. But there's a lot more to the physical formations. In the way of example, the intention to move, the intention to sit down, the intention to stand up, whatever it is, that's also dependent upon the intentions based on physical formation. So it is broader than that. Yes. But I think that for the most part many people were practicing anapanasati, so mindfulness of breathing, so that's maybe why the emphasis on the breathing is so strong in all these suttas. Yeah, yeah, that makes sense.

any last questions comments sorry just picking up on what still was saying you know i i have had experiences when i'm meditating and it's like i forget to breathe like i realized i guess i've just been so calm so relaxed and it's like i have to catch my breath not in a kind of a desperate like not like that but it's more like oh i like it's like i skipped a few breaths maybe that's the best way to put it um because it's my body has been so calm or so relaxed and and then i notice you know like oh i skipped breaths and i just like start breathing again if you will i mean not like my breath ceased or anything like that but yeah you know it's like a it's become quite subtle it's become so subtle that it's almost you don't you're not able to recognize that you are breathing or not breathing because the mind and body are so so calm is that is that right yes something yeah it's sometimes it has felt like i literally like skip the breath or something

Right, right. So I would see what Still said and what you're saying, and the way one has described it as being levels or layers. So on the practical level, you see that there's an imperceptibility of breath because everything is so calm in the fourth jhana. But on the deeper level you're talking about the physical formations, which are related to the breath but also related to other things, like physicality in terms of movement, as well as physical senses. So I think it's just a matter of seeing it at which level you want to. I see. So perhaps the next time I have that kind of experience, perhaps also recognize that something deeper is going on, and just a very subtle breathing. It's a big learning moment, I suppose. So more to recognize. Yeah, you could do that. The way you could recognize it is if you just notice that there is less mental movement in the way of any kind of sensory experience. So, like one was talking about, the non-dispersal of the attention.

It's no longer interested in, or it's no longer moving towards, any kind of external sensory information. It's just rooted, or just collected, around the mind itself. Thank you. You're welcome. Okay, let's hear some airing. May suffering ones be suffering free, and the fear-struck, fearless be. May the grieving shed their grief, and may all beings find relief. May all beings share this merit that we have thus acquired, for the acquisition of all kinds of happiness. May beings inhabiting space and earth, devas and nagas of almighty power, share this merit of ours. May they long protect the Buddha's dispensation. Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu. Thank you, Delson. Thank you, Delson. Thank you, everyone. Yes, thank you, Delson, and enjoy your break.