The Sutta Pericope of 'the Cessation' and Its Interpretation

7/25/2019 The Sutta Pericope of 'the Cessation' and Its Interpretation

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. JOUAL OF THE

CNR R BDDIS SDIS

SRI NK

CENTRE FOR BUDDHIST STUDS, SR LANKA

VOLUME I, MAY 2003


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Te Su Pericope of ''e Cessation" d Its

Interetation

G.A Somate

n the mainsream Buddhst soteriology, the concep of saedaia

rodha intrpreted as the cessaon of percepton and eng" (asogrammatcally but no technicaly, he cessaton of he eng ofperceptons") pays a ey role Aso nown as the nirodha-amai orthe attainment of cessaion" it appears o nction both as a means n whchcase the contemplator aer rising om s attanment destroys caners(savakkhaa) or achieves the highest fruition (arahaa-hala) by seeingthroughhis wisdom, and as a goal in which case the contemplator experiencesudses adhu (the na wihout remainder) physcay ra pre-determined period t is a goal in the sense it is a deiverance(vmo(k)kha), the last and the hghest of a series of eght deliverances (1)perception of rms (r ri assai), (2 perception of rms nointealy but extealy (ajhaa rasa ahiddh rni assai, intending only on beauty (suha eva adhimuo ho), (4) sphere ofboundless space (ksnacaaa uasamaja viharai), () sphere ofboundless consciousness (acaana), (6) sphere of nohingness

(kcaaana), (7) sphere of neither perception nor non-percepon(vasasaaaa), and (8) the cessato of perception andeling1 the last and the highest among seven elements (dhu), heconcenraton states of mnd: radiance (hdhu), (2 beauy (suhadhu), and - (7) = (4) (8) of the delverances and more commonythe culminaing experience aer a seres of egh rm (rahna) andrmless-attainmens (araha): rsthna, (2 secondhna, 3

thirdhna, (4) urth, and () (9 ( 4) (8) of he deiverances3

he Cessaon and the eight atainments are also a opc of mode schoaryconjecture Some view them as a number of originaly ndependen schemesomeditation that have been pu ogether They view the couplng of sereniy(amaha) and insight (viassa) meditations and the couping of hecessation experiece and the destruction of caners savakkhaa implied

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l the stock passage o cessatio as a usuccess attempt ade to ble

two diferg emphases i the path to nina the ogic states coscousess ad the acqusto of wsdom The also poit out aicompatibiit_ of itelectual eercise i the cessatio state b takig thePli caocal stock passage of the cessatio to state that the adept eercisehis wisom to destro cakers sav whe remag i the cessatoB cosiderig these scholar vews a attempt s made here based o thePli suana to articuate the Theravda Buddhist respose to such vew

The Pli cao dees the cessatio as a state of compete reductio rathestoppage or cessatio (niroha of al phscal verbal ad the metactvties (ciasakhra to a poit that a huma beg could suvve withotarmig hs li heat ad sese cultes. However whe someoe attat hs outer appearace is smiar to that of a dead perso. A stor of theMraajaniasua ilustrates ths Veerable Sajva a dscpe

Kakusadha the Buddha was such a mok that he restgoe goe to theroots of trees ad goe to empt paces wth o troube coud atta thecessato. Oe da he sttig uder a tree attaied the cessato Thecowherds goatherds rmers ad travelers saw him sittg ad said to eachother Ideed it is wodrl deed t s marvelous that this recuse just sittig dead Come we wi cremate hm." The the colected the grasssticks ad cow-dug heaped them over the Veerable Sajva's bod the re ad departed Towards the ed of that ight Veerable Sajvemerged om the cessatio shook hs robes dressed ook his bow arobe ad etered the vllage r alms od the moig. The peope whbut him the previous ght saw the mok walkig r alms od ad sato each other Ideed it s woderl ideed t s marveous that ths recuewho was just sittig dead that he has come back to lif.

I the Mahveallasua, the reaso r the dcult i idetifg a de

perso om the cessatio-attaied s eplaied. The tet states whe vtatheat ad cosciousess are abset i a bod t is a dead bod lke thedead perso the cessatioattaed has vitat ad heat ad has caresese culties. The dierece s that the dead perso's phsical verba ametal ctios (ciasakhra have ceased ad subsded; hs vitat destroed his heat is etguished ad his sese orgas are scattered tathough the phsical verbal ad metal ctos of the cessatio-attae

have ceased ad subsided his vtat s ot destroe his heat s t

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tingushed and his sense orga .c ed (indrini viasannni)6

or as stated in the commentar to the Paisamhidmagga hs sense organsare unbroken (indrini aarihinnni)

The Cessation s to be attaned gradua b progressive reducg oesverba phsical ad mental activtes (sakhrna nirodho) i iemeditative stages om the rst hna (a!hamajhna) to the cessation.The activities that disappear gradual in the nine meditatve stages are istedin the Rahogaaka-sua o the Saua-nika in the lowng orderwith attainment of the rst speech (vc) ceases; wth the secondthe applied and discursve thoughts (viakka-vicr); with the thrd therapture i); with the urth the respiration (asssa-asss); wth theffth the perception of corporealit (rasaff); with the sith theperception of boundless space (ksnafcaanasaff); with the sevenththe percepton of boundless consciousness (viffnafcaanasaff); wththe eghth the perception of nothngness (kifcaffaana-saff); wth

the nith that is wth the cessation both the perception and the eling(saffvedaianirodha samannassa saff ca vedan ca niruddhhoni); and the tet states r the araha lust hatred and deuson haveceased (khsvassa hikkhuno rgo doso moho niruddho hoi) Theaddition of this last sentence implies that both the araha- and non-s could achieve this; and n the case of the araha hs lust hate and deusionare also gone.

The actvites that cease with the cessation and the manner the cease arealso presented n the C/avedallasua of the Majhimanika9 The bodactivities are nhalaton and ehalation; the verbal activities are dscursvethought (reasonng) and sustaned thought (delberating); the mental activtisare perception and feeng. The Respiration belongs to the bod and sconnected with the bod; hence the inbreathing and out-breathing are bodl

activties (asssaasss .. kik ee dhamm kaa!iaddh asmasssaasss kasakhro) Havng thought one speaks; hence thediscursive thought and sustained thought are verba actvities ue .viakkev vicrev acch vca hindai asm viakkavicr vac

sakhro). The perception and elng are menta; hence the are mentalactivities (saff ca vedan ca ee dhamm ciaaiaddh asm safca vedan ca ciasakhro) When someone attains the cessaton hs verbal

actvities disappear rst then the bodil activties and na the mental

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activities With the gradua suspesio of these activities the cotemplato

eters the cessatio ad whe he emerges om it the ctioig of theseactivities graduall emerge I the latter case his metal activities ariserst the the bodil activiies ad a the verba activities

the ecod Kmahsua of the Saua nika 0 both the perceptioad the elig are itroduced as metal-activities The ctor of elig is acomple pheomo ad it rages om gross to subte As such the

cotemplator has to abado it step b step I the Uaikasua of theSaua-nika 11 this process of grdual cessatio of the ctor of feeigis discussed As stated there whe the cotempator eters the rstnahis arise cult of phsical discomr ceases completel (uannadukkhindria aarisesa nirujhai); with the attaimet of the secodhis meta discomr (domanassinria) ceases with the third his phsialcomfort (sukhindria); with the fourth his metal comfort

(somanassindria) ad al with the cessatio al other remaiig subtleligs termed i the tet as the cut of idierece (uekkhindriacease completel I this cotet the tet aer idetifig the urhhnagoes directl to the cessatio state while idetifig the atter as that arsesb trascedig the last rmess state of either perceptio or operceptio This idicates the cotiuatio of the cult of idierecethroughout the rmless attaimets (arasamai)

The ctor of percetio is also a compleit All rm ad rmlessattaimets eemets ad deliveraces ecept the cessatio cosist ofpercepto erceptio is a essetial elemet throughout the eightattaimets the Pohada-sua of the Dgha-nika 12 how thecotemplator atais the cessatio b overcomig varous states of perceptiois epaed He touches the cessatio after reachig ad passig beodthe hghest of the perceptios that is the last of the eight attaimets kow

as te sphere of either-perceptio-or-o-perceptio He arrives at thecessatio b ceasig his all rms of perceptio as the tet states throughot deliberatig ad ot coditioig The tet states rher Whe oedoes ot deiberate ad does ot rm his perceptios cease ad i hiother tpes of perceptios do ot occur Thus he touches the cessatioSice as the Suania states uto him who s detached operceptios there are o tters the cessatio of perceptio must ecessaril

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epesentthe nbbnc expeence of the arahat- as the ae the ones who

have no fettes.

Theava Buhst taiton as peseve in the Mahvihriansuddhimagga14 an the Abhayagirian muttimagga insists on thenecessit of lllng some peequistes b the contemplato po to hisattainment of the cessation. As state in these texts as a esult of pactcingboth the seenit an the insght the contemplato entes upon the cessaton

as he emeges om the meitative state of neithe peception no nonpeception. The state of neithe peception no non-peception is te highestof the concentation states that coul be achieve b those who pacticeseenit alone an to go beon it is possible onl those who havethoough pactice both the seent an the insght b coupling them.Accoing to the taitional account the contempato who aspies to attan

hna- stats his meitatiQn ae lunch n a seclue pace. As pa of hispepaation he washes his hans an et an sits own cosslegge on awellpepae seat whie keeping his bo eect an setting up hisminlness. In this pelmina meitation he entes upon the hna.Then ae emeging o it he vews with insight hs jhnic expeence asimpenanent unsatscto an not-self an then passng it he entes uponthe secon An ae emeging om it in the same wa he views theactivities thee. Then he entes upon the thi an in this manne heentes upon the sphee of the innit of consciousness (vifacyatana)

emeges om it an in the same wa he views the activites thee. Likewisehavig entee upon the sphee of nothngness he emeges om it. This is atuing point an at this impotant stage he esoves not to let such itemsas bowls obes bes o benches peaning to othes an which ae in hiscae be amage o peishe b e wate wn theves o even ats. It issai that no special esolution is necessa the saf-keep of thecontemplato' s inne o oute gaents o his own seat the will be potecte

b means of the cessation itsef which is also evient om the sto ofVeneable Sajva naate above. When the contempato esolves suchan such an aicle ma not be but b e within this week no be caieo b wate no be estoe b the win no stolen b thieves no eatenb ats it is sa that no ange comes that paicula aicle uing themeitative week. f he wee to make no esoution the aice ma getpeishe in case of a isaste such as e o oo. Accoing to a taitiona

sto once a monk visite a la isciple alms an when he was aske to

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sit dow i the 1n.: itl v .s he sat dow ad eteed ito the cessatio.While he was i the cessatio the hal caught e ad al the othe moksed takig thei seats. The viages who gatheed thee ud that the ethat but the thatch bamboo ad timbe has ow eciced the sittig mokad that he wasuhamed Seeig this people put out the e emoved theashes plasteed the pace with cowdug spead owes thee ad stoodbowig to him At the ed of his pedetemied time the mok emegedom the cessatio ad saw the pople gatheed thee He ose up i the

sk saig I am discoveed ad he wet to Piagu Isad.

The taditioal accout aso has it that as a pepaatio pio to the attaimeof eithe peceptio o opeceptio the cotempato must also esoveto emege om the cessatio whe the commuit of moks agaequies his pesece the pemace of eccesiastic acts o whe theTeache calls him. He must also coside his spa of li i ode to pevet

his passig awa whie i the cessatio moe coectl afe a uepectedsudde emegece om the cessatio. Afte these esolutios thecotemplato etes the state of eithe peceptio o opeceptio adthe passig beod it withi oe o two tus of mid he becomes midlessad touches the cessatio.6

Who could attai the cessatio? I bief the attaimet of cessatio is opossible those who have achieved both the powe of seeit amaabala ad the powe of isight vpaan7 The mumagga comsthis b statig that the cessatio is eteed upo though two kids of stegthseeit ad isight. Hee seeit meas maste gaied i the eightataimets aaampa; isight meas maste gaied i the seveisights amel the eviewig of impemaece osatisctio osefepulsio dispassio cessatio ad abadomet. To aswe ou questiomoe specicall it equies a bief ideticatio of the u oble pesoswho ae o the supa-mudae path the steam-etee has eteed the steamad has ol seve moe biths the oceetue etus oce to this wodthe o-etue eve etus to this wold; ad the aaa has o moeebiths. Amog these u the aaa is the highest ad he has achievedthe supeme goal nbbna the destuctio of ust hted ad delusio bgaduall pectig moait cocetatio ad wisdom. He equies he istuctio. The est of the u ae seekes who ae advacig towads

thei al goal ad the equie the istuctio.

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No al hese oble persos are capabe of achievig al o the eighattaimets because ot all of them have practiced the sereit mediatioi its compeeess. For the attaime he cessaio i addiio to makigprogress i the isight path a higher level of cocetratio through hepractice of sereit meditatio is required. The Theravda Buddhisttraditio's view is tha the cessatio state ca be attaied ol b those oreuers ad arahat who have he master over the eight attaimes18

ke ta sampajant ke na sampajant t sabbe puthujan sotpannsakadgmno sukkhavpassak ca angmarahato na sampajanta!hasampattlbhno pana angmno khsav ca sampajant) adkow that its attaimet is ot essetial r obaiig the arahat-ship or herealizatio of nbbna19 Buddhaghosa the greates authorit of heTheravda summarizes this view i his Vsuddhmagga (702):

Al average persons streamenterers once-retuers and non-retuers and

s wth dry insight do not enter upon t But those non-retuers and arahat-s whohave obtaned the eight attanments enter upon it .. And this attainment s not

wthin the reach of those other than non-retuers and arahats who have reachedthe eght attanments; t is they, not others, who enter upon it.

The Vmuttmagga20 agrees with the Vsuddhagga i estabishig he viewhat the cessatio could be attaied b arahat ad oreuers. However

it does ot specif them to be those who have mastered the eight attaimetsthough the cote implies it. Moreover, i he isig of those who caotattai the cessatio the Vmuttmagga ames the commoer the sreameterer the oce-reuer ad the oe who is bo i he rmless elemead it avoids amg the dr isight arahat A earl view attributed toVeerabe Sriputta ad approved b the Buddha but debated b Veerabed is preseted i the ghtavagga of the Aguttarankya21 The

view is that he ataiig ad risig om the cessatio is possible o rhose who are edowed wih moralit cocetratio ad wisdom. I casethe were to ot wi the iberatig isight (affa) i this li it is possibler them to achieve ad emerge om the cessatio agai ad agai afterbeig bo as gods with midmade bodies who are above those who eatmaterial od. The meaig is tha the arahat- ad the o-retuers coudachieve the cessatio because he are the oble persos who have perctedhe moralit cocetraio ad wisdom to the highest level It mus aso be

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oted that this is the oe ad oy place i thesutta- where the possibilityof the attaimet of the cessatio is clearly attributed to a o.'

The aciet view that the cessatio could be attaied oly by those arahats ad o-retuers who have the mastery over the eight ataimets is alsothe basis r the commoly employed stock passage of the P cao ocessatio The stock passage reads

n 'eva anayatana amatikkamma avedayitanirodha upaampajaviharati, paya c 'aa div av parikkh. honti 22 (By entirey transcendingthe sphere o neither-perceptionnornonperception having attained the cessationo perception and eing he remains therein. And ater seeing y means o wsdom

his menta corruptons were/ had een exhausted (arikkhf honti)

The past participle arkkh) + the historical preset hot may expressthe pluperct i P: what had happeed at that time what had bee doe

Takeparkkh hot as a pluperct we might iterpret he stock passageto mea whe the perso attaied the cessatio he had aready destroyedthe metal corruptios ad ow his attaimet of the cessatio state isudisturbed by cakers Uderstood i this way the stock passage poitsout that the cessatio must be reached by trascedig the meditative stateof either-perceptio-or-o-perceptio ad that the cotemplatorcoceed here is a arahat who by seeig through his wisdom has already

destroyed metal corruptios completely or to the poit that is required rits attaimet Take i this way we coud support the Theravda view thatthe cotemplator who could experiece the cessatio must be a arahat ora oretuer who have the mastery over all of the rm ad rmless states.

t is also importat to ote that the phrase paffya c 'assa dsv savparkkh hot (Ad after seeig by meas of wisdom his cakers were/

had bee exhausted) has oly bee added to the stock passage o cessatiooly ot to those of other rm ad rmless attaimets. This is a clearidicatio that those who could attai the cessatio by passig beyod thelast of the rmless state are the arahat- or the o-retuers who have themastery over all eight ttaimets the Casropaasutta of theMajha-kya23 the phrase is added oly r the cessatio ad there theperson who has attained the cessation is shown to be an arahat and iscompared to a man who has fund the pith and now could use i as he

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wishes bcause it is the pith The attaine state is specie as the unshakableeeom, an the goal of Buhist practice ca kho aya brhmwakupp cetovimutti etadattha ida brhmwza brahmacariya eta sraJetaJ pariyosnan ti).

At M , 159-60 (the Nivpasutta) the rerent of the stock passage s alsoene as one who has crosse the entanglements in the worl. The textstates that while experiencing each of the eght attainments, the contemplator

goes beon the sight of Mra (Evil One, eath personie) making himconse. When he attains the last of the eight attainments, he, b so attaining,puts arkness roun Mra an he, having blotte out Mra vision so thatit has no range, goes unseen b him. Mra realm is the realm of sensualpleasure The contemplator transcens this ream temporaril onl when heexperiences one of the eght attainments, ether rm or rmless When heretus to the normalit, he is again wthin the realm of sensual pleasure.

owever, as state in the cessation stock passage, when a person experencesthe cessation an also has his cankers estroe b mean of wisom, possiblprior to or after the attainment, he has not onl gone beon the sight ofMra but also overcome craving an attachment in the worl. Arahat whoattains the cessaton, thesutta states, in aition to putting arkness rounMra an blotting out his vision an going unseen b him, has also crosseover the entangement in the worl una ca paraJ bhikkhave bhikkhu

sabbaso .. saffvedayitanirodha upasampaja viharati paffya c assadisv sav parikkh honti aya vuccati bhikkhave bhikkhu andha asiMraJ apada vadhitv Mracakkhu adassana gato ppimato tiolke visattikan ti). This means that b experiencing the eight attainmentsone coul transcen the sensual realm eath an temptation r atemporar perio of time, an b the estruction of cankers one transcensthe sensual realm (also the rm an rmless realms) rever Cessation isa meitative state that goes beon the sensual, rm an rmless realms,

an as such those who coul experience it must be either arahat or thosewho are nearer to be so.

Again in places where the phrase paffya c ' assa disv sav parikkhhonti is not linke, that the cessation is to be attaine b arahat or similarpersons is imple. As state in the Laukikopamasutta of the Majhimanikya24 r example, when a monk reaches an of the eight attainments,

the Buha's avice r him is to get i of them But again sa, this is

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not enough' sa get rd of it' sa transcend t. Final, when one

attains the cessation the Buddha sas to him As to this a monk b wholltranscending the ast of the eight attainments enters and abides in thecessation This ists transcending. t is r this that speak of getting rid ofthe last of the eight attanments." After epainng these to a monk caedUd thBuddha asks him Now do ou Ud see an tter minute ormassive of getting rid of which have not spoken?" Ud replies Noreverend sir" What is implied here is that the cessation is a meditative state

ee om tters saoana and that b reaching it one is able to eperencthe absence of tters in his own person idha Udi bhikkhu sabbaso savedaitanirodha upasampaja viharati aa tassa samatikkamo tikho aha Udi nevasansaatanassa pi pahna vadmi passasino tva Udi ta saoana au v tha v assha no pahnavadm ti no h eta bhante ti This claries two things. One is that theeight attainments and the cessation are was of eperiencing temporarilthe progressive releases om tters that bind people to the three realmssensual orm and rmless. The other is that one attains all of the eightattainments not necessaril in one meditative sitting. n the ahvagga ofthe Aguttaranika25 where the last sentence of the stock passage reads

paa ca me disv sav parikkhaa agamasu the Buddha is talkingabout a past eperience where he achieved the cessation r the rst timeThis is rther evident om his statement there that he claimed to be a Buddhaonl aer he could achieve all these nne states The contet aso implies

that he came to attain all the nine and the canker-ee state not in oneuninterrupted sitting. This is supported b the Paisambhidmaggacommentar when it speak of an interval between the kicaatanaand the nevasansaatana in which occasion the person gets readto sta in the cessation r seven das while enabing him to emerge om tan time when the some eternal ctors require him to do so skicaatana vuha ima pubbakicca katv

nevasansaatana sampajati

n the Anuada-sutta of the Majhima-nika28 the stock passage isemploed to eplain how Sriputta eperienced the cessation after attainingprogressivel the eight attainments. f the stock passage were to indicateones attainment of -ship while in the cessation here too the tetmust be describng Sriputta's attainment of arahat On the contrar

Sriputta here is an arahat who could eperence the eight attanments and216


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the cessation as of his exta abiity and powe by which he sands

conspicuous In he same contex29 he Buddha idenies Siputa as awise man, of gea wisdom wide wisdom, joyous wisdom, quickwittedwisdom shap wisdom, and of penetating wisdom he also names him as apeson who wi keep the unsuassed doctine-wheel olling, that has beenset oling by the Buddha He concludes if anyone speaking ightly wansto say of a peson: He has aained to mastey, he has attained to goingbeyond in he noble moal habis in he noble concentaion in the nobe

wisdom, in he nobe eedom' speaking ighly he could say of Siputta"These wods cleay suggest hat Siputa was aleady an pio tohis atainment of he cessaion descibed in he sock passage of the

It is also impotan to noe that in this context he Buddha ispaising Siputa afe obseving not only the lattes abiliy o attain heeight aainens and he cessation bu aso the special aitude ha he showsowads them Foowing paagaph ilustaes how Siputa aained thecessation afe he ast of he eigh atainmens and also how he viewed itae emeging om it: And again monks Siputa by passing quie beyondthe sphee of neithe-pecepionno-nonpecepion entes and abides inthe cessaion And aso afe seeing by means of wisdom his cankes weeutely destoyed Mindl, he emeges om hat atainment When he hasemeged, mind om that attainment he egads those hings tha ae past,

stopped changed as: Thus indeed things hat have not been in me come tobe; having being hey pass away" He, not feeling atacted by these thingsnot feeling epeled independent, no inuaed, eed, eleased dwells wihan unconned mind ( He compehends: Thee is no the escapeThee is no zealous pactice him conceing tha

Fom his two things ae clea One is that Siputta eects on his expeience

afe euing o his noa i, and he othe is that, afte this eecion,he nds himself to be an This is aso an exampe the agumentha some achieve the cessaion o know whethe they ae -s o notMoeove in he of the -0 whee the Buddhaecognized a goup of ve hunded -sSiputa appeas outsandingIn his conex too he Buddha speaks of Siputta highy in the same vebatimas at M III, 289 (the

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Te Nirodhasutta of te utta-nikya31 an its peceing eigtsutta-

also pesent Siputta as an arahat wo coul attain te cessaton. In tiscontext, Siputta says to nana Fien by entiely tanscening te lastof te eigt attainments aving attaine te cessation I emain teein Tome ien te thougt neve came I am attaining te cessation o I aveattaine te cessation o I ave emege om te cessation nana epliesSuely a long time ave leanings to Imaking to minemaking an tovanity been o om you. Tat is wy suc tougts occu not to you"

nanas tis eply clealy implies tat by tat time Siputta a been anarahat.

In te Pafclavagga of te Aguttara-nikya 32 te boywitnesskyasakkhi) wo is elsewee escibe as a type of non-etune, tewisomlibeate affvimutto) an te bot-wayslibeateubhatobhgavimutto) wo ae two types of arahat- ae ecognize astose wo coul attain te cessation. In tis context tee is a clea inicationtat tey attain te cessation an even te peceing eigt states not in oneunintepte sitting meitation but ove a peio of time ae contemplatingagain an again te pels of te peviously attaine state an tenpogessively eeteing into next Moeove naming only tese tee typesof noble pesons, not otes, sows tat wen one attains te cessation inis spiitual matuity, e is eite an arahat o close to be an arahat becausein te cessation, moe coectly afte emeging om it, one expeiences te

absence of fettes. Teee, te Teava view of te cessation as it to beattaine

by only tose non-etues an arahat- wo ave te mastey

ove te eigt attainments is well suppote.

Te stock passage on cessation wic as clea eences to te cessationas well as to te extinction of cankes is equently employe in te Plicanonical texts o escibe arahats expeiencing of nibbna ee an now.

In te Pafcla-vagga of te Aguttara-nikya instance te aceveof te content of tis passage is escibe as one wo ns te oppotunitin te obstuctons sambdh oksdhigama); wo becomes a boy-witnessyasakkhi); a wisom-libeate one afvimutta); a bot-ways-libeatepeson ubhatobhgavimutta); wo attains te visible dhamma in tis veyli sandi!hidhamma); te visble quencng ee an now sandihinibbna); te quencing nibbna); te nal quencing ainibbna); te

categoical quencing tdaganibbna); te quencing ee an now8


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OMN

dihdhmm-nibbn); the safety khem); a safetyattainekhempptt); the eathess mt); a eathess-attaine mtpptt);the arless bhy); a fearless-attaine bhypptt); the tranquiityssddhi); the graual tranquility nupubbpssddhi); the essatinniodh); an the graua essatin nupubbniodh) all f whih areen use esewhere in the ann t ene nibbn r ht-.4

ine there are severa types f ht- what exatly is the type f htesribe in the stk passage? The Csopmsutt f the Mhimiky35 suggests that the essatin when attaine by an ht entes thehighest unshakable eem r the unshakable nentratin-eemkuppcetoimutti) It as intrues the essatin when njine withthe knwege in the estrutin f menta rruptins (= ht-) assynnymus t the unshakable nentratineem It as ienties theushakable nentratin-eem as the ga, the purpse f the hly i,the essene, an the ulminatin" There is n ubt that the ushakable

nentratin-eem in this ntext rers t the eem experiene byan ht beause the passage learly ntains the phrase, the estrutinf ankers" It is evient that the unshakable nentratin-eem nsistsf bth the nentratineem an the wism-eem imutti)A ppular ht rmua in the ann36 intrues ht- as thse whul here an nw experiene these tw types f eem t suggests thatthese ht- have attaine supdises-nibbn, that is, that they have

ahieve wismeem an nw u experiene nupdises-ibbphysialy r a temprary peri f time here an nw by attaing theessatin, that is the highest rm f nentratin-eem

The wism-eem -imutti) an the knwlege in the estrutinf ankers skkhy-n) seem t mean the same. The statement thatne bemes an ht with the attainment f wismeem equals t

the saying that ne bemes an ht with the estrutin f ankers rthe kwlege i the estrutin f akers exept the t that the latterphrase is ften mbine t esribe the types f ht- wh are knwnas te an ch/bhi. The Cessatin always mans the highest rmf nentrati-eem. Therere in the stk passage n essatin, theessatin means the highest rm f nentratin-eem the knwlegei the estutin f ankers entes the wism-eem Thus it refers ta ht wh ul be ientie as the bth-waysliberate persn

2 1 9


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JCB VO

bhatobhgavmtto) his arahat has th nowldg in th dstuction

of cans, which mans ha h has th wisdomdom H could attainth cssation anscnding th ight atainmns, which mans that h hasth highs of concnaiondom by which h xpincsanpdsesanbbna h and now

No a arahat and nontuns coud atain h cssation ha is, no aarahat coud xpinc h anpdsesanbbna h and now, thoughhy all a bound to do so wih thi passing away An xampl is alsound in th Kgrstta37 wh svn yps of nob psons a namdAmong hm, only th bothwayslibad arahat and h bodywitnssnonun a namd as hos who coud xpinc th pacdlivancs sant vmokh) of which th highst is th cssation H caly us out h possibiity of is atainmnt by th wisdomlibatdarahat and th on who has sn th point dhppatto) who is a nonu, no to mnion thos who a ow in th ladd: h on who is

asd by faih saddhvmtto), th folow of th tachingdhammnsr, and th ow though ith saddhnsr Again, inh Mahndnastta38 wh h igh dlivancs aha vmokh) ofwhich th cssation appaing as th highst a istd, th bohwaysibad pson bhatobhgavmtto) is intoducd as h arahat who iscapab of ataining ths divancs in ascnding anloma) as wl as indscnding od aloma) No oh arahat- o holy psons a namd

so hn i is ca hat th bohwayslibatd pson is h yp of arahatd to in h stoc passag

n Agttara-nkya39 a cassication of nin typs of wisdomibadpsons is und h th ninh typ of th wisdomlibatd who is anarahat is dscibd as on who has ataind th cssation and whos canshad bn/ w dsoyd a sing though wisdom, and aso undsands

i hough wisdom" n th commonly usd cssation stoc passag howv,th phasing undstands it though wisdom" aya ca na pantis not givn n this cassicaion, it sms, h ninh wisdomibad is sonamd considing his arahat-ship o savakkhaya ath han his xtaabilitis bcaus in h Ssmastta of th Sayttankya0 th wisdoibad arahat is idnid in is usu ss as on who ha nith supnowdgs abh) no pacl divanc sant vmokkh)

Cssaion is on of th pacl vancs and as such, th wisdo220


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A OMAAN

libeated is not the tpe of arahat who ould be the eent o the sto

passage on essaton The both-was-lbeatedarahat

on the other handould expeiene the peae deiveanes the ould quk attain abidepenetate and expeiene them phsal

The both-was-ibeated arahat have alwas been a mnot pehaps tis beause of the diut of attanng the essation that equies thetansending of al eight atainments In the Paransutta of the Sayuttanya example among a goup of ve hunded arahat onl sxt

monks have been eognized as both-was-ibeated whle thee hundedand sixt monks to be wisdom-lbeated

Pl Buddhst tadition holds the view that the attanment of the essaton isnot essential the eazaton of nbbna If ths is the ase wh did nonetues aahat and even the Buddha hmself attan it? Pl anonaltexts suggest that some non-etues attained the essaton not on as a

tempoa expeiene of anupdsesanbbna but also as a undation attainingsaupdsesanbbna2 It s aso possble to thnk that some atainedthe essation to test themselves to see whethe the ae eall arahat o atleast non-etues beause it seems if the ould ahieve the essationthe ae eithe arahat o non-etues This oud also be seen at M II28-9 whee Sputta ompehends that Thee is no the esape; thee isno zealous patie him oneing that

The nonetues beause the ae still nonetues povided the diebee eahing -ship will be bo in a highe mless -woldand wi ahieve ompete nbbna arnbbna) in that wold without eveetuing to the sensual-ealm t seems then the essation is the highestm of eedom-expeiene that nonetunes oud have TAguttaranya4 example states that those who have moalit onentaton

and wisdom ould attan and ise om the essation again and again In thisontext the text leal agees with the view that one ould even have thisexpeene bee having the ibeating insght a)

Some non-etues who attain and emege om the essation not onlexpeene t but also afte emeging om it onside and ealize itsonditionalit Aodig to the /aedallasutta the peson who

omes out of the essatio hee t of imeson ou void suato )1


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CBL VOL

signless animitto) and desieess appanihito ). he thee denote thee

aspects of concentation-eedom ctovimutti)45 In the C/avdaasutta,46it s state that the mnd citta) of the peson who comes ot of the cessationincnes tow&ds detachment ams at detachment and is diected todetachment vivaninna cita hoti vivapo: vivapabbhan ti).Schimthasen7 has aso ecognzed ths when he says It may have beenpactced as a means n some manne se libeation eg on accontof ts eect of ceating n the mind of the peon emeging om it a sense

of detachment" he tem detachment (viveka howeve is often sed neing to nibbna A dscose of he Sa yuttaniya 48 instanceses nimoha pamoha and viva to mean nibbna Its commentaytakes the thee tems to be synonyms to nibbna o that they e to thepath the fition and nibbna espectvely In eithe case viva meansnibbna. he peson who comes ot of the cessation inclines towadsnibbna becase he has expeenced it lly while he was n that state.

he attanment of the cessation sems to seve the cessationattanedaahatas a sense of tempoay comt o a tempoay hee and now expeience ofthe nibbna wthot emnant becase its attainment is descibed as happydwelng" hsuviha) the highest happiness as as the eightattainments ae conceed savdayitaniodha upasampaja vihaatiida ho nanda tamh suh aa suha abhiantataa capatataaf ca)49 he Pais-a by explaining why aahat and non-etesattan the cessation states that ae beng dissatised n the beaking of theconditioned things they consde to dwell happly having attainedanupdissanibbna hee and now sahna pavatibhd ua!hitvdi!!h va dhamm nibbna patv suha vihaissm ti sampajanti).

If the cessation wee to be achieved by eliminatng all sots of feeling howcold t be ecognized as the highest happiness? hs is a qestion discssed

even n the Pi canon he Bddhist epy s that the absence of elngtself constitutes the highest happiness In the cessaton happness suhameans not the peasant felings suhavdan) In embacing thehappiness" of the cessaton expeience the Bahuvdaniyasutta of theMajhimaniya states:50 he Bddha does not lay down that it is onlypleasant eng that belongs to happiness; he lays down that wheneve wheeve whateve happness is nd it belongs to happiness" na ho

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SO

vuo bhagv ukhaz yeva vedana andhya ukhami pafpeti api' vuo yattha yattha ukhaz upalabhati yahi yahiz tan ta? tathgato

ukhami papet ti) It is in tis sense of te tem appiness tat teuddist tadition says tat arahat- attain te cessation to epeienceanupdiea-nibbna ee and now and to ave a spiitally appy iTe C{agoiga-utta of te Majhimanikya5 states tat tee is o oteappy dweling sweete tan te cessation tat is attaied by a arahat Tecesatio wic is attained by an arahat is te most comtable welinghuvihra) and it is an eta-odinay condition idha maya bhante

yvad ev kakhma abbao avedayitanirodha?upaampajaviharma paya ca no div div av parikkhJ hontietaa bhante vihraa amatikkamya etaa vihraa patippaadhiyayam ao uttariz manuadhamm alamariyaJadaanavieo adhigato

phuvihro. imam ca maya bhante phuvihr aa phuvihra?uttaritara v paJtataraz v na amanupam ti dhu dhuAnuruddh etam Anuruddh phuvihr ao phuvihro uttaritaro

v paJtataro v n ' atth ti). Scimitausen52 poits tis out saying tat tiscessation may also and peaps tis is moe pobable ave beencultivated by arahat- o simila pesons, te sae of aticipating nibbnain tis li and escaping pysical pain He5 ten descibes te cessation asa spiital epeience o a mystical anticipation" of te state of nanibbna.

Te udda too attaied cessatio and it seems tis was to avoid pysicapain o to be peace in mind and body Tis is moe clea visible at tetime of is deat Just bee is demise e epeienced al of te eigtattainments and te cessation one ae te ote in sequence Altog tecessatio is te igest epeience one could ave ee ad ow, te Buddadid not pass away in tat state o soon afte emeging om it In ismeditation e eed om te cessation to te st -state in descending

de and ten e-atained to te ut m-state in te ascendig odeinaly, e passed away afte ising om te thna .5 Te Buddasmanne of passing away impies even te cessatio mst be give up pio e attainment of te complete nibbna parinibbna) because cessationis a conditioned state in wic one could be in te anupdieanibbna toa pedetemined peiod Teavda uddism aso as te view tat tecontemplato cannot pass away wile e is in te cessatio ad if is i

span wee to be ove we in cessation, e as to emege om it and pas23


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CBL VOL

away Wha happened o he Buddha jus bee his coplee is

aso in ageeen wih his view

The Cessaion is an expeience of hee and now" Wha does hisean? is in e cessaion ha bohwayslibeaed arahat- and bodywinessnoneues expeiece hee and now in is cpleenessin he anne ha arahat would have i wih hei physica deah ThCessaion is he eans of expeiencing coplee , ha is

wihou eainde whie one is alive by eneing ino a indless ha is,pecepion-ess and eling-ess sae Such an expeience ay give nonues and arahat an undesanding of he naue of afe harahat deah Alhough he coplee expeience wih he arahatdeah is a naua one and is in h no an expeience of soeone, copee expeience in he cessaion is a condiioned one JasBoyd55 was us no o ideni cessaion wih e says ha cessaiois isef a ena ceaion, a condiiond, copounded (sakhata) sae noo be equaed wih he uncondiioned, uncopounded, unbo Alhough he was able o ecognize cessaion o be a condiioned sae, hiled o poin ou ha is aainen is also he coplee hee and noexpeience of he uncondiioned uncopounded and unbo , hais wihou eainde us be noed hee ha boh heVsuddhimagga and he muttimagga conside he aainen of cessaioas neihe condiioned no uncondiioned because as he Vsuddhimagga

saes, i does no exis in is own naue and is spoken of as being eneeon by viue of he onk who has eneed upon i o because as hVmuttimagga has i hee is no puogehe sae in his aainen aalso he eny ino and exis o he uncondiioned sae canno be known5

Fuhe, wih he arahat deah hee is no one o expeience heee, he cessaion could be egaded as he one and ony way one isable o expeience physicaly hee and now in is copleeness

One could ealize and becoe an arahat wihou having any physicaexpeience of i, bu he expeience of wihou any subsae ihis vey li, one us aain he cessaion is e ha his anupdisesa-expeience in he cessaion is epoay n Winson Kings wodshis expeience is of couse in ie aises when he coneplao enesino he cessaio, and ceases upon eegence o i5

22


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G.A SOMARTNE

To aod isconcepons wth egad o y concsons, s appoae odscss the and -s ta ae descbed aswo eeents in the In hs conex e-eeen with eside s pesented as e ype ha oneaciees wih atanen of sp(a Heein, ons, a on is an wo as desoyed the canes,ied the hge i, done wha has to be done, aid asde he bden, achieedthe nobe goa, destoyed he tes of exsence, and is eed ogh nsg(b is e senses ean as they ae no ye destoyed, e expeences

wa is ageeabe and dsageeabe e es happiness and pain( c It s is destcton of s, ae and deson, a is caed wtheside

As cod be seen o hs ext, becong an eans e desconof canes (, e descion of s, hae and desion Te wose canes ae desoyed st as e e senses and as a est

of sense pecepion, e expeiences appness and pan (, b snce is s, ae and deson ae ansed, e casa pocesssops thee, tha s, s expeence of eng does no ead o cang andattachen When this s n he sae of he cessaion of pecepton and eing, is pecepa pocss as we as e co of feeng a deeso coes o a copee at, togh a epoay peod of e

As te expans, e eeent wo esde is aso ecopete coong of a tha s by ths wiot any s, hae odesion(a Heen, ons, a on s an wo has desoyed he canes, and s eed ogh nsig(b A of his at is t, no being deiged in, w becoe cod hee tsefI is ts a is caed the wtho eside

It s eident at tis copete coong of he is a es of edisinegaion of s e aggegates and e senses In the state of cessaion,the conepatos pysica, eba and ena acties coe o cease a tepoay peod of e As a est, peception is ipossbe, and wentee is no pecepon, eng s possibe as we - The Cessaon s a condioned stae and has the caacestcs ofaising, disappeaance and change, bt e eeen of witot

225


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JCB SS L VO I

residue is the complete extinction (arinibbna) of what continued as aliving arahat and that extinction is compaed to the extincton of a lamp(ajotasseva nibbna vimokkho cetaso ahu).60

226


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GA SOMAANE

NOTS

I D , 70- 1 ; 1 1 2 M 1 2-3; A 306

S 1 5 0

3 S , 307 D 7 ; M 2034

4 See r these and oher points on hs opic de a all ee Poussin, "Msil a and NradaMelanges Chinois et Bouddhiques 5 : 1 89-222, 1 93 37 iy de Silva Cetovimutti

Pavimutti and Ubhatobhgavimutti," Pali Buddhist Review 3, 3 1 8-45 1 978 .Schimihasen, "On Some Aspects of Descripions or Theories of 'iberaing nsgh and

'nghenmen n arly Buddhism in K.Buhn and A Wezler (eds) Studien zum Jainism usund Buddhismus, Wiesbaden Franz Seiner erlag 1 979 W King Theravda Meditation:

the Buddhist Transformation ofYoga, Universiy Park, Pennsylvania Sae Universiy Press, 980; P. Grihs, On Being Mindless, a Salle, Open Cour 198 Peer Havey, SgnlessMediaons in Pali BuddhismJournal ofthe International Association ofBuddhist Studies

9, 25-52 98; Seven Collins Nirvna and Other Buddhist Felicities Utopias ofthePali imaginaire, Cambridge Universiy Press 1998; and K Norman, "Aspecs of arly

Buddhism Collected Papers Volume IV, Oxrd PS, 1 993, pp. 1 25- 1 3 8

5M 333-46 M 29

Pais-a 322

S 2 1 7-8

9 M , 3 0 1 - 20 S 293I s 2 1 3 D 1 84-5

3Sn, 847

The Path of Puri, pp88-872

5 The Path ofFreedom, pp 323-3241 6 The Path ofFeedom, p323 7 See, Pais ol. , pp 97988 King, l 980 04; he Pas-a ol. 3 1 99 See Nyanailoa Path to Deliverance Kandy BP S, 1 982, p. 1 90 ames Boyd, "he

heravda iew of Sasra, Buddhist Studies in Honour of Walpola Rahula, ed. by S

Basoorya e al, ondon 980 p 3 70 The Path ofFreedom, p 323 A 1 94 idha bhikkhave bhikkhu slasampanno samdhisampanno pa1sampanno

a-vedayitanirodha sampajeyya pi vuhaheyya pi atth eta !hna no ce dih

a dhamme aa rdheyya atikkamm eva kaba/ikrhra-bhakkhna devnasahavyata aatara manomaya kya upapanno sa-vedayita-nirodha

sampajeyya pi vuhaheyya pi atth eta !hnan ti.22 eg , M , 28 M , 2034

227


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JCBSSL VOL I

24 M I 455625 A IV 448

26 a\isa Vol. I , 321

2 7 For an explanaion of pubbakicca in this context, see Paisa Vol. I 320-3 2 1

28 M I, 289

29 ibid, 25

JO s I, 41 01 4

JI s III 238

32 AIV 4523

n A IV 453 6

34 See S IV 36073

M I 2045

eg. M I 490

M I 4779

D II 7

J9 A IV 4523

40S II 2 128

41 S I 4 1 2

42 M I 3 03

4J A III 94

44 M I 302

M I 298

4 M I 302

4 1 9 8 1 , p 2 9

4K sI 34

'9 M I 400

M I 400

1 M I 209

1 9 8 p . 2 1 9

id pp 289

D II 56

Buddhist Studies in Honour of Walpola Rahula, p 36

56p709 The Path of Freedom pp.325326

8 Theravda Meditaton p 104

9 tivuttaka, p. 38 D II, 157

Documents

The Sutta Pericope of 'the Cessation' and Its Interpretation