VRJ claims 5 jhāna factors oppose 5 hindrances

Vism. claims 5 jhāna factors have a one to one correspondence in opposing and removing 5 hindrances.

https://notesonthedhamma.blogspot.com/2019/03/vrj-vism-claims-5-jhana-factors-oppose.html

4 jhanas and "5 jhanas" of AN 8.63

(This part explains the difference between 4 jhanas and "5 jhanas" of AN 8.63 and MN 128)

vism. Chap 3

25.16. In the pentad there are five jhānas by dividing in two what is called the second jhāna in the fourfold reckoning (see §21), taking the second jhāna to be due to the surmounting of only applied thought and the third jhāna to be due to the surmounting of both applied and sustained thought. There are five kinds of concentration according to the factors of these five jhānas. So its fivefoldness should be understood according to the five sets of jhāna factors.

Vism. passage on 5 magical soul mates

(This part explains how each of the 5 hindrances has a special monogamous soul-mate from the 5 jhana factors to couple with)

⛔ vism. chap 4

86. And although there may be unprofitableness in other states as well, nevertheless only the hindrances are mentioned subsequently in the Vibhaṅga thus, “Herein, what states are unprofitable? Lust …” (Vibh 256), etc., in order to show their opposition to, and incompatibility with, the jhāna factors. For the hindrances are the contrary opposites of the jhāna factors: what is meant is that the jhāna factors are incompatible with them, eliminate them, abolish them.

And it is said accordingly in the Peṭaka (Peṭakopadesa):

{1. ekaggata/kāma-chanda} “Concentration is incompatible with lust,

{2. pīti/byāpāda} happiness with ill will,

{3. vitakka/thina-middha} applied thought with stiffness and torpor,

{4. sukha/udaccakukucca} bliss with agitation and worry,

{5. vicāra/vicikicca} and sustained thought with uncertainty”

(not in Peṭakopadesa).

my comments

The curly braces above {} contain my comments for the pali correspondence to B.Nanamoli's English.

I love the part where Buddhaghosa claims, "And it is said accordingly in the Peṭaka (Peṭakopadesa)", and then in the parenthetical comments right after that sentence, B.Nanamoli says, "No it's not in there. (the KN Peta)"

So who knows where this teaching on 5 hindrances with their 5 jhana factor soul mates came from?

This is one of the dumbest teachings I've ever heard in my life. Just think about it. Why would ekaggata only oppose lust, and not ill will, uncertainty, and even all 5 hindrances? Why is Piti/rapture the soul mate for ill will, not sukha? Etc. There's no reason for there to be exclusive one to one correspondence between these 2 sets of 5. But teachers of VRJ continue to teach this, and can't explain why when you ask them.

On the positive side

The good thing about this, is that where there's smoke, there's fire. If someone tries to feed you lies and preposterous ideas, you can almost guarantee there's more nonsense coming from them. So this teaching on 5 jhana factor soul mates is a huge red flag reminding you to stay on your toes and carefully consider what Vism. teaches.

A theory on why

This teaching could be a deliberate red herring, just to get people to be puzzled, and perhaps awed by the inscrutable "wisdom" contained in Vism. But clearly they do everything they can to distract you from noticing that S&S&U, sati, sampajano, upekkha, are important factors of the 4 jhanas that do vipassana while one is in the four jhanas.

7sb☀️ as independent jhāna factors

The four jhanas have 7 factors

upekkha, sati, and dhamma-vicaya, all have vipassana capability. That's why they're omitted from the Vism. 5 jhana factor paradigm.

V&V, S&S are part of sati and dhamma-vicaya.

viriya is equivalent to 4pd (samma padhana), and right effort.

MN 78 viriya: important independent factor not incuded in "5 jhana factors"

MN 78 samaṇa-muṇḍika (the contemplative named mundika)

(Uggāhamāna's invincible ascetic— no bad body action, word, thought, livelihood)

(Buddha makes fun of him, compare to baby)

(Buddha’s ideal ascetic)

(kusala sīla purified by right effort)

(3 akusalā saṅkappā exact opposite of 3 aspects of right resolve, lust, ill will, harm)

(akusalā saṅkappā depend on 3 perceptions based on opposite of right resolves, lust, ill will, harm)

(akusalā saṅkappā cease in first jhana)

(right effort does the work of removing kusalā saṅkappā within, and prior to first jhana)

(3 kusalā saṅkappā are same as 3 aspects of Right Resolve)

(kusalā saṅkappā depend on the 3 kusala perceptions)

(kusalā saṅkappā cease in 2nd jhana)

(right effort removes kusala sankappa from first jhana resulting in no V&V of 2nd jhana)

In samma samadhi, 4 jhanas of EBT, both samatha and vipassana is done while one is in jhana.

passaddhi/pacification is a cause and/or correlation to piti & sukha.

Sukha aint happening if you're not pacified/relaxed.

The definition of upekkha-sambojjhanga in SN 46.3 -real-bojjhanga-paritta is clearly doing vipassana.

SN 46.4 is a good example of 7sb being independent jhana factors

SN 46.4 vattha

(he abides in any combination of 7sb factors any time of day he chooses)

(These 7sb factors can be analyzed within jhāna with S&S)

(simile of king wearing any clothes he wants, anytime)

(repeat of section: These 7sb factors can be analyzed within jhāna)

Thanissaro commentary

SN 46.2 independent 5niv and 7sb factors

SN 46.2 another good sutta where 5niv and 7sb can be seen as independent factors while in 4 jhanas, and while trying to enter into them

SN 46.2 Kāya-sutta

(5 hindrances have nutriment)

(1. 💑 Kāma-c-chanda ← subha-nimittaṃ)

(2. 😠 Byāpāda ← paṭigha-nimittaṃ)

(3. 😴💤Thina-middha ← arati, tandi, vijambhitā, Bhatta-sammado, cetaso ca līnattaṃ)

(4. 😳 Uddhacca-kukkucca ← cetaso a-vūpasamo)

(5. 🤷‍♂️ Vicikiccha ← vicikicchāṭ--ṭhānīyā dhammā)

(7 awakening factors have nutriment)

(1. 🐘 Sati ← sati-sam-bojjh-aṅgaṭ--ṭhānīyā dhammā)

(2. 💭🕵️ Dhamma vicaya ← kusal-ākusalā d, sāvajj-ānavajjā d, hīna-paṇītā d, kaṇha-sukka-sap-paṭibhāgā dhammā)

(3. 🏹 Vīriya ← ārambha-dhātu, nikkama-d, parakkama-d)

(4. 😁 Pīti ← pīti-sam-bojjh-aṅgaṭ--ṭhānīyā dhammā)

(5. 🌊 Passaddhi ← kāya-passaddhi, citta-passaddhi)

(6. 🌄 Samādhi ← Samatha-nimittaṃ, A-by-agga-nimittaṃ)

(7. 👁 Upekkha ← upekkhā-sam-bojjh-aṅgaṭ-ṭhānīyā dhammā)

SN 46: 20 meditation subjects where 7sb are 7 independent factors

Also in SN 46 bojjhanga collection, 20 meditation subjects where 7sb are 7 independent factors, no mention of 5 jhana factors at all.

There are 7 jhana factors, not 5. SN 54.2: 7sb☀️ together with 16APS🌬️😤

🛆👁Upekkha is an important independent factor

🛆👁Upekkha is an important independent factor in the 7sb, 3rd jhana, 4th jhana that does vipassana. This is why Theravada conspiracy goes to great lengths to supress teachings on 7sb, and emphasize their newly created "5 jhana factors".

See the separate article: ☸4nt → 7sb → 7🛆👁

especially these sections:

🛆👁 Upekkha in the 🌖🌕Jhānas

🛆👁 Upekkha in 7sb☀️

V&V💭 &U🛆👁

How many factors does each of the 4 jhānas have?

Here’s a radical concept. Instead of relying on Theravada propoganda teachings 4 jhānas according to diminishing 5 jhana factors in each successive jhana, why not learn what jhanas are the traditional, original way? You memorize the STED four jhana formula. It’s short, only takes 48 seconds to chant once you’re familiar with it. And you’ll never have to wonder how many factors are in each jhana because you can just recall from memory and examine each factor on the fly.

https://audtip.blogspot.com/2019/03/48-seconds-to-chant-in-pali-standard.html

The STED 4 jhanas formula are meditation instructions.

They occur in well over 120 suttas, probably a lot more, because it's hard to get an accurate count from ellisions. But having tracked down every single reference to first jhana with a pattern search, see

☸4nt → 8aam #8🌄: STED (smd 1) 🌘 paṭhamaṃ jhānaṃ:

almost of those references are to all 4 jhanas, not just the first.

excerpt from Leigh B’s website

http://www.leighb.com/jhana_4factors.htm

Five Factors for the First Jhana - NOT!

There is a wide spread misunderstanding that the first jhana has 5 factors. But this is not what is described in the suttas and is certainly not what the Buddha taught and practiced. The first jhana has 4 factors (Yes! Four - look it up, see it in Pali):

vitakka - thinking

vicara - more thinking, examining

piti - rapture, glee, zest

sukha - happiness

In the vast majority of cases - over 100 suttas, the first jhana is described as having only the 4 factors listed above. However the Abhidhamma and the Commentaries do speak of 5 factors for the first jhana - they add ekaggata (one-pointedness). Ekaggata isn't mentioned in the suttas because it is not and cannot be part of the formula. In the first place, vitakka and vicara always and only mean "thinking" and "examining" in the suttas - there is no place where they can be interpreted to mean "initial and sustained attention" or any such thing. It is even explicit in the canon that vitakka and vicara refer to thinking in the context of the first jhana - see for example SN 21:1. There "Noble Silence" is defined as the 2nd Jhana because vitakka and vicara are now absent. It is simply not possible to have one-pointedness and thinking at the same time, so experiencing ekaggata in the same jhana as vitakka and vicara makes no sense whatsoever.

Furthermore in the 2nd Jhana, vitakka and vicara are replaced with "vupasama, ajjhattam sampasadanam" and "ekodi-bhavam" - "inner tranquility" and "unification of mind." If there was ekaggata in 1st Jhana, there would be no need to specify the gaining of "ekodi-bhavam" to replace vitakka and vicara in the 2nd Jhana.

Now there are 2 suttas where 5 factors are given for the first jhana and a 3rd sutta where unification of mind is mentioned in regard to the 1st Jhana:

M I 294 - MN 43 "The Greater Set of Questions-and-Answers"

M III 25-29 - MN 111 "One After Another"

S IV 263 - SN 40.1 "The First Jhana" (not ekaggata, but ekodim; the context makes it a real stretch to consider this a 5th factor!)

But all of these appear to be "late" suttas - written at the close of the sutta era and the beginning of the abhidhamma era. Sutta MN 111 is actually internally contradictory: it first gives the standard 1st jhana formula with vitakka and vicara and then says Sariputta examined the factors of the 1st jhana and found ekaggata. As mentioned above, you just can't have ekaggata and vitakka & vicara happening at the same time.

Of course this was a problem for the abhidhammaikas and the commentators. So they redefined vitakka and vicara to mean initial and sustained attention. But clearly the Abhidhamma has tinkered with the definitions of the jhanas, converting the first jhana into 2 different states: one with vitakka & vicara and one with only vicara. There is no basis for this in the suttas except again in a couple of "late" suttas.

And by the time of the Visuddhimagga, the definitions of what constitutes a jhana had diverged significantly from the sutta definitions. The Visuddhimagga has made the jhanas so difficult that only one in a million who come to meditation can enter the first jhana (section XII.8) - while in the suttas, the monks and nuns were all practicing jhana (the Buddha didn't have millions of followers - probably only a few thousand at most, yet there are many accounts of monastics successfully practicing the jhanas). The absorption level described in the Visuddhimagga is so deep that "sounds are a thorn to the 1st jhana" as found in AN 10.72 makes no sense at all.

Clearly ekaggata as a factor of the 1st jhana is a later addition making the 5 factors of the 1st jhana a later schema. In fact, looking at the jhanas with the traditional abhidhamma/commentarial factors misses some of the important information in the sutta schema - see http://leighb.com/jhanatrd.htm

4👑☸ Cattāri Ariya-saccaṃ 四聖諦

SN 54.3

The 4 jhānas have 7☀️ factors. Not 5.

5 jhāna factors is a Theravada conspiracy

MN 44 sariputta claims first jhana has 5 factors