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152/ Johannes Bronkhorst
in bliss'; thus I reached the Third Dhyāna and resided (there). ...
As a result of abandoning bliss, and abandoning pain, as a result of the earlier disappearance of cheerfulness and dejection, I reached the Fourth Dhyāna, which is free from pain and bliss, the complete purity of equanimity and attentiveness, and resided (there). ....
It is important to remember that these meditative states are not presented as aims in themselves. The aim, as always in the early Buddhist texts, is liberation: this in its turn is the result of a psychological transformation that can only take place in meditative trance, in the Fourth Dhyana to be precise. This psychological transformation, which is the result of a liberating insight, is described as follow
S:9)
Because he knows this and sees this, his mind is liberated from the taints (three kinds of taints are enumerated, which I leave out, JB). Once (his mind] is freed, the insight arises in him: "I am freed". "Rebirth is destroyed, the sacred life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, so that I will not return here." This is what he knows.
It will be clear that liberation here is not the result of meditation itself, but of a psychological transformation which the meditator brings about in this meditative state. This implies that this meditative state, and the Four Dhyānas in general, are not totally devoid of mental activity. This is exactly what we would expect, for immobilisation of the mind was no aim of the Buddha. His answer to rebirth as a result of action was not inaction, but psychological transformation. This psychological transformation takes place as the result of an important insight. Regarding the nature of this insight the text offer many different answers. There
9) E.g. MN I. 23
