Dhyāna Samādhi Sutra, Taishō No. 614
Zuochan sanmei jing
(Sutra on the Concentration of Sitting Meditation, Taishō No. 614) is a meditation manual compiled by Kumārajīva based largely
on Indian sources.
The translator Kumārajīva (350?–409?) was born in Kucha, an oasis city on the northern route of the Tarim basin (in present-day Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Region, China). His father was an Indian monk and his mother a Kuchean princess.
{First Jhāna}
{attaining ekaggata first jhana via buddha recollection (mahayana twist)}
{vivicc'eva kāmehi = seclusion from mental "desires"}
Therefore, one should know that desire is harmful. One should seek the first stage of meditation and put out the fire of desire. The practitioner should single-mindedly, diligently, and faithfully make his mind progress without being distracted. He observes the desirous mind and fully removes the binding defilements. Then he attains the first stage of meditation. He is liberated from the fierce fire of desire and attains the heatless meditation. It is as if one attained shade in the heat, or as if a poor person became rich. At that time, [the prac titioner] attains the joyful sentiment of the first stage of meditation.
{this activity must involve V&V: thinking and evaluation}
He meditates on various merits in his meditation and observes the mental discrimination of likes and dislikes; thus he attains single-mindedness.
Question: How can we know that a practitioner of meditation has attained single-mindedness?
Answer: His complexion becomes sleek. He walks slowly, quietly, and upright. He does not lose single-mindedness, and his eyes are not attached to appearances. [With] noble virtues and the power of concentration, he does not crave for reputation or profit. He destroys arrogance. His nature is mild and he does not cherish harmful [thoughts]; nor does he have stinginess or envy. He is faithful, and his mind is pure; [thus] he does not dispute with others. He is not deceptive and is easy to talk with. He is gentle, has a sense of shame, and his mind is always directed to the Dharma. He practices diligently and completely upholds the precepts. He chants sutras, correctly remembers them, and practices according to the teachings. His mind is always joyful and does not take offense in offensive situations. Among the four types of donations,--30-- he does not accept impure ones. He accepts pure donations,
page 44
but he knows the [proper] amount and is content with [what he has received].
He wakes up easily and can practice the two types of donations (i.e., material and spiritual). He is patient and removes wickedness. When he debates, he does not get self-contented and speaks little. He is modest and [equally]respects senior, middle, and junior [monks]. He always approaches and follows good masters and friends. He is moderate in eating and drinking and is not attached to the flavors. He likes solitary and quiet places. His mind bears suffering or pleasure without being stirred. He harbors no grudges, [seeks] no competition, and does not like fights. These types of characteristics are those of [someone who has attained] single-mindedness.
{V&V is what makes first jhāna perturbable}
These --31-- two [mental] elements [in the first stage of meditation], reflection and investigation, disturb the concentrated mind. It is just like pure and quiet water is muddied when waves arise. Thus the practitioner is already concentrated inside but is troubled by reflection and investigation.
{2nd jhāna}
[However,] like an exhausted person who attains rest or like a sleepy person who gets ease, he then is gradually freed from reflection and investigation and gives rise to pure concentration. He is pure inside and, with joy and comfort, can enter the second stage of meditation. The mind becomes tranquil and silent. He has now attained this joy that he had not attained before.
{pīti is what makes 2nd jhāna perturbable}
Then his mind observes that the joy is troublesome, like the aforementioned reflection and investigation.
{3rd jhāna}
He practices the method of no joy. Thus he attains the comfort of the stage without joy taught by awakened sages.
Single-mindedly he is clearly aware, mindful, and equanimous, and thus he can enter the third stage of meditation. Since joy has already been abandoned, [the third stage of meditation has] clear awareness, mindfulness, comfort, and equanimity.--32-- Awakened sages talk about comfort and equanimity. Other people have difficulty in abandoning the utmost comfort; [for] there is no greater comfort than this. Therefore, all awakened sages say that in all the pure stages, friendliness is the utmost comfort.
{sukha is what perturbs 3rd jhāna}
[Even] comfort is troublesome. Why? In the supreme meditation the mind does not operate, because there is no [mental] activity [in it]. If there is any operation, there is change. If there is change, there is suffering. For this reason, [in] the third stage of meditation, comfort is considered to be troublesome.
{4th jhāna}
Further, by skillful means, [the practitioner] abandons such suffering and comfort. He previously got rid of distress and joy, [and now] he removes
page 45
--27--
suffering and comfort. Being equanimous, mindful, and pure, he can enter the fourth stage of meditation, [which does not have] either suffering or comfort [but has] equanimity, pure mindfulness, and single-mindedness.
Therefore the Buddha says: “[The stage at which] the most pure equanimity [is attained] is called the fourth stage of meditation.”
In the third stage of meditation comfort operates, and therefore [the third stage of meditation] is considered [not free from] suffering.
{4th jhāna is imperturbable}
For this reason, the fourth stage of meditation, which has removed suffering and comfort, is called the immovable abode.
{arupa attainments #5-#8: space-infinitude-dimension...}
[The practitioner then] gradually observes the realm of space and destroys the [meditative] images of internal and external matter. He eliminates the images of tangible [objects] and does not create images of various material elements. He observes the realm of boundless space. He always observes the faults of matter and reflects on the superior merits of the absorption belonging to the realm of space. He practices the reflection in this method and attains the realm of [boundless] space.
He [then] reflects on the realm of boundless consciousness and observes the faults of the realm of space. He reflects on the merits of the realm of boundless consciousness. He practices the reflection in this method and attains the realm of [boundless] consciousness.
He [then] reflects on the realm of nothingness and observes the faults of the realm of consciousness. He reflects on the merits of the realm of nothingness. He practices the reflection in this method and attains the realm of nothingness.
He [then] reflects on the realm that is neither with nor without ideation.
If [we talk about] all [types of] ideation, problems are manifold; they are
like diseases and wounds. If [we talk about the realm] without ideation, it is a realm of ignorance. Therefore, [the realm] neither with nor without ideation is the most peaceful good realm. He observes the faults of the realm of nothingness and reflects on the merits of the realm that is neither with nor without ideation. He practices the reflection in this method and attains the realm that is neither with nor without ideation.
{1st jhāna can do 4bv brahma-viharas}
Alternatively, there is a practitioner who starts from the first stage and reaches the advanced stage, and who practices the mind of friendliness even at the advanced stage. First he himself obtains comfort and destroys the poison
page 46
of anger. Then he extends [the comfort] to boundless sentient beings in the ten directions. Then he attains the concentration on friendly mind.
A compassionate mind takes pity on the suffering of sentient beings and can destroy manifold agonies. He extends [his compassion] widely to boundless sentient beings. Then he attains the concentration on compassionate mind.
[The practitioner] can destroy displeasure and make boundless sentient beings attain joy. Then he attains the concentration on joy.
[The practitioner] can destroy suffering and comfort and observes clearly boundless sentient beings in the ten directions. Then he can attain the concentration on equanimous mind.
{2nd jhāna can do 4bv brahma-viharas}
In the second stage of meditation, matters are the same.
{3rd and 4th jhāna metta and mudita are exluded}
In the third and fourth stages of meditation, joy is excluded.
{5 mundane supernatural powers}
{levitation}
Then [the practitioner] learns the five supernatural powers, and his body can fly and transform itself at will. The practitioner is single-mindedly absorbed in eagerness, diligence, single-mindedness, and wisdom. Single-mindedly he observes [his] body and always creates the image of lightness and wishes to accomplish flight. Whether big or small (If the absorption in eagerness surpasses [the ordinary], it is called “big.” If the absorption in eagerness is less [than the ordinary], it is called “small”), it is troublesome. With exceeding diligence, he can always contemplate lightness single-mindedly. It is just like a person who can float [on water] and who does not sink because of his strong willpower, and like a monkey that falls down from a high place but is not hurt because of its strong willpower. In the same way, the power of eagerness, diligence, single-mindedness, and wisdom makes the [body] great. Then the body becomes smaller, and [eventually the practitioner] can carry [his] body.
Next, [the practitioner] observes the element of space in [his] body. --33-- He always practices this observation, and the power of eagerness, diligence, single-mindedness, and wisdom becomes extremely large, and thus he can lift up [his] body. It is just like the power of a great wind that blows a heavy thing away to a distant place. The matter is the same here. First he should by himself try to get off the ground for one foot or two feet, and gradually up to ten feet. Then he comes back to the original place. It is like a young bird learning to fly or like a child learning to walk. He reflects and clearly knows that he can go far if his mind-power is strong. He learns to observe
page 47
--2--
{transforming objects into isolated 4 elements}
the four elements; he removes the earth element and only observes [the other] three elements. If his mindfulness is not carried away, he attains supernatural powers. His body is unhindered and he can fly like a bird. Further, he should learn to imagine that a distant place is nearby, and therefore [something] disappears nearby and appears at a distant place.--34--
Also, he can transform various things. For example, if he observes the earth element in a piece of wood and removes the other elements, the wood becomes earth. For what reason? It is because there is a share of the earth element in the wood. Likewise, [wood can be transformed into] water, fire, wind, space, gold, silver, and jewels. Why? It is because wood has these elements.--35--
This is the foundation of the first supernatural power. The four stages of meditation have fourteen minds of transformation altogether. The first stage of meditation has two fruits (i.e., two possible outcomes):
(1) the first stage of meditation, and
(2) the realm of desire.
The second stage of meditation has three fruits:
(1) the second stage of meditation,
(2) the first stage of meditation, and
(3) the realm of desire.
The third stage of meditation has four fruits:
(1) the third stage of meditation,
(2) the second stage of meditation,
(3) the first stage of meditation, and
(4) the realm of desire.
The fourth stage of meditation has five fruits:
(1) the fourth stage of meditation,
(2) the third stage of meditation,
(3) the second stage of meditation,
(4) the first stage of meditation, and
(5) the realm of desire.--36--
The other supernatural powers are as stated in the Mahayana treatise.--37--
There are two types of people among the disciples of the Blessed One who learn the five methods [of meditation]--38-- and aspire to attain nirvana:
those who prefer concentration because it is comfortable, and those who prefer wisdom because they are afraid of suffering. Those for whom concentration is predominant first learn meditation and then learn nirvana. Those for whom wisdom is predominant head for nirvana directly. Directly heading for nirvana means that, before severing defilements or attaining meditation, one directly seeks nirvana with a devoted and undistracted mind, and transcends lust and other defilements. This is called nirvana.
The body is in fact impermanent, painful, impure, and without self. Due to perverted views on the body, one thinks that it is permanent, blissful, having self, and pure. For this reason, one is attached to one’s body on every occasion.
This is the lowliest sentient being.
page 48