When our Zen (meditation) practice reaches the super-advanced stage of mindfulness of mind objects, we can start bragging that we are advanced, highly skilled practitioners (that is a hilarious joke so I hope you don’t break your ribs laughing; bragging about anything is something a practitioner at such an advanced level would not do or even consider doing). I guess jokes that have to be explained aren’t exactly Jerry Seinfeld quality.
The Mahayana school of Buddhism recognizes but ten dharma realms whereas the Theravada school (Venerable Ajahn Sumedho is a Theravada teacher) recognizes thirty one: The eleven sense-sphere or desire realms and the sixteen form or fine material realms. That makes a total of twenty seven dharma realms. Thus we know there are four more.
These final four dharma realms are in the formless/immaterial realm and are the “objective counterparts” of the four immaterial attainments. These four highest realms are named accordingly:
The realm of infinite space (4);
The realm of infinite consciousness (3);
The realm of nothingness (2); and
The realm of neither-perception-nor-non-perception (1).
Again, unlike the Mahayana school, Nirvana/Nibbana is not counted as the first dharma realm in the Theravada school; it is not a dharma realm under the teachings of the Buddha as recorded in the Pali Canon.
Thus we see that development of the four jhanas leads to rebirth in the fine-material realm whereas development of the four immaterial attainments leads to rebirth in the immaterial realm. And that development of all four jhanas and all four immaterial attainments falls short of Nibbana.
The Buddha said that the final four steps of Tranquil Wisdom meditation, i.e., steps thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen, are the stages of contemplating infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, and neither perception nor nonperception, respectively. These final four steps, he said, also constitute the practice of the fourth foundation of mindfulness, i.e., mindfulness of mind objects.
However, the steps of experiencing infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, and neither perception nor nonperception are supplied to The Anapanasati Sutta by another sutta, i.e., The Anupada Sutta. Scholars of the Pali Canon have made the connection between the two suttas.
The Buddha in The Anapanasati Sutta used the words “impermanence, fading away, cessation, and relinquishment” as the objects of contemplation of the four final steps. However, in The Anupada Sutta, he used the terms “infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness and neither perception nor nonperception” so those terms are typically used in commentaries on The Anapanasati Sutta.
There is no direct one-to-one correspondence between the terms “impermanence, fading away, cessation, and relinquishment” as used in The Anapanasati Sutta and the corresponding terms “infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness and neither perception nor nonperception” as used in The Anupada Sutta.
Venerable U. Vimalaramsi explains that “impermanence” includes both “infinite space” and “infinite consciousness.” The term “fading away” includes “nothingness.” The term “cessation” includes “neither perception nor nonperception.” The term “relinquishment” thus includes the cessation of all thoughts and feelings, Nirvana.
Venerable U. Vimalaramsi thus teaches that the final four steps correspond to the four immaterial attainments and Nirvana and Venerable Ajahn Brahm says that the four final steps are not the four immaterial attainments because the four immaterial attainments are experienced after the four jhanas in step twelve of the sixteen steps of Tranquil Wisdom meditation.
Venerable Ajahn Brajm therefore concludes that the final four steps are for contemplation with super power mindfulness after the meditator has emerged from the four jhanas and the four immaterial attainments.
These two understandings of the teachings of the Buddha can be reconciled from a Zen School perspective. The Buddha used words to point at the moon and it is easy to fall into the quagmire of words and to miss the moon.
It doesn’t matter if all four jhanas and all four immaterial attainments arrive at step twelve of the sixteen step meditation as taught by Venerable Ahajn Brahm, or if they are spread out (the first jhana of joy arising at step five, the second jhana of serene happiness also arising at step five, the third jhana of tranquility arising at step seven, the fourth jhana of equanimity arising at step eight, and the four immaterial attainments arising at steps thirteen through sixteen) as taught by Venerable. U. Vimalaramsi.
It doesn’t matter because one teacher reports his experiences and another teacher reports his and we will never find the Buddha outside ourselves.
No doubt there are other teachers with still further explanations of the Buddha’s sermon as recorded in The Anapanasati Sutta. All we can do is to follow the steps as best we can, and forget about ambiguities caused by words. We can study both teachers, digest their words, and aim for the moon that both of them, as well as the Buddha, want us to see.
Obviously, practice of this sixteen step meditation requires “diligent, ardent and resolute” practice, as the Buddha so often says in the suttas/sutras.
The Buddha’s words were open to interpretation and he probably wanted it to be that way, understanding that no two people would practice the sixteen steps in the same way and have the same experience at each of the steps.
It’s easy to see how Venerable U. Vimalaramsi could teach that the joy and serenity of step five could be the first and second jhanas, respectively, and how Venerable Ajahn Brahm could teach that the joy and serenity of those two steps are merely harbingers of the real joy and serenity that arrive at step twelve. (The Buddha called the twelfth step “liberating the mind”).
It’s just as easy to see how Venerable U. Vimalaramsi could teach that the tranquility and equanimity of steps seven and eight could be the third and fourth jhanas, respectively, and how Venerable Ajahn Brahm could teach that the tranquility and equanimity of those two steps are merely precursers of the real tranquility and equanimity that arrive at step twelve.
The Buddha did not specify which of the sixteen steps represented attainment of a jhana or an immaterial attainment, so both teachers can present convincing arguments.
Our practice is to follow the sixteen steps and to investigate our own experience as to whether or not we attained the jhanas and immaterial attainments.
