The Second Jhāna

139. And at this point, “With the stilling of applied and sustained thought he enters upon and dwells in the second jhāna, which has internal confidence and singleness of mind without applied thought, without sustained thought, with happiness and bliss born of concentration” (Vibh 245), and so he has attained the second jhāna, which abandons two factors, possesses three factors, is good in three ways, possesses ten characteristics and is of the earth kasiṇa. [156]

140. Herein, with the stilling of applied and sustained thought: with the stilling, with the surmounting, of these two, namely, applied thought and sustained thought; with their non-manifestation at the moment of the second jhāna, is what is meant. Herein, although none of the states belonging to the first jhāna exist in the second jhāna—for the contact, etc. (see M III 25), in the first jhāna are one and here they are another—it should be understood all the same that the phrase “with the stilling of applied and sustained thought” is expressed in this way in order to indicate that the attaining of the other jhānas, beginning with that of the second from the first, is effected by the surmounting of the gross factor in each case.

141. Internal: here one’s own internal^[1] is intended; but that much is actually stated in the Vibhaṅga too with the words “internally in oneself” (Vibh 258). And since one’s own internal is intended, the meaning here is this: born in oneself, generated in one’s own continuity.

142. Confidence: it is faith that is called confidence. The jhāna “has confidence” because it is associated with confidence as a cloth “has blue colour” because it is associated with blue colour. Or alternatively, that jhāna is stated to “have confidence” because it makes the mind confident with the confidence possessed by it and by stilling the disturbance created by applied and sustained thought. And with this conception of the meaning the word construction must be taken as “confidence of mind.” But with the first-mentioned conception of the meaning the words “of mind” must be construed with “singleness^[2]”.

143. Here is the construction of the meaning in that case. Unique (eka) it comes up (udeti), thus it is single (ekodi); the meaning is, it comes up as the superlative, the best, because it is not overtopped by applied and sustained thought, for the best is called “unique” in the world. Or it is permissible to say that when deprived of applied and sustained thought it is unique, without companion. Or alternatively: it evokes (udāyati) associated states, thus it is an evoker (udi); the meaning is, it arouses. And that is unique (eka) in the sense of best, and it is an evoker (udi), thus it is a unique evoker (ekodi = single). This is a term for concentration. Then, since the second jhāna gives existingness to (bhāveti), augments, this single [thing], it “gives singleness” (ekodibhāva). But as this single [thing] is a mind’s, not a being’s or a soul’s, so singleness of mind is said.

144. It might be asked: But does not this faith exist in the first jhāna too, and also this concentration with the name of the “single [thing]?” Then why is only this second jhāna said to have confidence and singleness of mind?—It may be replied as follows: It is because that first jhāna [157] is not fully confident owing to the disturbance created by applied and sustained thought, like water ruffled by ripples and wavelets. That is why, although faith does exist in it, it is not called “confidence.” And there too concentration is not fully evident because of the lack of full confidence. That is why it is not called “singleness” there. But in this second jhāna faith is strong, having got a footing in the absence of the impediments of applied and sustained thought; and concentration is also evident through having strong faith as its companion. That may be understood as the reason why only this jhāna is described in this way.

145. But that much is actually stated in the Vibhaṅga too with the words: “‘Confidence’ is faith, having faith, trust, full confidence. ‘Singleness of mind’ is steadiness of consciousness … right concentration” (Vibh 258). And this commentary on the meaning should not be so understood as to conflict with the meaning stated in that way, but on the contrary so as to agree and concur with it.

146. Without applied thought, without sustained thought: since it has been abandoned by development, there is no applied thought in this, or of this, [jhāna], thus it is without applied thought. The same explanation applies to sustained thought. Also it is said in the Vibhaṅga: “So this applied thought and this sustained thought are quieted, quietened, stilled, set at rest, set quite at rest, done away with, quite done away with,^[3] dried up, quite dried up, made an end of; hence it is said: without applied thought, without sustained thought” (Vibh 258).

Here it may be asked: Has not this meaning already been established by the words “with the stilling of applied and sustained thought?” So why is it said again “without applied thought, without sustained thoughts?”—It may be replied: Yes, that meaning has already been established. But this does not indicate that meaning. Did we not say earlier: “The phrase ‘with the stilling of applied and sustained thought’ is expressed in this way in order to indicate that the act of attaining the other jhānas, beginning with that of the second from the first, is effected by the surmounting of the gross factor in each case?” (§140).

147. Besides, this confidence comes about with the act of stilling, not the darkness of defilement, but the applied and sustained thought. And the singleness comes about, not as in access jhāna with the abandoning of the hindrances, nor as in the first jhāna with the manifestation of the factors, but with the act of stilling the applied and sustained thought. So that [first] clause indicates the cause of the confidence and singleness. In the same way this jhāna is without applied thought and without sustained thought, not as in the third and fourth jhānas or as in eye-consciousness, etc., with just absence, but with the actual act of stilling the applied and sustained thought. So that [first clause] also indicates the cause of the state without applied and sustained thought; it does not indicate the bare absence of applied and sustained thought. [158] The bare absence of applied and sustained thought is indicated by this [second] clause, namely, “without applied thought, without sustained thought.” Consequently it needs to be stated notwithstanding that the first has already been stated.

148. Born of concentration: born of the first-jhāna concentration, or born of associated concentration, is the meaning. Herein, although the first was born of associated concentration too, still it is only this concentration that is quite worthy to be called “concentration” because of its complete confidence and extreme immobility due to absence of disturbance by applied and sustained thought. So only this [jhāna] is called “born of concentration,” and that is in order to recommend it.

With happiness and bliss is as already explained. Second: second in numerical series. Also second because entered upon second.

149. Then it was also said above which abandons two factors, possesses three factors (§139). Herein, the abandoning of two factors should be understood as the abandoning of applied thought and sustained thought. But while the hindrances are abandoned at the moment of the access of the first jhāna, in the case of this jhāna the applied thought and sustained thought are not abandoned at the moment of its access. It is only at the moment of actual absorption that the jhāna arises without them. Hence they are called its factors of abandoning.

150. Its possession of three factors should be understood as the arising of the three, that is, happiness, bliss, and unification of mind. So when it is said in the Vibhaṅga, “‘Jhāna’: confidence, happiness, bliss, unification of mind” (Vibh 258), this is said figuratively in order to show that jhāna with its equipment. But, excepting the confidence, this jhāna has literally three factors qua factors that have attained to the characteristic of lighting (see §119), according as it is said: “What is jhāna of three factors on that occasion? It is happiness, bliss, unification of mind” (Vibh 263).

The rest is as in the case of the first jhāna.

151. Once this has been obtained in this way, and he has mastery in the five ways already described, then on emerging from the now familiar second jhāna he can regard the flaws in it thus: “This attainment is threatened by the nearness of applied and sustained thought; ‘Whatever there is in it of happiness, of mental excitement, proclaims its grossness’ (D I 37), and its factors are weakened by the grossness of the happiness so expressed.” He can bring the third jhāna to mind as quieter and so end his attachment to the second jhāna and set about doing what is needed for attaining the third.

152. When he has emerged from the second jhāna [159] happiness appears gross to him as he reviews the jhāna factors with mindfulness and full awareness, while bliss and unification appear peaceful. Then as he brings that same sign to mind as “earth, earth” again and again with the purpose of abandoning the gross factor and obtaining the peaceful factors, [knowing] “now the third jhāna will arise,” there arises in him mind-door adverting with that same earth kasiṇa as its object, interrupting the life-continuum. After that, either four or five impulsions impel on that same object, the last one of which is an impulsion of the fine-material sphere belonging to the third jhāna. The rest are of the kinds already stated (§74).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See XIV.192 and note.

[2]:

In the Pali, sampasādanaṃ cetaso ekodibhāvaṃ: cetaso (“of mind”) comes between sampasādanaṃ (“confidence”) and ekodibhāvaṃ (“singleness”) and so can be construed with either.

[3]:

Appita—“done away with”: Appitā ti vināsaṃ gamitā (“Appita” means “made to go to annihilation”) (Vism-mhṭ 153). This meaning, though not in PED, is given in CPD.