Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā nātike viharati giñjakāvasathe. At one time the Buddha was staying at Ñātika in the brick house.
Atha kho āyasmā saddho yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho āyasmantaṁ saddhaṁ bhagavā etadavoca: Then Venerable Sandha went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to him:
“Ājānīyajhāyitaṁ kho, saddha, jhāya; “Sandha, meditate like a thoroughbred, mā khaḷuṅkajhāyitaṁ. not like a wild colt.
Kathañca, khaḷuṅkajhāyitaṁ hoti? And how does a wild colt meditate? Assakhaḷuṅko hi, saddha, doṇiyā baddho ‘yavasaṁ yavasan’ti jhāyati. A wild colt, tied up by the feeding trough, meditates: ‘Fodder, fodder!’ Taṁ kissa hetu? Why is that? Na hi, saddha, assakhaḷuṅkassa doṇiyā baddhassa evaṁ hoti: Because it doesn’t occur to the wild colt tied up by the feeding trough: ‘kiṁ nu kho maṁ ajja assadammasārathi kāraṇaṁ kāressati, kimassāhaṁ paṭikaromī’ti. ‘What task will the horse trainer have me do today? How should I respond?’ So doṇiyā baddho ‘yavasaṁ yavasan’ti jhāyati. Tied up by the feeding trough it just meditates: ‘Fodder, fodder!’
Evamevaṁ kho, saddha, idhekacco purisakhaḷuṅko araññagatopi rukkhamūlagatopi suññāgāragatopi kāmarāgapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati kāmarāgaparetena uppannassa ca kāmarāgassa nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti. In the same way, take a certain untrained person who has gone to the forest, the root of a tree, or an empty hut. Their mind is overcome and mired in sensual desire, and they don’t understand as it is the escape from arisen sensual desire. So kāmarāgaṁyeva antaraṁ katvā jhāyati pajjhāyati nijjhāyati avajjhāyati, Harboring sensual desire internally, they meditate and contemplate and cogitate and ruminate. byāpādapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati … Their mind is overcome by ill will … thinamiddhapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati … indolence-and-lethargy … uddhaccakukkuccapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati … restlessness-and-anxiety … vicikicchāpariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati vicikicchāparetena, uppannāya ca vicikicchāya nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti. doubt … So vicikicchaṁyeva antaraṁ katvā jhāyati pajjhāyati nijjhāyati avajjhāyati. Harboring doubt internally, they meditate and contemplate and cogitate and ruminate. So pathavimpi nissāya jhāyati, āpampi nissāya jhāyati, tejampi nissāya jhāyati, vāyampi nissāya jhāyati, ākāsānañcāyatanampi nissāya jhāyati, viññāṇañcāyatanampi nissāya jhāyati, ākiñcaññāyatanampi nissāya jhāyati, nevasaññānāsaññāyatanampi nissāya jhāyati, idhalokampi nissāya jhāyati, paralokampi nissāya jhāyati, yampidaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sutaṁ mutaṁ viññātaṁ pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā, tampi nissāya jhāyati. They meditate dependent on earth, water, fire, and air. They meditate dependent on the extent of infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, or neither-perception-nor-non-perception. They meditate dependent on this world or the other world. They meditate dependent on what is seen, heard, thought, cognized, attained, sought, or explored by the mental faculty. Evaṁ kho, saddha, purisakhaḷuṅkajhāyitaṁ hoti. That’s how an untrained person meditates.
Kathañca, saddha, ājānīyajhāyitaṁ hoti? And how does a thoroughbred meditate? Bhadro hi, saddha, assājānīyo doṇiyā baddho na ‘yavasaṁ yavasan’ti jhāyati. A fine thoroughbred, tied up by the feeding trough, doesn’t meditate: ‘Fodder, fodder!’ Taṁ kissa hetu? Why is that? Bhadrassa hi, saddha, assājānīyassa doṇiyā baddhassa evaṁ hoti: Because it occurs to the fine thoroughbred tied up by the feeding trough: ‘kiṁ nu kho maṁ ajja assadammasārathi kāraṇaṁ kāressati, kimassāhaṁ paṭikaromī’ti. ‘What task will the horse trainer have me do today? How should I respond?’ So doṇiyā baddho na ‘yavasaṁ yavasan’ti jhāyati. Tied up by the feeding trough they don’t meditate: ‘Fodder, fodder!’ Bhadro hi, saddha, assājānīyo yathā iṇaṁ yathā bandhaṁ yathā jāniṁ yathā kaliṁ evaṁ patodassa ajjhoharaṇaṁ samanupassati. For that fine thoroughbred regards the use of the goad as a debt, a bond, a loss, a misfortune.
Evamevaṁ kho, saddha, bhadro purisājānīyo araññagatopi rukkhamūlagatopi suññāgāragatopi na kāmarāgapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati na kāmarāgaparetena, uppannassa ca kāmarāgassa nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti, In the same way, take a certain fine thoroughbred person who has gone to the forest, the root of a tree, or an empty hut. Their mind is not overcome and mired in sensual desire, and they understand as it is the escape from arisen sensual desire. *[The escape *within* the pressure of sensual objects](https://suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/?q=an9.42). Same applies for the other hindrances. na byāpādapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati … Their mind is not overcome by ill will … na thinamiddhapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati … indolence-and-lethargy … na uddhaccakukkuccapariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati … restlessness-and-anxiety … na vicikicchāpariyuṭṭhitena cetasā viharati na vicikicchāparetena, uppannāya ca vicikicchāya nissaraṇaṁ yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti. doubt … So neva pathaviṁ nissāya jhāyati, na āpaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na tejaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na vāyaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na ākāsānañcāyatanaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na viññāṇañcāyatanaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na ākiñcaññāyatanaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na idhalokaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na paralokaṁ nissāya jhāyati, yampidaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sutaṁ mutaṁ viññātaṁ pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā, tampi nissāya na jhāyati; They don’t meditate dependent on earth, water, fire, and air. They don’t meditate dependent on the extent of infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, or neither-perception-nor-non-perception. They don’t meditate dependent on this world or the other world. They don’t meditate dependent on what is seen, heard, thought, cognized, attained, sought, or explored by the mental faculty. jhāyati ca pana. Yet they do meditate.
Evaṁ jhāyiñca pana, saddha, bhadraṁ purisājānīyaṁ saindā devā sabrahmakā sapajāpatikā ārakāva namassanti: When a fine thoroughbred meditates like this, the gods together with Indra, Brahmā, and the Progenitor worship them from afar:
‘Namo te purisājañña, ‘Homage to you, O thoroughbred! namo te purisuttama; Homage to you, supreme among men! Yassa te nābhijānāma, We don’t understand yampi nissāya jhāyasī’”ti. what your meditation depends on.’”
Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā saddho bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: When he said this, Venerable Sandha asked the Buddha, “kathaṁ jhāyī pana, bhante, bhadro purisājānīyo neva pathaviṁ nissāya jhāyati, na āpaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na tejaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na vāyaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na ākāsānañcāyatanaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na viññāṇañcāyatanaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na ākiñcaññāyatanaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na nevasaññānāsaññāyatanaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na idhalokaṁ nissāya jhāyati, na paralokaṁ nissāya jhāyati, yampidaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sutaṁ mutaṁ viññātaṁ pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā, tampi nissāya na jhāyati; “But Bhante, how does that fine thoroughbred meditate?” jhāyati ca pana? Kathaṁ jhāyiñca pana, bhante, bhadraṁ purisājānīyaṁ saindā devā sabrahmakā sapajāpatikā ārakāva namassanti:
‘Namo te purisājañña, namo te purisuttama; Yassa te nābhijānāma, yampi nissāya jhāyasī’”ti.
“Idha, saddha, bhadrassa purisājānīyassa pathaviyaṁ pathavisaññā vibhūtā hoti, āpasmiṁ āposaññā vibhūtā hoti, tejasmiṁ tejosaññā vibhūtā hoti, vāyasmiṁ vāyosaññā vibhūtā hoti, ākāsānañcāyatane ākāsānañcāyatanasaññā vibhūtā hoti, viññāṇañcāyatane viññāṇañcāyatanasaññā vibhūtā hoti, ākiñcaññāyatane ākiñcaññāyatanasaññā vibhūtā hoti, nevasaññānāsaññāyatane nevasaññānāsaññāyatanasaññā vibhūtā hoti, idhaloke idhalokasaññā vibhūtā hoti, paraloke paralokasaññā vibhūtā hoti, yampidaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sutaṁ mutaṁ viññātaṁ pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā, tatrāpi saññā vibhūtā hoti. “Sandha, for a fine thoroughbred person, the perception of earth is absent while earth is there. The perception of water … fire … air is absent while air is there. The perception of the extent of infinite space is absent while the extent of infinite space is there. The perception of the extent of infinite consciousness … nothingness … neither-perception-nor-non-perception is absent while the extent of neither-perception-nor-non-perception is there. The perception of this world has while this world is there. The perception of the other world is absent while the other world is there. And the perception of what is seen, heard, thought, cognized, attained, sought, or explored by the mental faculty is absent in relation to that. *With each item here the locative case occurs, which denotes simultaneity. This is the same reasoning behind my rendering of [the _satipaṭṭhāna_ stanza](https://suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/?q=mn10#mn10:3.1-mn10:3.5). The meaning of this section is not that all cognizable things disappear altogether, which would be illogical to present as the only right meditation. What this passage means is that the mind is not “established” in any of these things while they are there (described also at MN 138 as “scattered and diffused consciousness”), and this is already the case in the first jhāna. For a detailed treatise on what this entails, see [“The Meaning of Yoniso Manasikāra”](https://www.hillsidehermitage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/The-Meaning-of-Yoniso-Manasikara-Bhikkhu-Anigha.pdf). Evaṁ jhāyī kho, saddha, bhadro purisājānīyo neva pathaviṁ nissāya jhāyati …pe… That’s how that fine thoroughbred person doesn’t meditate dependent on earth, water, fire, and air. They don’t meditate dependent on the extent of infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, or neither-perception-nor-non-perception. They don’t meditate dependent on this world or the other world. yampidaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sutaṁ mutaṁ viññātaṁ pattaṁ pariyesitaṁ anuvicaritaṁ manasā, tampi nissāya na jhāyati; They don’t meditate dependent on what is seen, heard, thought, cognized, attained, sought, or explored by the mental faculty. *At AN 4.77, the field of one in jhāna (_jhāyissa jhānavisayo_) is said to be impossible to ascertain. This is because _jhāna_ does not take place at the level of the _content_ of one's experience, not even, as stated here, the objects of the mental faculty (_mano_). Simply put, jhāna is the unification of the mind (_citta_) on a certain overarching attitude, purified from unwholesome inclinations, that is independent of the content of the six senses; the only constraint being that in the first jhāna there cannot be speech, in the second there can be no thinking and pondering, and so on (SN 36.11). See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/HillsideHermitage/comments/1e2hztc/on_thinking_about_jh%C4%81na_by_ven_thanissaro/). jhāyati ca pana. Yet they do meditate.
Evaṁ jhāyiñca pana, saddha, bhadraṁ purisājānīyaṁ saindā devā sabrahmakā sapajāpatikā ārakāva namassanti: When a fine thoroughbred person meditates like this, the gods together with Indra, Brahmā, and the Progenitor worship them from afar:
‘Namo te purisājañña, ‘Homage to you, O thoroughbred! namo te purisuttama; Homage to you, supreme among men! Yassa te nābhijānāma, We don’t understand yampi nissāya jhāyasī’”ti. what your meditation depends on.’”
Navamaṁ.
Origin URL: https://suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/?q=an11.9