Dear Keren,
op 30-11-2005 18:14 schreef keren_arbel op keren_arbel@...:

> Another question I have about upekkhaa is about the description of
> the fourth jhaana:
>
> adukkhamasukhaa upekkhaasatipaarisuddhim catuttha.m jhaanaaa
> upasampajja viharati.
>
> In this sentence there are both adukkhamasukhaa which is vedanaa and
> upekkhaa. What exactly is this feeling of neither-painful-nor-
> pleasant?

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N: Here the yogavacara has abandoned the jhanafactor which is sukha, happy
feeling. Thus he has indifferent feeling.
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K: Is neutral feeling really exists or it is neutral when

> there is some form of ignorance (the underlying tendency of
> adukkhamasukhaa is ignorance)? Is the fourth jhaana has a neutral
> vedanaa as its characteristic?

------
N: There is feeling accompanying each citta. Also when it seems that there
is no feeling, such as when seeing arises, there is indifferent feeling. We
notice pleasant and unpleasant feeling, but we are ignorant of indifferent
feeling. It is difficult to know its characteristic.
Indifferent feeling can be kusala, akusala, vipaaka or kiriya.
The citta rooted in ignorance is always accompanied by indifferent feeling.
When there is not happy feeling nor unhappy feeling we should not think that
the citta is kusala. It may be akusala citta rooted in ignorance.
When indifferent feeling accompanies jhanacitta of the fourth stage it is
kusala and very pure.
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K: Also I am not sure if upekkhaasatipaarisuddhim should be translate

> as "purification of mindfulness due to equanimity", or "purification
> of mindfulness and equanimity", or maybe purification through
> mindfulness and equanimity".

------
N: We read in Visuddhimagga Ch IV, 166: <The fourth jhana...which...'has
mindfulness purified by equanimity'.
It conditions calm and purification of all that is opposed to calm.
-------
I should add that upekkha can stand for paññaa and also for viriya. Energy
that is neither over strenuous nor lax in mental development.
The Visuddhimagga Ch IV, 156 and following explains ten kinds of equanimity.
*****
I would like to add something about the brahma vihara upekkha. This is not
only a meditation subject of samatha, but it should be developed in daily
life.
I quote what I wrote before:
<The Brahmavihåra of equanimity can be applied in our socal life.
We may try to help others with loving kindness and compassion, but sometimes
people are beyond help. When we meet someone who has lost his or her spouse
we cannot help this person by having sorrow. When we consider that kamma
brings its appropriate result, there can be conditions for equanimity
instead of sorrow. We may then be able to speak the right words with true
compassion and kindness. The Brahmavihåra of equanimity can also prevent us
from worry and anxiety about the health of someone who is close to us.
Nobody can prevent kamma from producing its result when it is the right
time.
The Brahmavihåra of equanimity can also prevent us from being overly
involved in other people¹s lives and problems. The Buddha said that the
monks should not spend too much time in the village with other people. He
did not want them to be overly involved in others lest there be many akusala
cittas.
The laylife is different from the monk¹s life but we can apply the Vinaya in
our own situation. If we are overly involved in other people¹s affairs there
are bound to be many akusala cittas: we may have attachment to them or we
may cling to our own efforts of helping them. We may be disappointed when we
cannot help them or when they do not react as we expected. We may have
aversion because of other people¹s contrarious behaviour or unwholesome
deeds. When we remember that akusala cittas both of ourselves and others
arise because defilements have been accumulated during endless lives, it
will condition equanimity.>

Actually we need the Brahmavihåra of equanimity when we develop metta and
compassion in daily life.
Nina.