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156/ Johannes Bronkhorst
1) Having visible shape, one sees visible shapes
2) Having no ideation of visible shape in oneself, one sees visible shapes outside [oneself]
3) One becomes intent on what is beautiful
4) By completely going beyond ideations of visible shape and the coming to an end of ideations of aversion, by not fixing one's mind on different ideations, [thinking) 'space is infinite', he reaches the stage of Infinity of Space (akaśānantyāyatana / akasanancāyatana) and remains there
5) Having completely gone beyond the Stage of Infinity of Space, (thinking) 'knowledge is infinite', one reaches the stage of Infinity of Perception (vijnananantyäyatana / viññanañcayatana) and remains there
6) Having completely gone beyond the Stage of Infinity of Perception (thinking) "there is nothing' one reaches the stage of Nothingness (akiscanyāyatana / akiñcaññayatana) and remains there
7) Having completely gone beyond the Stage of Nothingness, one reaches the Stage of Neither Ideation nor Non-Ideation (naivasam-jnanasamjñayatana/ nevasaññānasaññāyatana) and remains there
8) Having completely gone beyond the Stage of Neither Ideation nor Non-Ideation, one reaches the Cessation of Ideations and Feelings (sam navedayitanirodha / sannavedayitanirodha) and remains there.
It is difficult to understand fully what exactly is meant by this series of stages, but there can be no doubt that it is a list of graded exercises by which the practitioner gradually puts an end to all ideations. In the Stage of Nothingness the most ethereal of ideations alone remain, described as "there is nothing". In the following two states even this ideation disappears. Mental activity is in this way completely suppressed.
| SR No. | 269516 |
| Book Title | Self And Meditation In Indian Buddhism |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Johannes Bronkhorst |
| Publisher | Johannes Bronkhorst |
| Publication Year | |
| Total Pages | 19 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Article |
| File Size | 2 MB |