Dear Pali friends,

There is a somewhat controversial question on whether jhanas are
necessary for the attainment of Arahantship.

One of the issues is the interpretation of "pa~n~naavimutto" or "one
released through wisdom". Please tell your opinion on the passage
below.

In Kitagiri Sutta (MN 70) it is said:

"Katamo ca, bhikkhave, puggalo pa~n~naavimutto? Idha, bhikkhave,
ekacco puggalo ye te santaa vimokkhaa atikkamma ruupe aaruppaa te na
kaayena phusitvaa viharati, pa~n~naaya cassa disvaa aasavaa
parikkhii.naa honti. Aya.m vuccati, bhikkhave, puggalo
pa~n~naavimutto.

Monks, who is a person released through wisdom? Here, monks, a certain
person, having surpassed peaceful corporeal releases, does not
experience incorporeal peaceful releases with the body, curbing
influxes by seeing them with wisdom. This one, monks, is called "released
through wisdom".

Full translation can be found at:
http://metta.lk/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/2Majjhima-Nikaya/Majjhima2/070-kitagiri-e1.htm

Ven. Santikaro Bhikkhu on ( buddhadasa@yahoogroups.com )kindly noted that:
%%% In note 703 to his translation, Bhikkhu Bodhi -- following Commentary
-- says that this passage refers to those who attain Arahant liberation
through either dry-insight (nojhanaexperience) or only one or more of
therupa-jhana. To my limited knowledge, "dry-insight" is a Commentary term,
not Sutta. Tho my Pali is limited, too, I notice "sukkhavipassako"
(dry-insight meditator) in the Commentary passage below.

The Commentary says:

Pa~n~naavimuttoti pa~n~naaya vimutto. So sukkhavipassako, catuuhi
jhaanehi vu.t.thaaya arahatta.m pattaa cattaaro caati imesa.m vasena
pa~ncavidhova hoti. Paa.li panettha a.t.thavimokkhapa.tikkhepavaseneva
aagataa. Yathaaha- "na heva kho a.t.tha vimokkhe kaayena phusitvaa
viharati, pa~n~naaya cassa disvaa aasavaa parikkhii.naa honti. Aya.m
vuccati puggalo pa~n~naavimutto"ti.

Despite Bhikkhu Bodhi's note, I don't see in the commentary any "or"
between 'sukkhavipassako" and the experience of four jhanas.
Both sutta and commentary point out that the one released through
discernment (pa~n~naa) attains only first four jhanas, and not the formless
(arupa) ones. Thus this passage indicates that jhana has a role to
play to one released through discernment, and sukkhavipassako attains
form jhanas.

I would like to ask your qualified opinion on the meaning of this
passage, and the meaning of 'pa~n~naa-vimutto' in suttas and
'sukkhavipassako' in commentaries.

Metta,
Dimitry