Re: Anomalies in the suttas?

Dear Khristos,

Here's an answer to your questions on the cessation of the breath in the
fourth jhana.

>
> It's the last sentence in this quotation that I'm curious about:
> "catutthaṃ jhānaṃ samāpannassa assāsapassāsā niruddhā honti." Am I to
> understand, here, that in the fourth jhāna, inhalation and exhalation
> cease??
>

Yes.
This passage is also found elsewhere too in the Sutta Pitaka at D III 266
and A IV 409.
It is also stated in a discussion on this topic in the Milindapañha (p. 85:
‘‘*So hi nāma, mahārāja, saddo abhāvitakāyassa abhāvitasīlassa
abhāvitacittassa abhāvitapaññassa kāye namite viramissati, kiṃ pana
bhāvitakāyassa bhāvitasīlassa bhāvitacittassa bhāvitapaññassa
catutthajjhānaṃ samāpannassa assāsapassāsā na nirujjhissantī’’t*i.)
It is also found in the Pali commentaries: Nidd-a II 6: *Bhavesu hi
kāmabhave assāsapassāsā pavattanti, rūpārūpabhavesu nappavattanti. Tasmā so
**bhavacarimo**. Jhānesu purimajhānattayeva pavattanti, catutthe
nappavattanti. Tasmā so **jhānacarimo. *
Nidd-a I 176 *Kāyasaṅkhāranirodho**ti **assāsapassāsānaṃ**
**nirodho**āvaraṇo, catutthajjhānasamāpattisamāpajjanaṃ.
*


> Even internally to the doctrine itself, let alone more mundane
> practical reasons, this seems strange, because of the fact that it is
> usually stated that breathing stops during saññāvedayitanirodha: i.e., the
> kāyasaṅkhārā are the first to cease upon entering saññāvedayitanirodha.
>

Where is this usually stated? I could not find any statement that the breath
specifically first ceases in the attainment of cessation.

In the Cullavedalla Sutta it is said that first the vacīsaṅkhāra ceases, and
then the  kāyasaṅkhāra and finally the cittasaṅkhāra: M I
301:*Saññāvedayitanirodhaṃ
samāpajjantassa kho, āvuso visākha, bhikkhuno paṭhamaṃ
**nirujjhati**vacīsaṅkhāro, tato
**kāyasaṅkhāro**, tato cittasaṅkhāro ti.*
This makes sense because the attainment of cessation is attained by way of
attaining the jhanas first therefore the  vacīsaṅkhāra, ceases first in the
second jhana and the kāyasaṅkhāra first in the fourth, and the cittasaṅkhāra
only in  cessation.
M-a II 365: *Paṭhamaṃ nirujjhati vacīsaṅkhāro**ti sesasaṅkhārehi paṭhamaṃ
dutiyajjhāneyeva nirujjhati. **Tato kāyasaṅkhāro**ti tato paraṃ kāyasaṅkhāro
catutthajjhāne nirujjhati. **Tato cittasaṅkhāro**ti tato paraṃ cittasaṅkhāro
antonirodhe nirujjhati.*

The Buddha attained parinibbaana while in the fourth jhana, D II 156:
… *tatiyajjhānā
vuṭṭhahitvā catutthaṃ jhānaṃ samāpajji, catutthajjhānā vuṭṭhahitvā
samanantarā bhagavā parinibbāyi. *
Anuruddha noticed that his breath had ceased there: Nā*hu assāsapassāso, **
ṭhitacittassa** **tādino**; anejo santimārabbha, yaṃ kālamakarī muni. *
The Theragatha commentary states that assāsapassāsā are the kāyasaṅkhārā and
therefore were not present in the fourth jhana:
Th-a III 70:  *Tattha **nāhu assāsapassāsā, ṭhitacittassa tādino**ti
anulomapaṭilomato
anekākāravokārā sabbā samāpattiyo samāpajjitvā vuṭṭhāya sabbapacchā
catutthajjhāne ṭhitacittassa tādino buddhassa bhagavato assāsapassāsā nāhu
nāhesunti attho. Etena yasmā catutthajjhānaṃ samāpannassa kāyasaṅkhārā
nirujjhanti. Kāyasaṅkhārāti ca assāsapassāsā vuccanti, tasmā
catutthajjhānakkhaṇato paṭṭhāya assāsapassāsā nāhesunti dasseti.*

I will look at the commentary, next, but I'm curious to know how the
> more seasoned deal with such seeming 'anomalies'.
>

I don't see an anomaly here.

Best wishes,
                         Bhikkhu Nyanatusita


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