AN9.42 — Sambādhasutta
At one time, Venerable Ānanda was staying in Kosambi, in Ghosita's Monastery. Then Venerable Udāyī approached Venerable Ānanda; having approached, he exchanged greetings with Venerable Ānanda. After exchanging greetings and cordial talk, he sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, Venerable Udāyī said to Venerable Ānanda:
It has been said, friend, by the deva Pancālacanda:
In the midst of confinement, a space has been found, by the wise one, the great sage; who awakened to jhāna, the secluded bull, the sage.
What, friend, is the confinement, and what is the space found in the midst of confinement, as spoken of by the Blessed One?
Friend, the five strands of sensual pleasure are spoken of by the Blessed One as confinement. What are the five?
Forms cognizable by the eye that are wished for, desired, agreeable, and endearing, associated with sensual desire, and provocative of lust; sounds cognizable by the ear... odors cognizable by the nose... flavors cognizable by the tongue... tangibles cognizable by the body that are wished for, desired, agreeable, and endearing, associated with sensual desire, and provocative of lust.
These, friend, are the five strands of sensual pleasure spoken of by the Blessed One as confinement.
Here, friend, a disciple, quite secluded from sensual pleasures... enters and dwells in the first jhāna. To this extent, friend, the space found in the midst of confinement is spoken of by the Blessed One in a provisional sense. There is still confinement there.
And what is the confinement there? It is the presence of applied and sustained thought that is not yet stilled. This is the confinement there.
Again, friend, with the subsiding of applied and sustained thought, a disciple enters and dwells in the second jhāna. To this extent, friend, the space found in the midst of confinement is spoken of by the Blessed One in a provisional sense. There is still confinement there.
And what is the confinement there? It is the presence of rapture that is not yet stilled. This is the confinement there.
Again, friend, with the fading away of rapture, a disciple enters and dwells in the third jhāna. To this extent, friend, the space found in the midst of confinement is spoken of by the Blessed One in a provisional sense. There is still confinement there.
And what is the confinement there? It is the presence of equanimity and pleasure that are not yet stilled. This is the confinement there.
Again, friend, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, a disciple enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna. To this extent, friend, the space found in the midst of confinement is spoken of by the Blessed One in a provisional sense. There is still confinement there.
And what is the confinement there? It is the presence of perception of form that is not yet stilled. This is the confinement there.
Again, friend, by completely transcending perceptions of form, with the disappearance of perceptions of sensory impact, and with non-attention to perceptions of diversity, aware that space is infinite, a disciple enters and dwells in the base of infinite space. To this extent, friend, the space found in the midst of confinement is spoken of by the Blessed One in a provisional sense. There is still confinement there.
And what is the confinement there? It is the presence of the perception of the base of infinite space that is not yet stilled. This is the confinement there.
Again, friend, by completely transcending the base of infinite space, aware that consciousness is infinite, a disciple enters and dwells in the base of infinite consciousness. To this extent, friend, the space found in the midst of confinement is spoken of by the Blessed One in a provisional sense. There is still confinement there.
And what is the confinement there? It is the presence of the perception of the base of infinite consciousness that is not yet stilled. This is the confinement there.
Again, friend, by completely transcending the base of infinite consciousness, aware that there is nothing, a disciple enters and dwells in the base of nothingness. To this extent, friend, the space found in the midst of confinement is spoken of by the Blessed One in a provisional sense. There is still confinement there.
And what is the confinement there? It is the presence of the perception of the base of nothingness that is not yet stilled. This is the confinement there.
Again, friend, by completely transcending the base of nothingness, a disciple enters and dwells in the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. To this extent, friend, the space found in the midst of confinement is spoken of by the Blessed One in a provisional sense. There is still confinement there.
And what is the confinement there? It is the presence of the perception of the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception that is not yet stilled. This is the confinement there.
Again, friend, by completely transcending the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, a disciple enters and dwells in the cessation of perception and feeling, and having seen with wisdom, his taints are destroyed.
To this extent, friend, the space found in the midst of confinement is spoken of by the Blessed One in a non-provisional sense.