Dear Alan
you are trying to say that Jhaana is not attainable
without a try/practice? is that understood rightly?
Well, what it seems to me even from that passage you
refered to in Mahaparinibbaana Sutta, towards his last
moments of life, the Buddha proceeded through whole
stages of Jhaanas, beginning from the first
Ruupavaavacara Jhaana up to the fourth Aruupa Jhaana,
well, look from the point, that he did it in the
manner that it went as smooth as no obsacle had been
faced. The point is, once a person becomes
Enlightened, for him there is no obstacles arise on
the way to gain Jhaanas, for he had eradicated all his
defilements, that if a person still has them, will not
allow him to gain Jhaanas. In fact the Jhaana stands,
as it understood by me, for One-pointed absorption of
the object of meditation.
It will not allow a person to be gained, if there is
such things/obstacles as restlessness, doubt, anger,
greed, etc. defilements. If there is no
defilements/obstacles, then there is no distraction at
all.
That is why, I had expressed it to be called as
automatic, but in here you are right, it is not
totally automatic, it is rather something close to it,
just a little effort had to be applied by the
Enlightened.
with respect
sitalo


Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com