Anupada Sutta MN 111 *Excellent* Talk on Jhanas and the Path to Nibbana 

Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu. 🙏 I'm so grateful for Bhante's way of teaching the Buddha's teaching. Sharing my notes of this talk below, may it be useful for someone: 5 aggregates = 4 foundations of mindfulness (while being in jhana) Feeling is not emotions. It's just feeling: pleasant or unpleasant or neutral. Feeling and perception always come together. That's how we know whether a feeling is pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. Nibbana = state with no concepts. Not to hold on or push away any of the states within the jhanas. It's all impersonal. The "I like it/I don't like it" mind is when we take things personal, the beginning of suffering. Unification of mind = staying on the object of meditation without any problem. When in Base of Nothingness, staying with Equanimity, balance very finely the attention on feeling of Equanimity: too much and mind becomes restless; too little and mind becomes dull. Mind becomes object of meditation in Neither Perception nor Non-Perception. Only job remaining is to observe the mind, watch mind, not the content of the thoughts that still come up. 6R the thoughts, relax, continue to watch mind. Keep sitting with the still mind, for a long time, even if nothing is happening at all. Everyone who is serious enough about meditation to go on a retreat, can experience these states of mind.

Such a brilliant talk, one of the best form bhante In my opinion.... also when you reach the stages he is talking about, it is so much more of an interesting thought. I hope I get to repay my gratitude to Bhante and David some day. Sadhu!!

Very grateful for this detailed and informative dharma talk on a topic rarely spoke about!.

after 6 years, I listen to this again and be grateful to have this resource on RU-vid. In gratitude I bow to the venerable and his assistant.

This is about the most fascinating thing Ive ever heard.

Thank you Bhindu, it encourages me to continue my meditation practice, even though my mind is all over the place 🙏🙏🙏

Excellent very very good It is a big loader it seems In our retired life we have plenty of time so why not spending our time usefully in our last days meditation gives immense happiness. Thank you so much r your wonderful talk🙏😀🌺

Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu! Thank you for delivering such pleasant and soothing sutta and dhamma talk, Bhante. I am liking this sutta so much because of how it's structured I am developing a taste for reciting it from time to time (still with gaps, as I'm trying to remember it, hehe). Sharing the merits with everyone, may all be blessed and well.

For some odd reason this talk seems much more full of insight than any other Bhante Vimalaramsi commentary on MN 111. Thank you ;)

Great talk for those who r in path of dhamma and meditating as per tripatika suttas. Seriously with the understanding of NAM RUP(mind n matter) one can reach jhaannas stages ..it will take time n practice ..ven ...bhante please give a discourse on Patthana...because...practice..of ...jhaannas should go simultaneously..with the understanding of Patthanas.

With respect Bhante, it takes an arahant to know an arahant.

Grateful for your help

Great Discourse! There is just one wrong information on mundane level at around 8'10" : The German word "Geist" doesn't mean "soul". The word for soul in German is Seele. Geist means spirit or mind (depending on context). If somone translates Geist as soul, that is just wrong translation. Otherwise: Thank you! SadhuSadhuSadhu!

With all respect, German being my mother tongue, I have to correct the Bhante. Geist means not Soul. Soul is Seele. Geist means Mind. As an example, being unmindful is geistesabwesend, mindful is geistesgegenwärtig.

Dear Bhante, Is mindfulness of loving kindness and breathing both simply a means to an end, or does loving kindness create an attitude change, among other things, that mindfulness of breathing does not? Thank you for this wonderful playlist!

Estoy muy agradecido por compartir estos videos, y quería agradecer especialmente a los que agregan los subtítulos, aunque sea en otro idioma(.En este caso han subtitulado en polaco,) y aunque mi idioma es el español, la traducción automática es mucho mejor que si uso la traducción automática que reconoce youtube. MUCHAS GRACIAS. SADHU SADHU SADHU!!!

Does everyone who is trying to become a Arahat need to control their diet? If so, where can I go to find out more information?

Bhante, is the requirement for Arahant the destruction of 3 poison or do arahant see through them and do not respond to them when they arise? How can tell if someone is an arahant if you can’t see what’s in their mind?

11:04 can anyone explain this to me? It sounds like he's talking about physically floating off the ground.

What book is Bante' reading from?

Does it normally take some time to manage stabilizing the jhanas? I find that I can access the first and second, and sometimes third, and sometimes it is very stable, but other times it feels very shaky because my concentration is not as strong: a thought might arise and I get lost in that.

Soul in German is seeley. Geist means mind inbgerman

What does the term 'lust' mean in the context of these conversations? Is it specifically sexual or is it a term for general intense craving?

I follow the 5 precepts since childhood and I'm a vegan for ethical reasons. I am generally a calm person and never act or speak in anger, but think and observe silence. I meditate everyday and I am an animal lover too. However, although I am very compassionate person, I still cannot meditate and concentrate fully, my mind wanders over petty and mundane things and I have to bring it back all the time. How do I improve this?

Hello Bhante , I've been meditating for about 2 years, one day I was meditating and suddenly I experienced a state in which my body seem to be vanishing and even after I stopped meditating, I still feel no boundaries of my body, I can still feel sensations in my body and touch but I don't feel any boundary of my body and it feels very lighter in weigt than before . Also the voices around me don't disturb me anymore and I am more aware nowadays. Also, I can't know the smell of things and also taste when I don't think anything. But when I have thoughts then the taste and smell are known but only to a low degree like this is sweet or this is bitter. And there's an equanimous feeling . So which jhana is it that I experienced ? And pls tell me how can I contact you online to learn from you and have my doubts cleared.

My attention on object is two minutes

so there are 8 stages in total?

2”: The 5 Aggregates = 4 foundations of mindfulness

Excellent very very good It is a big loader it seems In our retired life we have plenty of time so why not spending our time usefully in our last days meditation gives immense happiness. Thank you so much r your wonderful talk🙏😀🌺