Dear Nina,

I see. ;-) This is a traditional view, but I have no objection to it. In a way, it reinforces the suttas (including the passage we just read) that only through the seclusion of negative and unwholesome thoughts can the first jhana be attained. Thank you.

I truly recommend Ven. H Gunaratana's books, which are available online, for further readings on the topic.

metta,
Yong Peng.

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Nina van Gorkom wrote:

In the book Yong Peng referred to : The Jhaanas, by Ven. Hennepola, there is reference to this subject which we also find in the Visuddhimagga and other commentaries: <one-pointedness (samaadhi) is opposed to sensual desire, rapture (piiti) to illwill, applied thought to sloth and torpor, happiness to restlessness and worry, and sustained thought to doubt.

This is elaborated on just a little by Acharn Sujin in her "Survey of Paramattha Dhammas":

The five jhana-factors are opposed to the five hindrances.