Passaddhi
Part of a series on |
Theravāda Buddhism |
---|
Passaddhi is a
In
Passaddhi is identified as a wholesome factor in the following canonical contexts:
- the seven factors of enlightenment(sambojjhangas)
- meditative absorptions (jhanani)
- transcendental dependent arising (lokuttara-paticcasamuppada)
Canonical references
In various Buddhist canonical schema, the calming of the body, speech and various mental factors is associated with gladness (pāmojja, pāmujja), rapture (pīti), and pleasure (sukhaṃ) and leads to the concentration needed for release from suffering.
Meditative calming
Calming (passambhayaṃ) bodily and mental formations is the culmination of each of the first two tetrads of meditation instructions in the
[1] | Breathing in long, he discerns, 'I am breathing in long'.... | Dīghaṃ vā assasanto dīghaṃ assasāmīti pajānāti.... |
[2] | Or breathing in short, he discerns, 'I am breathing in short'.... | Rassaṃ vā assasanto rassaṃ assasāmīti pajānāti.... |
[3] | He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to the entire body....' | Sabbakāyapaṭisaṃvedī assasissāmīti sikkhati.... |
[4] | He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication....' | Passambhayaṃ kāyasaṅkhāraṃ assasissāmīti sikkhati.... |
[5] |
He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to rapture....' |
Pītipaṭisaṃvedī assasissāmīti sikkhati.... |
[6] | He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to pleasure....' | Sukhapaṭisaṃvedī assasissāmīti sikkhati.... |
[7] | He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to mental fabrication....' | Cittasaṅkhārapaṭisaṃvedī assasissāmīti sikkhati.... |
[8] | He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming mental fabrication....'[3] | Passambhayaṃ cittasaṅkhāraṃ assasissāmīti sikkhati....[4] |
Sati, pāmojja, pīti, passaddhi, sukho
A number of discourses identify the concurrent arising of the following wholesome mental states with the development of
- pāmojja or pāmujja ("gladness" or "joy")
- pīti ("rapture" or "joy")
- passaddhi ("tranquility" or "serenity" or "calm")
- sukho ("happiness" or "pleasure").
By establishing mindfulness, one overcomes the
Seeing that [these five hindrances] have been abandoned within him, he becomes glad. Glad, he becomes enraptured. Enraptured, his body grows tranquil. His body tranquil, he is sensitive to pleasure. Feeling pleasure, his mind becomes concentrated.[5] |
Tassime pañca nīvaraṇe pahīṇe attani samanupassato pāmojjaṃ jāyati. Pamuditassa pīti jāyati. Pītimanassa kāyo passambhati. Passaddhakāyo sukhaṃ vedeti. Sukhino cittaṃ samādhiyati.[6] |
Alternately, with right effort and sense-restraint, paññā ("wisdom," "discernment") is fully realized, and the jhana-factors arise:
When defiling mental qualities are abandoned and bright mental qualities have grown, and one enters & remains in the culmination & abundance of discernment [paññā], having known & realized it for oneself in the here & now, there is joy, rapture, serenity [passaddhi], mindfulness, alertness, and a pleasant/happy abiding.[7] | Saṅkilesikā ceva dhammā pahīyissanti. Vodāniyā dhammā abhivaḍḍhissanti. Paññāpāripūriṃ vepullattañca diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṃ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharissanti. Pāmujjañceva bhavissati pīti ca passaddhi ca sati ca sampajaññañca sukho ca vihāro.[8] |
Enlightenment factor
Passaddhi is the fifth of seven factors of enlightenment (sambojjhanga) that lead to deliverance from suffering. Among the factors of enlightenment, serenity (passadhi) is preceded by rapture (
- "For one enraptured at heart, the body grows calm and the mind grows calm. When the body & mind of a monk enraptured at heart grow calm, then serenity as a factor for awakening becomes aroused. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development.
- "For one who is at ease — his body calmed — the mind becomes concentrated. When the mind of one who is at ease — his body calmed — becomes concentrated, then concentration as a factor for awakening becomes aroused. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development."[9]
Jhanic attainment
Table: Rūpa jhāna
| ||||
Cetasika (mental factors) |
First jhāna |
Second jhāna |
Third jhāna |
Fourth jhāna |
---|---|---|---|---|
Kāma / Akusala dhamma(sensuality / unskillful qualities)
|
secluded from; withdrawn |
does not occur | does not occur | does not occur |
Pīti (rapture)
|
seclusion-born; pervades body |
samādhi -born;pervades body |
fades away (along with distress) |
does not occur |
Sukha (non-sensual pleasure)
|
pervades physical body |
abandoned (no pleasure nor pain) | ||
Vitakka ("applied thought")
|
accompanies jhāna
|
unification of awareness free from vitakka and vicāra |
does not occur | does not occur |
Vicāra ("sustained thought")
| ||||
Upekkhāsatipārisuddhi | does not occur | internal confidence | equanimous;
mindful |
purity of equanimity and mindfulness |
Sources:[10][11][12] |
In describing one's progressive steps through the absorptions (
- With the first jhana, speech (vācā) is calmed.
- With the second jhana, applied and sustained thought (vicārā) is calmed.
- With the third jhana, rapture (pīti) is calmed.
- With the fourth jhana, in-and-out breathing (assāsa-passāsā) is calmed.
- With the cessation of perception and feeling, perception and feeling (vedanā) are calmed.
- With the ending of mental fermentations (āsava), lust, hatred and delusion (rāga-dosa-moha) are calmed.[13]
Arahantship condition
Passaddhi is a "supporting condition" for the "destruction of the cankers" (āsava-khaye), that is, the achievement of
- suffering (dukkha)
- faith (saddhā)
- joy (pāmojja, pāmujja)
- rapture (pīti)
- tranquillity (passaddhi)
- happiness (sukha)
- concentration (samādhi)
- knowledge and vision of things as they are (yathābhūta-ñāna-dassana)
- disenchantment with worldly life (nibbidā)
- dispassion (virāga)
- freedom, release, emancipation, deliverance (vimutti)
- knowledge of destruction of the cankers (āsava-khaye-ñāna)[14]
In the
Abhidhammic wholesome state
In the
- What on that occasion is repose of sense (kayāpassaddhi)?
- The serenity, the composure which there is on that occasion, the calming, the tranquillizing, the tranquillity of the skandhas of feeling, perception and syntheses — this is the serenity of sense that there then is.
- What on that occasion is serenity of thought (cittapassaddhi)?
- The serenity, the composure which there is on that occasion, the calming, the tranquillizing, the tranquillity of the skandha of intellect — this is the serenity of thought that there then is.[16]
Post-canonical Pali texts
Passaddhi is referenced in the Visuddhimagga and other Pali commentarial (atthakatha) texts.
Tranquillity's nutriments
In the Visuddhimagga, the enlightenment factors (
- "using superior food"
- "living in a good climate"
- "maintaining a pleasant posture"
- "keeping to the middle"
- "avoidance of violent persons"
- "cultivation of persons tranquil in body"
- "resoluteness upon that [tranquillity]."[19]
See also
- Jhana(Meditative absorption)
- Paticcasamuppada(Dependent Origination)
- Twelve Nidanas(12 Causes)
- Samatha
- Seven factors of enlightenment
- Bodhipakkhiya dhamma(Qualities conducive to Enlightenment)
- Pāramī(Perfections)
Notes
- ^ Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-25), p. 447, entry for "Passaddhi" (retrieved 9 Jul 2007).
- ^ For instance, Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-25), p. 447, entries for "Passaddhi" (retrieved 9 Jul 2007) and "Passambhati" (retrieved 14 Jul 2007) etymologically derive both words from "pa+śrambh." The past participle of passambhati is passaddha and the present participle is passambhayaṃ.
- MN 118) in English (Thanissaro, 2006).
- DN 2) in English (Thanissaro, 1997). The same verse is in the Potthapada Sutta (DN 9) (Thanissaro, 2003).
- DN 2) in Pali (SLTP, n.d.-c), para. 61 Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine; and, Poṭṭhapādasuttaṃ (DN 9) in Pali (SLTP, n.d.-b), para. 33. Archived 2016-03-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Potthapada Sutta (DN 9) (Thanissaro, 2003).
- ^ Poṭṭhapādasuttaṃ (DN 9) in Pali (SLTP, n.d.-b), para. 33. Archived 2016-03-21 at the Wayback Machine
- MN 118 (Thanissaro, 2006).
- ISBN 978-0-86171-491-9.
- ^ "Suttantapiñake Aïguttaranikàyo § 5.1.3.8". MettaNet-Lanka (in Pali). Archived from the original on 2007-11-05. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
- Bhikku, Thanissaro (1997). "Samadhanga Sutta: The Factors of Concentration (AN 5.28)". Access to Insight. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
- AN 9.6.7, entitled "Passaddhisuttaṃ – Tranquillity [Sutta]" (Upalavanna, n.d.).In regards to the absence of the immaterial jhanas from this sequence, Nyanaponika (1983), n. 5, states:
- "In the section on 'being quietened' (patipassaddha), the four immaterial absorptions (arupajjhana) are not mentioned. According to [Commentary] they are implied in the 'cessation of perception and feelings' (for the attainment of which they are a condition)."
- SN 12.23 (Bodhi, 1980, 1995).
- Nettipakaranaprovides this label for SN 12.23's secondary sequence.
- viññana.
- ^ Buddhaghosa & Ñāṇamoli (1999), IV:42-66, pp. 127-134.
- ^ Buddhaghosa & Ñāṇamoli (1999), p. 131.
- Vibhanga-Atthakatha282.
Sources
- SN 12.23) Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society. Retrieved 11 Jul 2007 from "Access to Insight" (1995) at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/wheel277.html.
- ISBN 1-928706-00-2.
- SN 36.11). Retrieved 09 Jul 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.011.nypo.html.
- ISBN 0-7661-4702-9.
- Rhys Davids, T.W. & William Stede (eds.) (1921-5). The Pali Text Society’s Pali–English Dictionary. Chipstead: Pali Text Society. A general on-line search engine for this dictionary is available at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/.
- Sri Lanka Buddha Jayanti Tipitaka Series (SLTP) (n.d.-a). Ānāpānasatisuttaṃ (in MN 118). Retrieved 13 Jul 2007 from "Mettanet - Lanka" at http://www.metta.lk/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/2Majjhima-Nikaya/Majjhima3/118-anappanasati-p.html.
- Sri Lanka Buddha Jayanti Tipitaka Series (SLTP) (n.d.-b). Sāmaññaphalasuttaṃ (in DN 9). Retrieved 14 Jul 2007 from "Mettanet - Lanka" at http://www.metta.lk/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/1Digha-Nikaya/Digha1/09-potthapada-p.html.
- Sri Lanka Buddha Jayanti Tipitaka Series (SLTP) (n.d.-c). Sāmaññaphalasuttaṃ (in DN 2). Retrieved 14 Jul 2007 from "Mettanet - Lanka" at http://www.metta.lk/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/1Digha-Nikaya/Digha1/02samannaphala-p.html.
- DN 2). Retrieved 14 Jul 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.02.0.than.html.
- Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1998). Rahogata Sutta: Alone (SN 36.11). Retrieved 09 Jul 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.011.than.html.
- Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2003). Potthapada Sutta: About Potthapada (DN 9). Retrieved 14 Jul 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.09.0.than.html.
- Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2006). Anapanasati Sutta: Mindfulness of Breathing (MN 118). Retrieved 09 Jul 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.118.than.html.
- Upalavanna, Sister (n.d.). Aṅguttara Nikāya, [Navakanipāta], 006. Khemavaggo – Section on Appeasement (AN 9.6). Retrieved 10 Jul 2007 from "Mettanet - Lanka" at http://www.metta.lk/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/4Anguttara-Nikaya/Anguttara6/09-navakanipata/006-khemavaggo-e.html.