Hello Jim and thank-you for your kind input to this interesting subject. I
am glad to hear that someone else has found no support for arahantship without
the jhanas. I believe this evidence should cast another shadow of doubt upon
the commentaries.
Thank-you for the invitation to Buddha-L, I have joined and only await my
password. I look forward to seeing what others have posted on the subject.
Just out of curiosity, does the University of Kentucky at Louisville have a
Buddhist studies program?
Best regards,
Jeff Brooks
In a message dated 3/14/04 1:42:38 AM,
Pali@yahoogroups.com writes:
<< Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2004 14:32:11 -0500
From: "Jim Anderson" <
jimanderson_on@...>
Subject: Re: Common Misconceptions of Jhana
Hello Jeff,
I don't believe Stephen has responded to you yet so I'll jump in here
and provide you with the URL as I have made a few contributions to the
discussion myself. You can read the messages by going to:
http://www.louisville.edu/it/listserv/archives/buddha-l.html
You will have to register your email address and get a password in
order to read the messages and you may even have to subscribe
beforehand. It is a forum for the academic discussion of Buddhist
topics pertaining to all the different schools and vehicles. The
discussion is under the subject line: Buddha as Mystic. As it
currently stands there appears to be nothing in the suttas themselves
to support the attainment of arahatship without the jhaanas. However,
the commentaries do support it and the closest support I'm aware of in
the Tipitaka is a passage found in the Puggalapa~n~natti, p. 61.
Best wishes,
Jim >>