SN 14.11

Sattadhātu sutta: Seven Elements

Sattadhātusutta

Dutiyavagga

A rare group of seven elements: light, beauty, the four formless states, and the attainment of cessation. Each of these is known due to the negation of something: light vs. darkness, beauty vs. ugliness, and so on.

Vertalingen

At Sāvatthī.

“Mendicants, there are these seven elements. What seven? The element of luminosity, the element of beauty, the element of the dimension of infinite space, the element of the dimension of infinite consciousness, the element of the dimension of nothingness, the element of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, and the element of the cessation of perception and feeling. These are the seven elements.”

When he said this, one of the mendicants said to the Buddha, “Sir, due to what does each of these elements appear?”

“Mendicant, the element of luminosity appears due to the element of darkness. The element of beauty appears due to the element of ugliness. The element of the dimension of infinite space appears due to the element of form. The element of the dimension of infinite consciousness appears due to the element of the dimension of infinite space. The element of the dimension of nothingness appears due to the element of the dimension of infinite consciousness. The element of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception appears due to the element of the dimension of nothingness. The element of the cessation of perception and feeling appears due to the element of cessation.”

“Luminosity” (ābhā) is the radiance of the sun and moon in the darkness of space (MN 123:7.4), or the light cast by a flame (MN 43:22.18), but here it is the illumination that appears in deep meditation. Just as in the visual sense, light only manifests in contrast with darkness, in meditation the appearance of luminous radiance is a mode of perception by which the mind communicates to itself the ending of the hindrances and the arising of unclouded awareness. This is why this light came to be called a “sign” (nimitta). The dependence of light on darkness was taken up for discussion by Nāgārjuna, perhaps inspired by this passage (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā 7.8–12).

“Beauty” (subha) is the focus of wholly pure and exalted meditations, such as the meditation on love, or the sight of a pure brilliant color like the sky (MN 77:22.6). It contrasts with the meditation on “ugliness”, such as the parts of the body or a decomposing corpse. At AN 6.41:2.7, Sāriputta explains that an accomplished meditator could see a tree as nothing but beauty or nothing but ugliness, since both of those elements are present in it.

While “form” is not present in the formless meditations, it is only possible to develop them based on the prior development of “form” absorptions. These ultimately have a material basis in the body of the meditator and in the meditation subject such as the breath, or the luminous “form” that arises as a guide into absorption.

Likewise, each of the formless meditations depend on the one before; they are a step by step sequence of “progressive cessation” (AN 9.31).

“Sir, how is each of these elements to be attained?”

“The elements of light, beauty, the dimension of infinite space, the dimension of infinite consciousness, and the dimension of nothingness are attainments with perception. The element of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception is an attainment with residual conditioned phenomena. The element of the cessation of perception and feeling is an attainment of cessation.”

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Bhikkhu Sujato · CC0

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