Tutiya Vihāra Sutta
(The Second Vihāra Discourse — On the Nine Progressive Meditative Attainments / Anupubbavihāra Samāpatti)
Introduction — the nine progressive attainments
[237] “Monks, I will describe the nine anupubbavihāra-samāpatti (anupubbavihāra-samāpatti — the nine progressive meditative attainments / the sequential jhānic accomplishments used in gradual practice). Listen carefully and pay attention. I will speak.
These nine anupubbavihāra samāpatti are as follows:
1) Where do the sensual desires cease (kāma-vaṭṭā)? — First jhāna
We say: Where do sensual things (kāmā — sensual desires; kāma: craving for sensual pleasures) cease? And which persons have fully eradicated sensual things there? If anyone asks, “Where do sensual things cease, and who are those that have ceased them?” — do not say, “I do not know that person, I have not seen that person.” Instead answer thus:
“O elder, monks in this Training (dhamma-vinaya) who are withdrawn from sensuality (virāgo kāmā — withdrawn from kāma), who are withdrawn from unwholesome things (virāgo akusalā — free from unwholesome roots), who have attained the first jhāna (paṭhama-jhāna — first absorptive meditative state; paṭhama-jhāna: characterized by vitakka-vicāra, piti, sukha), with applied and sustained thought (vitakka-vicāra — initial and sustained application of mind), rapture (pīti — joyful excitement), and pleasure (sukha — bodily/mental ease) born of seclusion (viveka — seclusion) — in that first jhāna sensual things are ended, and those persons have ended sensual things. Rejoice in that teaching; praise it, bow, make reverent salutation, and sit close.”
(Glosses in-line: vitakka-vicāra = initial and sustained application/pondering (mental factors of first jhāna); pīti = rapture/exhilaration; sukha = pleasure/pleasantness; viveka = seclusion/withdrawal.)
2) Where do vitakka & vicāra cease? — Second jhāna
We ask: Where do vitakka and vicāra cease (i.e., the discursive application and investigation), and who have ceased them? Answer:
“O elder, monks who are withdrawn from sensualities and unwholesome states and have attained the second jhāna (dutiyā-jhāna — marked by inner clarity of mind, absence of vitakka-vicāra, with pīti and sukha abiding in concentration) — there vitakka and vicāra are ended; those persons have ended them. Rejoice, praise, bow and sit near.”
(Gloss: dutiyā-jhāna: second jhāna — discursive thought falls away, mind becomes internally luminous.)
3) Where does rapture (pīti) cease? — Third jhāna
We ask: Where does rapture (pīti) cease, and who have ceased it?
Answer: “O elder, monks who, having attained the third jhāna (tatiyā-jhāna — marked by abundance of equanimous pleasure; there is inner calm and bliss without the excitement of pīti), possess equanimity (upekkhā — balanced even-mindedness), mindfulness (sati), and full awareness (sampajañña) and enjoy the pleasantness (sukha) of body-and-mind while rapture has passed away — in that third jhāna pīti is ended, and those persons have ended rapture. Rejoice, praise, bow and sit near.”
(Gloss: tatiyā-jhāna: third jhāna — pīti fades, sukha (pleasure) remains, together with equanimity; upekkhā = equanimity.)
4) Where do equanimity (upekkhā) and pleasantness (sukha) cease? — Fourth jhāna
We ask: Where do equanimity and pleasure cease, and who have ceased them?
Answer: “O elder, monks who have attained the fourth jhāna (cattuttha-jhāna — neither-pleasure-nor-pain, purity of mindfulness due to equanimity: there is neither pleasure nor pain) — in that jhāna, having abandoned both pleasure and pain and having quelled rapture and distress, equanimity (upekkhā) and pleasantness (sukha) are ended; those persons have ended them. Rejoice, praise, bow and sit near.”
(Gloss: cattuttha-jhāna: fourth jhāna — neither pleasure nor pain; purity of mindfulness; balanced equanimity.)
5) Where do form-based perceptions (rūpa-saññā) cease? — Ākāsānancāyatana (sphere of infinite space)
We ask: Where do perceptions pertaining to form (rūpa-saññā — perception of material form) cease, and who have ceased them?
Answer: “O elder, monks who have completely transcended form-perception (rūpa-saññā) — who have abandoned the perception of resistance (paṭigha-saññā? — the hostile/contacting perception) and no longer attend to manifold perceptions (nānatta-saññā) — and who have attained the ākāsānañcāyatana jhāna (the sphere of infinite space; ākāsānañcāyatana — the formless attainment whose theme is ‘infinite space’) by taking ‘infinite space’ as the meditation object — in that attainment form-perception is ended; those persons have ended it. Rejoice, praise, bow and sit near.”
(Glosses: rūpa-saññā = perception of material forms; ākāsānañcāyatana = the first formless jhāna: ‘sphere of infinite space’. The passage in the sutta indicates that by transcending form-perception one attains this formless sphere.)
6) Where does the perception of infinite space (ākāsānañcāyatana-saññā) end? — Viññāṇañcāyatana (sphere of infinite consciousness)
We ask: Where does the perception specific to the sphere of infinite space cease, and who have ended it?
Answer: “O elder, monks who, having passed beyond the ākāsānañcāyatana attainment altogether, have attained the viññāṇañcāyatana (the sphere of infinite consciousness; viññāṇañcāyatana — whose theme is ‘infinite consciousness’) by taking as object the reflection, ‘consciousness is infinite’ — in that attainment the perception proper to infinite space is ended; those persons have ended it. Rejoice, praise, bow and sit near.”
(Gloss: viññāṇañcāyatana = sphere of infinite consciousness — the next formless attainment beyond infinite space.)
7) Where does the perception of infinite consciousness (viññāṇañcāyatana-saññā) end? — Ākiñcaññāyatana (sphere of nothingness)
We ask: Where does the perception proper to infinite consciousness cease, and who have ended it?
Answer: “O elder, monks who, having passed beyond the viññāṇañcāyatana, have attained the ākiñcaññāyatana (the sphere of nothingness; ākiñcaññāyatana — whose theme is ‘there is nothing’) by taking as object the reflection ‘there is nothing (or: nothingness)’ — in that attainment the perception of infinite consciousness is ended; those persons have ended it. Rejoice, praise, bow and sit near.”
(Gloss: ākiñcaññāyatana = sphere of nothingness — the third formless jhāna in the sequence.)
8) Where does the perception of nothingness (ākiñcaññāyatana-saññā) end? — Nevasaññānāsaññāyatana (sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception)
We ask: Where does the perception specific to the sphere of nothingness cease, and who have ended it?
Answer: “O elder, monks who, having passed beyond the ākiñcaññāyatana, have attained the nevasaññānāsaññāyatana (the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception; nevasaññānāsaññāyatana) by attaining the cessation-like state known as that attainment — in that attainment the perception proper to nothingness is ended; those persons have ended it. Rejoice, praise, bow and sit near.”
(Gloss: nevasaññānāsaññāyatana = sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception — an extremely subtle formless attainment.)
9) Where does the nevasaññānāsaññā perception cease? — Cessation (nirodha) / cessation-attainment
We ask: Where does the perception proper to that attainment finally cease, and who have ended it?
Answer: “O elder, monks who, having passed beyond the nevasaññānāsaññāyatana entirely, have attained saññā-vedayita-nirodha (saññā-vedayita-nirodha — the cessation of perception and feeling; the cessative attainment) — that cessation is the end: in that nirodha the previous subtle perceptions are quelled; those persons have ended them. Rejoice, praise, bow and sit near.
Therefore, O monks, these are the nine anupubbavihāra samāpatti.”
(Final glosses: saññā-vedayita-nirodha = the cessation of perception and feeling — the final cessative attainment beyond the subtle formless spheres. The sutta presents the nine stages as a progressive sequence: first through the four rupa-jhānas, then the four arūpa or formless jhānas, culminating in cessation.)
Short intensive glossary (each Pali term with a tight explanation)
- anupubbavihāra-samāpatti (anupubbavihāra-samāpatti) — “anupubba” = gradual/progressive; “vihāra-samāpatti” = meditative attainments — here: the nine sequential absorptions used in graduated practice.
- kāmā (kāma) — sensual pleasures / sensual desires; the domain of sense-craving.
- paṭhama-jhāna (paṭhama-jhāna) — first jhāna: vitakka-vicāra, pīti, sukha born of seclusion.
- vitakka-vicāra (vitakka-vicāra) — initial application and sustained investigation (thought factors of first jhāna).
- pīti (pīti) — rapture / joyful excitement.
- sukha (sukha) — pleasure / pleasant ease.
- viveka (viveka) — seclusion / withdrawal (conducive to first jhāna).
- dutiyā-jhāna (dutiyā-jhāna) — second jhāna: vitakka-vicāra fade; inner radiance and pīti, sukha remain.
- tatiyā-jhāna (tatiyā-jhāna) — third jhāna: pīti fades; sukha and upekkhā (equanimity) remain.
- cattuttha-jhāna (cattuttha-jhāna) — fourth jhāna: neither-pleasure-nor-pain; purity of mindfulness and equanimity.
- upekkhā (upekkhā) — equanimity / balanced impartial mind.
- rūpa-saññā (rūpa-saññā) — perception related to form (material perception).
- ākāsānañcāyatana (ākāsānañcāyatana) — sphere of infinite space (first formless attainment).
- viññāṇañcāyatana (viññāṇañcāyatana) — sphere of infinite consciousness (second formless attainment).
- ākiñcaññāyatana (ākiñcaññāyatana) — sphere of nothingness (third formless attainment).
- nevasaññānāsaññāyatana (nevasaññānāsaññāyatana) — sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception (fourth formless attainment).
- saññā-vedayita-nirodha (saññā-vedayita-nirodha) — cessation of perception and feeling (a cessative attainment beyond the subtle spheres).