71st Imperishable, Peaceful Meditation

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

What then is the imperishability of peaceful meditation?

[Accumulations for peaceful meditation (śamathasaṃbhāra): 1. The secondary accumulation (aprādhānyasaṃbhāra):] [Inner] peace, [outer] calm and [inner and outer] tranquillity of thought [with no sloth and torpor (styānamiddha) ]; [since it is peace, as there is not much inner thought-construction (vikalpa) ] no disturbance and [since it is calm as there are no thought-constructions of outer things] control of the senses; [since it is free of thought-constructions of both inner and outer things] neither haughtiness nor pride; no noisy speech [like that of kings and thieves]; no unsteadiness [since it is not in the power of vices (klesavaśa) ]; no wavering [as it cannot be disturbed by the adversaries of concentration (samādhivipakṣa) ]; mildness [yielding to others], guarding oneself [since one vows not to enter the objects of the eyes and the other senses (cakṣurādîndriyaviṣaya) ], being well trained [or docility], fitness [being free of sloth and torpor (styānamiddha) ], one-pointedness, being content with being alone, avoiding crowds, happiness at being detached [feeling joy in one-pointed thought (cittaikāgrya) ], being detached in body [content with being alone and avoiding crowds], no fluctuation of thought, being mentally turned towards the wilderness [in the mountains and in caves (giriśailaguhā) ], having few wishes [for clothing (cīvara) and almsbowls (piṇḍapāta) ], not desiring [other things], not desiring much, contentment, purity of livelihood, perfection in behaviour, guarding one’s deportment, knowing the right time, knowing the proper moment, knowing the improper situation, knowledge of the proper quantity, moderation in eating, being easily fed, through careful consideration not being elated or depressed [when praised and reproached], enduring offensive and insulting ways of speech.

[The primary accumulation (prādhānyasaṃbhāra):] Producing thoughts bent on religious practice [that is producing thoughts for cultivating peaceful meditation and expanded vision (śamathavipaśyanābhāvanācittotpāda):] taking pleasure in retiring for meditation, mental effort with the limbs of meditation as the object, producing friendliness, and engendering compassion, [the two being roots of concentration (samādhi) ], establishing [one’s thoughts] in joy, [producing undisturbed concentration (akopyasamādhi), and thus] cultivating equanimity.

[Peaceful meditation itself is:] The first [state of] meditation, the second meditation, the third meditation, the fourth meditation, the field of [meditation where the] infinity of space [is experienced], the field of infinity of consciousness, the field of not anything in particular, the field of neither concept nor no concept, the cessation of concept and feeling, (p. 147) these nine successive states of meditation are called peaceful meditation.

Thus the accumulations for peaceful meditation are immeasurable [as the moments of existence which are causes of cultivating peaceful meditation (śamathabhāvanāhetu) are immeasurable like space (yathākāśa) ], and thus exertion in those accumulations of peaceful meditation is called imperishable peaceful meditation [since it produces immeasurable (apramāṇa) peaceful meditation].