Hello Hasituppada, and thank-you for your soothing words of concord. I wish
that I could be as agreeable as you on all points, but I beg your indulgence
on one tiny point, that is all, otherwise I am in full agreement.

Insight (vipassana) is simply the other side of the coin from absorption
(jhana). I have found they are simply different aspects of the same thing. It
is_like fire. Fire has two properties, one is to produce heat, and the other is
to produce light. The same is true of absorption (samadhi), It produces both
ecstasy (jhana) and insight (vipassana). One does not come without the
other. Any belief otherwise is simply fiction.

Kindest regards,

Jeff Brooks

In a message dated 3/9/04 1:35:11 AM, Pali@yahoogroups.com writes:

<< Date: Mon, 08 Mar 2004 23:41:18 -0000
From: "hasituppada" <hasituppada@...>
Subject: Re: Common Misconceptions of Jhana


Dear Jeff,

I agree with you. Samatha and Vipassana go hand in hand. One who
can initially get into deep samadhi, can easily progress to
absorptions. Buddha's teaching is simple and he made it clear to
every one. It is we who try to make it difficult. Absolute silence
for meditation may be helpful, but it is not an absolute necessity.
Even in the most noisiest place one can meditate peacefully.
Initially it may be difficult, but as mind gets concentrated the
ouside noise is no more a disturbance.

If a meditator could skip samatha and go directly to Vipassana-dry
meditation, so much the better, but Samatha is a necessary
preliminary stage for other meditators who are not that fortunate.

If meditation is properly followed the Buddha says in Satipatthana
Sutta, one can attain nibbana not in seven years or seven months but
in seven days.

with metta,
Hasituppada >>