12  Nonmaterial Meditative Absorptions

USUALLY WHEN WE HAVE AN EXPERIENCE, we also have an inner observer—the one who knows. The observer is still part of our ego concept. To enter into deeper states of concentration, it is necessary to have the experience of the fourth fine-material absorption. The mind can expand from there to a level of consciousness called “the base of infinite space.” Initially we have a sense of the body being so enlarged that it loses itself in infinity. A gradual or an immediate expansion are both possibilities, but the result is the same. The awareness is of a spatial sense of infinity in which no personal body, or other bodies, are discernible.

The correlation between the first of the nonmaterial absorptions and the first of the fine-material absorptions concerns experiences arising from the body. One of these involves pleasant sensations, and here it relates to expansion. Only two things exist in the universe with which we should concern ourselves: mind and matter. And so in meditation it also has to be either the one or the other. Although these experiences arise from the body (matter), they happen in a totally different manner from the ones we are used to. We are used to looking after our body, dealing with its many aches and pains, its desires and needs. In deep meditation we are faced with the loss of individual body awareness.

Insight arises from the feeling that infinity is a primordial ocean, out of which untold numbers of little bubbles arise. In due course these little bubbles disappear into the ocean again. While they are on the surface they become aware of themselves as individuals. They completely forget that they arose out of an infinite ocean and will sink back into it again; they believe themselves, in their brief emergence, to be beautiful, clever, stupid, better, or worse than other bubbles. One bubble might say to another bubble, “Look at me, I’m so big.” And the other may reply, “Look at me, I’m so pretty.” In reality they are both simply bubbles rising out of the endless ocean to which they will quickly return, as bubbles always do.

In this infinity of space, nothing can be found but space. The realization emerges that the belief in a personal body and other individual bodies (human or otherwise), trees, flowers, or rocks is nothing but an illusion. Our belief that each bubble is a separate entity is shaken. Having experienced a space in which nothing can be found, especially no “me,” we automatically realize that a totality exists that has no separations. Out of that totality, manifestations arise and disappear again.

The next step in meditative absorptions is called “infinity of consciousness.” Again, we find a correlation with the second meditative absorption in the fine-material sphere, in which the physical factor of the sensation is transformed into the emotions of joy and happiness. Here, we move from the physical aspect of complete expansion to the mental aspect of infinity of consciousness, in which there is no personal consciousness to be found. Both the physical and mental aspects arise simultaneously, just as they do in the first and second meditative absorption, where joy comes simultaneously with pleasant feelings, since it is impossible not to be joyous when pleasant feelings are present. By the same token, it is impossible to be aware of infinity of space without infinity of consciousness. Both must arise together. In order to take the next step, one has to turn one’s attention away from one and direct it to the other.

This in itself is an important facet of the practice that leads to liberation: to turn one’s attention away from worldly matters toward that which is the unconditioned, the liberating freedom. Both are available in our consciousness. As we learn to do that in meditation—to turn away from that which is impending, destroying, and disturbing, and toward that which is peaceful and wholesome—we learn to alter our focus of attention. We need not continue to be attentive to that which brings only worldly results.

The infinity of consciousness gives rise to the realization that no personal consciousness exists. There is nobody with a separate mind and body; just bubbles arising out of “craving to be” and disappearing again.

Consciousness expansion sometimes seems to begin from the limits of one’s own mind, which gradually loses its boundaries. Infinity of consciousness is an experience during which we are not burdened with the ego concept, and therefore we do not have to be, to achieve, to do, to know, to become. All the pressures on us disappear at that time completely. The expansion of consciousness leaves no room for any personal concept, idea, or desire. There is only awareness, but it is not “mine.”

The next step in this progression is also a very natural one, similar to the correlation to the fine-material absorptions where, following upon the experience of joy, one is naturally contented. In the nonmaterial absorptions we now enter into the “base of nothingness.” Nothingness is often misunderstood; to illustrate it, the following analogy could be useful: when we come into the meditation room, we see a lot of cushions, people, and decorations on the shrine. Then someone comes along and clears the whole place out. When we come in again we find nothing, only empty space. The room has been completely emptied. But that doesn’t mean we recognize nothing, only that we realize that there is nothing there.

To reach the base of nothingness is a natural progression from our experience of infinite consciousness. We realize that this spaciousness we are experiencing, this ultimate consciousness, is empty of any phenomena. There is nothing there that we can hold on to, that can give us security; we can’t grab a star and say, “This one is mine,” and keep it as our resting place. There is absolute emptiness in this meditation experience. In it we find a totality of existence in which nothing particular is to be found of which we could say, “It’s me, it’s mine, I want it, I’ll have it, I’ll keep it.” The analogy of the emptied room may give some idea of this particular experience. Eventually, one has to bite into a mango to know the taste of it. These three nonmaterial absorptions are natural progressions, and once the mind has become sufficiently concentrated, they follow one another fairly easily.

The next step, the eighth absorption, is more difficult; just like the fourth of the fine-material absorptions. It is called “neither perception nor nonperception.” The mind ceases to perceive even peacefulness but remains awake and alert. It is a state in which the peacefulness of the fourth absorption is surpassed, because then there was still the perception of peace. Now even that has been suspended. One could literally say that it is a state of suspension and therefore the most energizing condition for the mind. The difficulty inherent in both—the fourth and the eighth step—is that one has to give oneself up; the same difficulty one encounters when practicing for liberation. These meditative states are therefore excellent preconditions for the final letting go. To use a metaphor, one must, in a sense, be willing to drown. One has to give oneself up completely and let go of all preconceived notions of what one is, will be, or could be. The ability to let go even for a moment is part of the necessary training on the path to liberation. Although in all the absorptions there is still someone who is experiencing them, this is so minute an element that a glimpse into emptiness may be possible.

When the Buddha practiced the meditative absorptions, he realized that unsatisfactoriness and ego were in evidence once again when meditation ended. He knew there was something more to be done. This was his great contribution and innovation to the meditative path, which had itself already been in existence for about two and a half thousand years. Having come to the experience of “neither perception nor nonperception,” it is easy to imagine that one has reached such a high state of purification and realization that nothing else needs to be done. But that is a misconception, and the Buddha’s own example points to the absorptions as a means toward insight—wisdom.

In order to practice, we must make a resolution: “I will not be deterred from my subject of meditation, I will stay with it! Every time I wander off, I’ll be back!” In other words, we must use the will to counteract the discursive tendency of the mind. Then we need to drop that determination, to leave the mind free to concentrate. Our next step is to arouse a feeling of contentment and happiness about ourselves and then to keep the mind tethered, not allowing it to play its usual games. Once it has learned to obey, it will stay like that naturally. The mind doesn’t actually enjoy these thinking games; it feels bothered by them and experiences unsatisfactoriness. The mind is far happier if it can remain one-pointed, because even a short period of one-pointedness brings some peacefulness. The feeling of peacefulness may be cultivated by keeping one’s attention on it for as long as possible.

An easy entry into the first absorption is the technique we have just practiced: to make awareness of pleasant sensations one’s focus of attention when the whole body becomes involved with them. Loving-kindness meditation is another possible entry, in which we use the spiritual heart center, considered to be in the middle of the chest, and feel the warmth emanating from it. By opening the heart we increase the blissful sensation, which can be used for entry into the absorptions.

The absorptions constitute the pleasure path of practice. The Buddha said, “This is a pleasure I allow myself.” The absorptions keep us in a balanced state between the self-discipline needed for practice and that needed for its enjoyment. Hoping, wishing, and expecting are all detrimental to concentration. We can only do one thing at a time; we can either hope and expect, or we can concentrate. If we leave the mind alone and actually allow it to settle into and become one with the subject of meditation, it will concentrate of its own accord. That ability is a natural quality of the mind. It is a letting go of all our preconceived notions, ideas, beliefs, and viewpoints. The more we can let go, the easier life becomes. The same applies to the meditative absorptions. The more we can let go of what we have heard, believed, and hoped for, and just sit down and pay attention, the easier the meditation. All views and ideas are detrimental to actual practice. We can pick our views and ideas up again when we leave our meditation, and we can carry them around with us again if we want to. They are nothing but a burden. If we were to let go, we would find the truth within.

One of the qualities of an enlightened one is that he has no views. Having experienced the truth, there is no view. One description of an enlightened one (found in the Mangala Sutta) is that “although touched by worldly circumstance, his mind never wavers. Stainless, sorrowless, and secure, his is the highest blessing.” Every time we detect habitual viewpoints it is very helpful to drop them, at least for the period of the meditation. Only then will the meditation flourish.

If we take a little time to consider whether everything that is so important to us is, in an absolute sense, really essential, we may find that we can just as easily let go. When we look after our own spiritual and emotional growth, everything and everyone we touch benefits.

QUESTIONS

STUDENT: Referring to the meditative absorptions, do you then perceive reality in a different way and practice with that as motivation?

AYYA KHEMA: Certainly the motivation becomes automatic. Having experienced something that gives far greater happiness than anything else we have ever known, nobody has to be urged to sit down and meditate.

S: I am curious to know how much emphasis to place on nonclinging to even the best experience.

AK: If you cling to experiences, they lose their value and become “imperfections of insight.” We are always willing to experience the impermanence of our suffering, but here we must be prepared to experience the impermanence of our pleasure. This can be quite a penetrating experience because we can actually watch the dissolution of the pleasant states. Because meditators may cling to such pleasant meditative states, they are considered to constitute the wrong path. The Buddha taught the absorptions and clearly gave instructions not to cling to them, because nonclinging is synonymous with liberation.

S: I think another reason why teachers do not teach the meditative absorptions is because it can produce dissatisfaction in the student who hasn’t had such experiences.

AK: That reaction is possible whatever meditation method is being taught. However, with guidance it is immeasurably easier to enter into the absorptions. There are always two directions on which to focus: insight and calm; both bring satisfying results. Many people unwittingly enter into absorption states, and without guidance they are unable to benefit from them sufficiently. Naturally, not getting what one wants results in suffering, but that can be used as a learning experience. Because of these various fears, we need a commonsense approach to meditation and an acceptance of the fact that the absorption states are factors of enlightenment.

S: What happens when a practitioner has accomplished the first, second, and third meditative absorptions and at that point finds it impossible to move into the fourth one?

AK: Even three absorption states give the mind a different base from which to operate. However, it is highly unlikely that a complete standstill should take place; time, patience, and determination overcome such obstacles.

S: What does it mean, to “carry on”?

AK: Even the first three meditative absorptions greatly facilitate insight and give the spiritual path the needed impetus, so we can continue without wavering. They give the mind its natural home, and as we continue to practice, they provide an understood experience that makes higher states of consciousness accessible.

LOVING-KINDNESS MEDITATION

Please focus your attention on the breath for just a moment.

Imagine that your heart contains nothing but golden light and that this golden light fills you from head to toe with its golden gleam, with its warmth, bringing you contentment and joy. This golden light surrounds you, so that you can sit in it and feel at ease and contented.

Now let the golden light from your heart go out to the person sitting nearest you and fill him or her with its golden gleam, with its warmth, contentment, and joy. Surround that person with golden light, giving him or her a feeling of safety and security.

Let that golden light from your heart grow so that it reaches out to everyone sitting with you, filling them with the warmth from your heart, giving them a gift of joy and contentment, and surrounding them with the golden light of your love, your compassion.

Now let the golden light from your heart reach out to your parents, filling them with the warmth from your heart, giving them contentment and joy, surrounding them with your love, giving them a feeling of security.

Now think of those people who are nearest and dearest to you, and let that golden light from your heart reach out to them, filling them with it, surrounding them with it, bringing your love and warmth to them.

Think of all your friends. Let the golden light from your heart reach out to them, bringing them your friendship and your love, surrounding them with it, bringing them your gift of contentment, joy, and safety.

Think of all the people you have met, whether they are known to you or not. Let the golden light increase and spread out to all of them, filling them with your friendship and your love, and surrounding them with the warmth from your heart.

Now think of all the people who live near you, whether you have seen or met them or not.

Let the golden light from your heart grow until it reaches all of them, filling them with your warmth and your friendship, and surrounding them with the golden light, giving them love and safety.

Now let the golden light from your heart grow and expand until it is like a golden cloud over the whole of the country. Let the golden drops from this cloud fall into everyone’s heart, bringing them warmth, contentment, and security.

Now put your attention back on yourself. Feel the warmth that comes from your heart surrounding you and filling you, bringing you contentment and joy.

May beings everywhere be joyful and contented.