I meant exactly what I said, Speech/vaca ceases in first jhana. Here’s the exact words of the Buddha.
SN 36.11 rahogata discourse
atha kho pana, bhikkhu,
mayā anupubba-saṅkhārānaṃ nirodho akkhāto.
paṭhamaṃ jhānaṃ samāpannassa vācā niruddhā hoti.
dutiyaṃ jhānaṃ samāpannassa vitakkavicārā niruddhā honti.
My approximate english translation of the first and second jhana lines.
(for) first jhana attainment, speech {has} ceased.
(for) second jhana attainment, thoughts (and) evaluation {have} ceased.
In Vimt. (vimuttimagga), Arahant Upatissa’s comments on that sutta passage is very similar to how I described in my meditation experience. That the physical act of moving the vocal cords of your anatomical body made up of four elements, will knock you out of first jhana.
I’ve read Ajahn B’s “Meditation, bliss, beyond” more than a few times, and many more times the specific passages on how he interprets jhana and 16 APS (anapanassati). I’ve spent about 10 years practicing in a hard core Burmese Vism. Jhana system meditating 5-10 hours a day consecutively for months at a time, primarily using the Vism. interpretation of 16 APS, and more than 10 years practicing Ajahn Lee and Thanissaro’s system of 16 APS and Jhana. I’ve spent over 10 years carefully scrutinizing the relevant EBT passages in 16 APS and jhana.
On the contrary, I’d urge anyone who has either studied the EBT carefully and/or have extensive practice in meditation to ask Ajahn Brahm to justify his interpretation of jhana and 16 APS which requires a strained reading of the EBT passages to support it, compared to the straightforward EBT reading taught by Ajahn Lee, Ven. Thanissaro, and Arahant Upatissa’s 16 APS in vimt, with lots of supporting evidence from the EBT agama world as well.
Here’s a prime example. In A.Brahm’s “Meditation, Bliss, Beyond”, read the section that talks about the 4 jhana similes in AN 5.28. You’ll notice the pink elephant in the room, namely, what does the word kaaya mean, it’s used so repeatedly in that sutta? The only explanation A.Brahm offers is a brief sentence, something like, “at least that’s how I understand the similes (not involving anatomical body)”.
When I asked Ajahn Brahmali recently about the same passage with 4 jhana similes, and pointed how the massively high body count “kaaya” in that sutta, his only response was (paraphrasing from memory), “kaaya in the pali suttas means a heap or collection of things.” What I know about human nature is you’re not going to hold anything back if you have good evidence to share that supports your case. I didn’t see good evidence in “meditation, bliss, beyond”, and Ajahn Brahmali’s recent response to me tells me there’s probably no new [scriptural EBT] evidence that’s turned up since A.Brahm’s book was published.
I spent a fair amount of time auditing Ven. Thanissaro’s interpretation of jhana and 16 APS as well. By letters, phone calls, and face to face talks sometimes. While I don’t agree completely with 100% of all of his interpretations on not just samadhi but Dhamma has a whole, whatever passage I audited, I could see his conclusions came from a careful, straightforward reading of the text, regardless of whether I agreed with him on that point or not.
With Ajahn Brahm’s interpretation of Jhana and 16 APS, there’s a consistent pattern of cherry picking to justify an interpretation, that is, taking a quote out of its original context and trying to retrofit it in a different incongruent context that fits awkwardly. Two prime examples of this: step 3 of 16APS, “sabba kaaya patisamvedi…”. The “whole body of breath” quote he uses to justify his interpretation, that “kaaya” means “whole body of breath (not anatomical body)”. If you carefully study the “whole body of breath” quote in its original context, it’s part of a series of 4 descriptions to show how the corresponding 4 tetrads of 16 APS are exactly the same 4 tetrads of 4sp (satipatthana). I won’t go into detail on that here, but I can if there’s a need.
Now here’s the thing. It’s one thing if you want to say, the body of breath is a type of anatomical body, and I want to practice 16 APS by ignoring the other parts of the body and focusing only on the breath. Go ahead, knock yourself out, there’s nothing wrong with that. To be precise, you’re taking a position of, “I think this is the most effective way to practice 16 APS, among the many ways it can be done which involve an anatomical body.”
But Ajahn Brahm, and vism. , is taking a much stronger position. They’re saying in step 3, the kaaya/body, is ONLY a breath body that excludes the anatomical body. This is tantamount to saying Arahant Upatissa in Vimt., and Ajahn Lee (a fellow Thai forest meditation master in the Ajahn Mun lineage), Ven. Thanissaro, the EBT lineages in the agama world, are teaching 16 APS and Jhana incorrectly.
Which is fine, if you can prove it. Where’s the proof? Let’s see it. I don’t care about who’s right, who’s wrong, I’m only interested in truth. Show me truth, and I’ll follow. Show me strained arguments, I will rightly question it.
