Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra
by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön | 2001 | 941,039 words
This page describes “preliminary note and synonyms of anupurvasamapatti” as written by Nagarjuna in his Maha-prajnaparamita-sastra (lit. “the treatise on the great virtue of wisdom”) in the 2nd century. This book, written in five volumes, represents an encyclopedia on Buddhism as well as a commentary on the Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita.
Preliminary note and synonyms of anupūrvasamāpatti
Designated by the name anupūrvavihāra (Dīgha, III, p. 265; Anguttara, IV, p. 410), anupūrva-samāpatti (Divya, p. 95), anupūrva-vihāra-samāpatti (Saṃyutta, II, p. 216; Anguttara, IV, p. 410; Pañcaviṃśati, p. 19; Śatasāhasrikā, p. 58, 1445; Vibhaṅga, p. 343; Mahāvyut., no. 1498), anupūrva-samādhi-samāpatti (Dharmasaṃgraha, §82), the nine successive absorptions are the four dhyānas of the rūpadhātu, the four samāpattis of the ārūpya, plus the saṃjñāveditanirodhasamāpatti.
To define them, the Pāli and Sanskrit texts (df. Dīgha, III, p. 265–266; Anguttara, IV, p. 410–414; Śatsāhasrikā, p. 1445–1446) repeat the words of the old Dhyānasūtra, the text of which has been given above, p. 1024F. Dīgha, III, p. 266, and Anguttara, IV, p. 410–414, explain that these nine absorptions are acquired by nine successive cessations (nirodha) eliminating in turn: 1) bad desires (kāma), 2) investigation and analysis (vitarkavicāra), 3) joy (prīti), 4) inhalation and exhalation (āśvāsapraśvāsa) or indifference and happiness (upekṣāsukha), 5) the concept of substance (rūpasaṃjñā), 6) the notion of infinite space (ākāśānanatāyatana), 7) the concept of infinite consciousness (vijñānānantyāyatana), 8) the concept of nothing at all (ākiṃcanyāyatana), 9) the concept of neither identification nor non-identification (naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatana) and finally, all concept (saṃjñā) and sensation (vedanā).