Painful or Pleasant Path

Discussion
1

As discussed herePleasant and painful paths as modes of practice or just conditions for practice?
In AN4.163 Asubhasutta

Mendicants, there are four ways of practice. What four?
Painful practice with slow insight,
painful practice with swift insight,
pleasant practice with slow insight, and
pleasant practice with swift insight

And what’s the painful practice with slow insight? It’s when a mendicant meditates observing the ugliness of the body, perceives the repulsiveness of food, perceives dissatisfaction with the whole world, observes the impermanence of all conditions, and has well established the perception of their own death

And what’s the pleasant practice with swift insight? It’s when a mendicant … enters and remains in the first absorption … second absorption … third absorption … fourth absorption

But if we take Mahamoggallana sutta,

“Reverend Sāriputta … “
. I relied on the painful practice with swift insight to free my mind from defilements by not grasping.”

Sāriputtasutta

“Reverend Moggallāna … . I relied on the pleasant practice with swift insight to free my mind from defilements by not grasping.”

But both Venerables have enlightened through Jhana meditation. In the series of suttas, it is described how Ven. Moggallana enters each jhanas.
Moggallana vagga
Paṭhamajhānapañhāsutta

This is called the first absorption.’
And so … I was entering and remaining in the first absorption. While I was in that meditation, perceptions accompanied by sensual pleasures beset me due to loss of focus.

Similarly Ven.Sariputta also describes how he enters the jhanas and reach enlightenment.Anupadasutta

If both Venerables reached enlightenment through absorption meditation, how could one be painful while other is pleasant? Or is it that Ven. Moggallana meditates on asuba/impermanence/ugliness etc. ?

If there is no such evidence, I think it is because of liking/disliking of these Venerables and not based on the type of meditation.
Because in Mahagosinga sutta, Ven. Moggallana says that he delights in mendicants who like dharma discussion while Ven. Sariputta says he delights in mendicants that master their minds and can abide whatever jhana they want.
Therefor I think Ven. Moggallana likes dharma discussion and dislikes absorption meditation. Thus the path was painful and swift for him.

Similarly Ven.Sariputta likes controlling mind and likes absorption meditation. Thus the path was pleasant and swift for him.

In conclusion, I think if the path is easier to walk and similar to the personality of the person, it will be pleasant and if against their personality it will be painful.

2

Painful practice and pleasant practice are also defined differently in AN 4.162:

And what’s the painful practice with swift insight? It’s when someone is ordinarily full of acute greed, hate, and delusion. They often feel the pain and sadness that greed, hate, and delusion bring. And these five faculties manifest in them strongly: faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom. Because of this, they swiftly attain the conditions for ending the defilements in the present life. This is called the painful practice with swift insight.
[…]
And what’s the pleasant practice with swift insight? It’s when someone is not ordinarily full of acute greed, hate, and delusion. They rarely feel the pain and sadness that greed, hate, and delusion bring. These five faculties manifest in them strongly: faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom. Because of this, they swiftly attain the conditions for ending the defilements in the present life. This is called the pleasant practice with swift insight.

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3

Ven Moggallana always had issues with absorbtion type practices while investigation came naturally to him (AN7.61). Those who are good at investigation see flaws easily, hence aversion and conceit are their main hindrances (which arise frequently).

Ven Sariputta on the other hand had issues with investigation type of practices while absorbtion was easy for him (SN12.31). Those who find absorbtion easy are naturally drawn towards delight, passion and ignorance are their main hindrances (but they arise rarely).

Interestingly enough, these personality factors did not totally disappear after enlightenment. Ven Moggallana still remained outspoken and a ‘doer’ (AN8.20) so much so that that the rival Jain community commissioned his death by being beaten till every bone was broken (Mil 5.4.1). Ven Sariputta remained quiet and a ‘let it go’ kind of person… so much so that the Buddha had to intervene and admonish a junior mendicant who constantly interrupted him in the assembly (AN5.166).

:grin:

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4

Venerable Sariputta was the disciple with the highest wisdom. Why would he struggle with “investigation type of practices”? Shouldn’t He, being a wisdom type, have easy time with “investigation type of practices” and hard time with absorptions? Same, but reverse for Ven. MahaMoggallana

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5

Investigation= insight practice giving the classic division insight & serenity. The active/positive/fire character of the three insight factors and the passive/water quality of serenity is introduced in Samyutta Nikaya 46.53. In the seven factors of awakening investigation is the initiator.

In Majjhima Nikaya 19 which describes the Buddha-to-be’s process of obtaining awakening, the sutta is based on investigation and insight involving right effort.

6

The question is easily answered by comparing the discourses regarding both disciples eg. by comparing the documented accounts of Ven Moggallana’s struggles in absorbtion meditation with those of Ven Sariputta’s effortless practice.

:rose:

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