Serene Equanimity and Beyond ... !!!

[Guest guest]

Friends:

 

Indifference of the Flesh, Equanimity of the Mind, & Serenity Beyond!!

The Blessed Buddha once said:And what, Bhikkhus, is then this simple indifference of the flesh? There are these five strings of sense-pleasure. What five? Visible forms experiencable by the eye ... Hearable sounds experiencable by the ear ...Smellable odours experiencable by the nose ...Tastable flavours experiencable by the tongue ...Touchable objects experiencable by the body ...Recognizable mental states experiencable by the mind ...That all are attractive, captivating, desirable, irresistible, lovely, agreeable, tempting, pleasing, sensually enticing, seductive, alluring, and tantalizing...!!!These are the five strings of sense-pleasure. The indifference that arises from these five strings of sense-pleasure, is simply indifference of the flesh...

And what, Bhikkhus, is the equanimity, which is not of this world?With the leaving behind of both pleasure and pain, & with the prior fading away of both joy & sorrow, one enters & dwells in the 4th jhana mental absorption, which isan entirely stilled mental state of utter awareness, purified by the equanimity of neither-pain-nor-pleasure. This is called the equanimity, which is not of this world!

Finally, Bhikkhus, what is serenity beyond the serenity, which is not of this world? When a bhikkhu, whose mental fermentations are eliminated, reviews his calm mind liberated from lust, freed from hatred, and released from confusion, there arises a transcendental serenity. This is called serenity beyond that serenity, which is not of this world...

Source (edited extract):The Grouped Sayings of the Buddha. Samyutta Nikaya. Book IV [235-7]section 36:11 On Feeling: Vedanā. Joys beyond this world ... http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=948507http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/samyutta/index.html

 

 

Friendship is the Greatest ... Bhikkhu Samahita, Sri Lanka. http://What-Buddha-Said.net/ Buddha-Direct What_Buddha_Said