中文：471-477, 英文：478-493. Chinese：471-477, English：478-493. 2001年6月5日講於中華佛學研究所. A speech at Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, on June 5, 2001.
關鍵詞
初禪; 無上現法涅槃; 三摩地; 漏盡智; 如來; 我; The First Jhaana; Parama-di.t.tha-dhamma-nibbaanavaadins (PDN); Samaadhi; Aa`srava-k.saya-j~naana; Tathaagataa; Attaa
摘要
The main concern of this speech is certain problems about the path which Gotama followed to become Tathaagata. First，according to the Nikaayas, Gotama surely practiced the 4 jhaanas. In Gotama's version of the 4 jhaanas in the Nikaayas there is no mention of "attaa" and "Parama-di.t.tha-dhamma-nibbaana". The next problem is about the spiritual experience after the attainment of the first jhaana. With the analysis of the Brahmajaala-sutta in Pali，after the attainment of the first jhaana, one does not abide in the first jhaana, for "the first jhaana" is a mere name for a series of mental elements. According to Brahmajaala-sutta and Vatthupama-sutta, due to the meditator's intentional separation from the object of desire and inexpedient mental elements, such mental elements as initial and sustained judgemental deliberations (vitakka and vicaara)，pasaada (confidence)，paamojja (glad)，piiti (joy)，passaddhi (physical tranquility)，and sukha (happiness) naturally arise one after another and end with the arising of samaadhi (mental concentration). The meditator is able to remain conscious of samaadhi for some time，which situation is indicated by the statement "he abides (viharati)" (in "samaadhi"). The thoughts of all feelings are absent from the mind of the meditator，and therefore there is no awareness of "I". So it is quite possible that Gotama dropped the term "attaa" from his description of the 4 jhaanas. After the attainment of the other three jhaanas, the meditator was abiding in samaadhi. But because of some agitative elements Gotama could not abide in samaadhi for long until the attainment of the fourth jhaana. The most agitative elements in the first three jhaanas are vitakka and vicaara, piiti，and sukha respectively. Without any disturbing element，samaadhi after the fourth jhaana is stable and the meditator's mind is free from any feeling and "I-consciousness". It is then that it is possible for him to gain truly objective knowledge with no aid of any logical thinking. Gotama gained in order the truly objective knowledge of his own past lives, the past lives of others and the endless cycle of birth and death, and the aa`srava-k.saya-j~naana (the wisdom regarding the destruction of the aa`sravas). The realisation of aa`srava-k.saya-j~naana is, however，different from the realisation of nibbaana, for in former case the faculty of perception remains intact and disturbs the calmness in samaadhi. To experience the undisturbed calmness Gotama next followed the aarupya-samaapattis (the attainment of formlessness) and finally attained the state of the sa~n~naa-vedayita-nirodha (the cessation of perception and feeling)，which is the closest possible approximation to the actual nibbaana. After the attainment of the sa~n~naa-vedayita-nirodha, Gotama declared himself to be the Tathaagataa.
