Chapter 8aam, noble eightfold path

Many people don’t realize the 8aam, much like 7sb (awakening factors), is a causal sequence that leads you from the right kinds of views and thoughts you think prior to first jhana, gradually into the right thoughts that you think while still in first jhana.

SN 45.8 Magga Vibhanga: Path exposition: 8aam (ariyo atthangiko maggo, noble eightfold path)

You want to know the difference between first jhana and second jhana?

compare SN 56.7 to SN 56.1 . They're both mentally inspecting the same ideas on 4nt, except SN 56.7 uses "vitakka", and SN 56.1 uses "pajānati" (what S&S sati and sam-pajāno does).

So it’s clear vitakka has an important insightful role to play in first jhana, before samadhi, and upekkha (equanimous observation in 3rd and 4th jhana) can completely replace V&V from first jhana. Note that it’s in 2nd jhana that the Buddha first describes the state as “samadhi” and “ekodi-bhava” (become singular). First jhana is described as “vivekajam pīti-sukham” (seclusion-born rapture & pleasure).

AN

AN 3.60 : mind reading v&v and ‘hearing’ those ‘thoughts’, mind reading mano-sankhara

AN 3.101 : gold refining simile. Samadhi with dhamma-vitakka prior to 4 jhanas

AN 4.14 : 4pd primary activities, notice what “nimittas” do here

AN 6.10 : 6 anus-sati, not vitakka, (buddha, dhamma, sangha…) lead to 7sb samadhi

AN 8.30 anuruddha 8 great thoughts

AN 8.63 4bv, V&V gradually drops out. The only sutta that details 3 ways samadhi, and links to 4jhanas and samadhi.

4bv: 4 brahma viharas, look for the keyword “abyapajja” in the standard 4bv formula for each of the 4bv. The same word is the 2nd of 3 factors in samma sankappo (right resolves).

AN 9.14 : name & form (is) basis → man's [S&V] resolves-&-thinking arising

AN 10.48 ☸10 Dhammas, but obviously are Dhamma-vitakka.

SN

SN 8.4 : watch how nimitta and animita is used in here

SN 36.11 , 15, 16, 17, 18: nine gradual cessations

SN 45.8 Magga Vibhanga: Path exposition: 8aam (ariyo atthangiko maggo, noble eightfold path)

SN 46.2 7sb nutriments, manasi karoti is similar to ekaggam cittam

SN 46.3 : 7sb watch how V&V correspond and are explicitly used in sati and dhamma-vicaya

SN 47.10 : 7sb sequence with directed/undirected samadhi, watch how “nimitta” is used

SN 56.1 jhanas 2-4 using S&S, pajanati to penetrate dukkha

SN 56.7 using first jhana vitakka to penetrate dukkha

☸Dhamma-vitakka 💭

thoughts related to Dhamma, occurs in first-jhāna.

In AN 8.30 they're explicitly called "Dhamma vitakka",

but in other suttas they can be referred to as Dhammas,

as samadhi nimittas,

as anus-sati/recollections,

as perceptions/sañña.

Especially as 8aam->samma sankappo(vitakka),

suttas alphabetical

every sutta reference to Dhamma-vitakka

https://notesonthedhamma.blogspot.com/2019/09/every-sutta-reference-to-dhamma-vitakka.html

AN 3.101: dhamma vitakka is thoughts connected to Dhamma teaching and meditation, samadhi context, but probably falls short of first jhana

AN 5.73: dhamma vitakka explicit connection to jhana, samadhi, samatha

AN 7.95-96-622 : refers to mano of 6 salayatana

AN 11.22-29-454-501 : refers to mano of 6 salayatana

DN 22: refers to mano of 6 salayatana

KN Iti 68: samadhi implied, usage is similar to SN 56.1 and SN 56.7, since it leads to nirvana

MN 10: refers to mano of 6 salayatana

explicit use of ☸Dhamma-vitakka 💭

AN 8.30 anuruddha 8 great thoughts leading to 4 jhanas, explicitly called Dhamma vitakka

AN 3.101 explicit dhamma-vitakka prior to 4 jhanas, but probably a samadhi short of first jhana

KN Iti 68: samadhi implied, usage is similar to SN 56.1 and SN 56.7, since it leads to nirvana

DN 22 and MN 10 refer to 6sal sense bases mano


dhammavitakko loke piyarūpaṃ sātarūpaṃ, etthesā taṇhā uppajjamānā uppajjati, ettha nivisamānā nivisati.	thoughts about thoughts in the world seem nice and pleasant, and it is there that craving arises and settles.

implicit use of ☸Dhamma-vitakka 💭

explicit samadhi context as 7sb or 4j

compare SN 56.7 to SN 56.1 . They're both mentally inspecting the same ideas on 4nt, except SN 56.7 uses "vitakka", and SN 56.1 uses "pajānati" (what S&S sati and sam-pajāno does).

AN 6.10 : 6 anus-sati, not vitakka, (buddha, dhamma, sangha…) lead to 7sb samadhi

samadhi context not explicit

AN 10.48 ☸10 Dhammas, samadhi context not explicit

4👑☸ Cattāri Ariya-saccaṃ 四聖諦

V&V full suttas

🐴🐎💭 Book 2

V&V💭 in 4 jhānas: sutta anthology

Prologue