What’s the cause, what’s the reason why the light and vision of forms vanish?

By บ้านสวนธรรมะ 1 Daily Suttas, Preaching perseverance

English translation by Bhikkhu Sujato

… “Good, good, Anuruddha and friends! But as you live diligently like this, have you achieved any superhuman distinction in knowledge and vision worthy of the noble ones, a meditation at ease?”

“Well, sir, while meditating diligent, keen, and resolute, we perceive both light and vision of forms. But before long the light and the vision of forms vanish. We haven’t worked out the reason for that.”

“Well, you should work out the reason for that. Before my awakening—when I was still unawakened but intent on awakening—I too perceived both light and vision of forms. But before long my light and vision of forms vanished. It occurred to me: ‘What’s the cause, what’s the reason why my light and vision of forms vanish?’ It occurred to me: ‘Doubt arose in me, and because of that my immersion fell away. When immersion falls away, the light and vision of forms vanish. I’ll make sure that doubt will not arise in me again.’

While meditating diligent, keen, and resolute, I perceived both light and vision of forms. But before long my light and vision of forms vanished. It occurred to me: ‘What’s the cause, what’s the reason why my light and vision of forms vanish?’ It occurred to me: ‘Loss of focus arose in me, and because of that my immersion fell away. When immersion falls away, the light and vision of forms vanish. I’ll make sure that neither doubt nor loss of focus will arise in me again.’

While meditating … ‘Dullness and drowsiness arose in me … I’ll make sure that neither doubt nor loss of focus nor dullness and drowsiness will arise in me again.’

While meditating … ‘Terror arose in me, and because of that my immersion fell away. When immersion falls away, the light and vision of forms vanish. Suppose a person was traveling along a road, and killers were to spring out at them from both sides. They’d feel terrified because of that. In the same way, terror arose in me … I’ll make sure that neither doubt nor loss of focus nor dullness and drowsiness nor terror will arise in me again.’

While meditating … ‘Excitement arose in me, and because of that my immersion fell away. When immersion falls away, the light and vision of forms vanish. Suppose a person was looking for an entrance to a hidden treasure. And all at once they’d come across five entrances! They’d feel excited because of that. In the same way, excitement arose in me … I’ll make sure that neither doubt nor loss of focus nor dullness and drowsiness nor terror nor excitement will arise in me again.’

While meditating … ‘Discomfort arose in me … I’ll make sure that neither doubt nor loss of focus nor dullness and drowsiness nor terror nor excitement nor discomfort will arise in me again.’

While meditating … ‘Excessive energy arose in me, and because of that my immersion fell away. When immersion falls away, the light and vision of forms vanish. Suppose a person was to grip a quail too tightly in their hands—it would die right there. I’ll make sure that neither doubt nor loss of focus nor dullness and drowsiness nor terror nor excitement nor discomfort nor excessive energy will arise in me again.’

While meditating … ‘Overly lax energy arose in me, and because of that my immersion fell away. When immersion falls away, the light and vision of forms vanish. Suppose a person was to grip a quail too loosely—it would fly out of their hands. I’ll make sure that neither doubt nor loss of focus nor dullness and drowsiness nor terror nor excitement nor discomfort nor excessive energy nor overly lax energy will arise in me again.’

While meditating … ‘Longing arose in me … I’ll make sure that neither doubt nor loss of focus nor dullness and drowsiness nor terror nor excitement nor discomfort nor excessive energy nor overly lax energy nor longing will arise in me again.’

While meditating … ‘Perceptions of diversity arose in me … I’ll make sure that neither doubt nor loss of focus nor dullness and drowsiness nor terror nor excitement nor discomfort nor excessive energy nor overly lax energy nor longing nor perception of diversity will arise in me again.’

While meditating diligent, keen, and resolute, I perceived both light and vision of forms. But before long my light and vision of forms vanished. It occurred to me: ‘What’s the cause, what’s the reason why my light and vision of forms vanish?’ It occurred to me: ‘Excessive concentration on forms arose in me, and because of that my immersion fell away. When immersion falls away, the light and vision of forms vanish. I’ll make sure that neither doubt nor loss of focus nor dullness and drowsiness nor terror nor excitement nor discomfort nor excessive energy nor overly lax energy nor longing nor perception of diversity nor excessive concentration on forms will arise in me again.’

When I understood that doubt is a corruption of the mind, I gave it up. When I understood that loss of focus, dullness and drowsiness, terror, excitement, discomfort, excessive energy, overly lax energy, longing, perception of diversity, and excessive concentration on forms are corruptions of the mind, I gave them up.

While meditating diligent, keen, and resolute, I perceived light but did not see forms, or I saw forms, but did not see light. And this went on for a whole night, a whole day, even a whole night and day. I thought: ‘What is the cause, what is the reason for this?’ It occurred to me: ‘When I don’t focus on the foundation of the forms, but focus on the foundation of the light, then I perceive light and do not see forms. But when I don’t focus on the foundation of the light, but focus on the foundation of the forms, then I see forms and do not perceive light. And this goes on for a whole night, a whole day, even a whole night and day.’

While meditating diligent, keen, and resolute, I perceived limited light and saw limited forms, or I perceived limitless light and saw limitless forms. And this went on for a whole night, a whole day, even a whole night and day. I thought: ‘What is the cause, what is the reason for this?’ It occurred to me: ‘When my immersion is limited, then my vision is limited, and with limited vision I perceive limited light and see limited forms. But when my immersion is limitless, then my vision is limitless, and with limitless vision I perceive limitless light and see limitless forms. And this goes on for a whole night, a whole day, even a whole night and day.’

After understanding that doubt, loss of focus, dullness and drowsiness, terror, excitement, discomfort, excessive energy, overly lax energy, longing, perception of diversity, and excessive concentration on forms are corruptions of the mind, I had given them up.

I thought: ‘I’ve given up my mental corruptions. Now let me develop immersion in three ways.’ I developed immersion while placing the mind and keeping it connected; without placing the mind, but just keeping it connected; without placing the mind or keeping it connected; with rapture; without rapture; with pleasure; with equanimity.

When I had developed immersion in these ways, the knowledge and vision arose in me: ‘My freedom is unshakable; this is my last rebirth; now there are no more future lives.’”

https://suttacentral.net/mn128/en/sujato

English translation by Nyanamoli Thera

… “Good, good, Anuruddha; but while dwelling diligent, ardent and self-controlled in this way, have you attained as a comfortable abiding any distinction worthy of a Noble One’s knowledge and vision higher than the human dhamma?”

“As to that, venerable sir, as we dwell here diligent, ardent and self-controlled, we perceive both illumination and the vision of forms but that illumination of ours soon disappears and so does the vision of forms and we have not penetrated the sign, the reason for what.”

“Still, Anuruddha, the sign for that can be penetrated by you. I too, before my enlightenment, while I was still an unenlightened Bodhisatta, perceived both illumination and the vision of forms. But that illumination of mine and the vision of forms soon disappeared. I thought thus: ‘What is the reason, what is the condition, why this illumination of mine and the vision of forms disappears?’ I thought thus: ‘Uncertainty arose in me, and owing to the uncertainty my concentration died away; when concentration died away, the illumination disappeared and so did the vision of forms. I shall so act that uncertainty does not arise in me again.’

“As I dwelt diligent, ardent and self-controlled I perceived both illumination and vision of forms. But that illumination of mine and the vision of forms disappeared.

“I thought thus: ‘What is the reason, what is the condition, why this illumination of mine and the vision of forms disappears?’ I thought thus: ‘Inattention arose in me, and owing to the inattention my concentration died away; when concentration died away, the illumination disappeared and so did the vision of forms. I shall so act that neither uncertainty arises in me again nor inattention.’