Hello friends, this is my first time posting after lurking for a while. Recently I came across a biography of Ven. Maha-Moggallana by Hellmuth Hecker (1994) while researching the Signless Element. In the fourth section, I came across a passage:
In doing so, he gained the “Signless Concentration of Mind,” which is free from all that marks (or signifies) conditioned existence and which affords a glimpse of the “Signless Element,” Nibbana (Samy. 40,9). But this attainment, too, was not final as yet. For even here he lapsed into a subtle enjoyment of it. Such refined attachment is still a delusive “sign” or “mark” superimposed on a high spiritual attainment of greatest purity. But aided by the Master’s instructions, he could free himself from these last fetters and attain to perfect “Deliverance of Mind” and “Deliverance by Wisdom,” in all their fullness and depth.
Assuming that the “Signless Concentration of Mind” refers to the Cessation of Feelings and Perception, I’m confused on how it’s possible to assign a sign to it such that it would allow for clinging. Or perhaps this assignment and clinging happens after exiting from that state? Based on the way the jhanas are taught in the Suttas–to realize the weariness from the current coarse state to enter into a finer state–it would make sense that even the Signless Concentration ought not to be clung onto, and any clinging should be abandoned. Logistically, though, I don’t understand how the clinging arises in the first place when there was neither feelings, perceptions, nor consciousness present.
Also, does anyone know the source for this story? The author did not put any citations regarding this particular episode nor what the instructions were, so I don’t know where to go look for more info.
Welcome to the D&D forum! We hope you enjoy the various resources, FAQs, and previous threads. You can use the search function for topics and keywords you are interested in. Forum guidelines are here: Forum Guidelines. May some of these resources be of assistance along the path.
If you have any questions or need further clarification regarding anything, feel free to contact the moderators by including @moderators in your post or a PM.
“They speak of this thing called the ‘signless immersion of the heart’. What is the signless immersion of the heart? It occurred to me: ‘It’s when a mendicant, not focusing on any signs, enters and remains in the signless immersion of the heart. This is called the signless immersion of the heart.’
And so … I was entering and remaining in the signless immersion of the heart. While I was in that meditation, my consciousness followed after signs.
Then the Buddha came up to me with his psychic power and said, ‘Moggallāna, Moggallāna! Don’t neglect the signless immersion of the heart, brahmin! Settle your mind in the signless immersion of the heart; unify your mind and immerse it in the signless immersion of the heart.’
And so, after some time … I entered and remained in the signless immersion of the heart.
So if anyone should be rightly called a disciple who attained to great direct knowledge with help from the Teacher, it’s me.”
MN121 seems to say signless concentration still has 6 sense contacts, so it is not the same thing as cessation absorption:
Furthermore, a mendicant—ignoring the perception of the dimension of nothingness and the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception—focuses on the oneness dependent on the signless immersion of the heart. Their mind becomes secure, confident, settled, and decided in that signless immersion of the heart. They understand: ‘Even this signless immersion of the heart is produced by choices and intentions.’ They understand: ‘But whatever is produced by choices and intentions is impermanent and liable to cessation.’ Knowing and seeing like this, their mind is freed from the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. When they’re freed, they know they’re freed.
They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is no return to any state of existence.’
They understand: ‘Here there is no stress due to the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, or ignorance. There is only this modicum of stress, namely that associated with the six sense fields dependent on this body and conditioned by life.’ They understand: ‘This field of perception is empty of the perception of the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. There is only this that is not emptiness, namely that associated with the six sense fields dependent on this body and conditioned by life.’ And so they regard it as empty of what is not there, but as to what remains they understand that it is present. That’s how emptiness manifests in them—genuine, undistorted, pure, and supreme
