The Three Attainments

There are three attainments or samāpattis:

• attainment of jhāna, jhāna-samāpatti,

• fruition attainment, phala-samāpatti,

• attainment of extinction, nirodha-samāpatti.

An ordinary person who is not an ariyan may attain jhāna and acquire the skills, vasīs, in jhāna, such as attaining jhāna and emerging from it in the order of the successive stages of jhāna. Someone who is proficient in jhāna can

have jhāna-samāpatti, that is, jhānacittas arising in succession in a mind-door process without bhavanga-cittas in between, for a period lasting as long as he has determined. During that time, he is free from pain and unhappiness. This is because he is free from the sense objects and experiences only the meditation subject of jhāna, which conditions the happiness of true calm.

The ariyan who has developed jhāna and attained enlightenment with lokuttara cittas accompanied by jhāna factors of the different stages of jhāna can, after these cittas have fallen away, attain fruition-attainment, phala-samāpatti, again during his life. For him there can be other processes where phalacittas accompanied by jhāna factors of the first, second, third, fourth or fifth stage of jhāna experience nibbāna again. It depends on the stage of enlightenment he has attained what type of phala-citta arises accompanied by jhāna factors of one of the stages of jhāna. When there is fruition-attainment, phala-cittas can arise in succession without bhavanga-cittas in between, for a period lasting as long as he has determined.

In the mind-door process of cittas with fruition-attainment, the kāmāvacara cittas (cittas of the sense sphere) that arise first are not parikamma, preparatory consciousness, and upacāra, access, but there are three moments of adaptation or conformity, anuloma, because these cittas adapt or conform to the phalacitta, which is lokuttara jhānacitta and which arises again, experiencing nibbāna. These moments are different from parikamma, upacāra and anuloma which arose in the magga-vīthi where the magga-citta arose and eradicated defilements. In the case of fruition attainment phala-citta arises and experiences nibbāna for a period lasting as long as that person has determined.

The anāgāmī and the arahat who have attained the fourth arūpa-jhāna, the stage of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, can attain cessation, nirodha-samāpatti. This is the attainment of the temporary cessation of citta and cetasikas. They do not arise anymore, but this stage cannot last longer than seven days. The reason is that food that has been taken cannot support the body longer than seven days. The temporary cessation of citta and cetasika is conditioned by two powers: by samatha and by vipassanā. The anāgāmī and the arahat who have not attained calm to the degree of the fourth arūpa-jhāna cannot attain cessation. Neither can the sotāpanna and the sakadāgāmī attain cessation, even if they have reached the fourth stage of arūpa-jhāna.

Those who are able to attain cessation should first attain successively all the stages of rūpa-jhāna. They should emerge from each stage and then investigate with insight saṅkhāra dhammas, conditioned dhammas, as impermanent, dukkha and anattā, before they attain the following stage of jhāna. When they have emerged from the third stage of arūpa-jhāna, the sphere of nothingness, however, they should first advert to a fourfold preparatory task (“Visuddhimagga” Ch XXIII, 34): non-damage to others’ property; the community’s waiting; the Master’s summons; the limit of duration.

As regards non-damage to others’ property, this refers to what a bhikkhu uses or keeps, and what are not his personal property but the property of others, such as bowl, robes, bed and dwelling. He should resolve that such property will not be damaged, that it will not be destroyed by fire, water, wind, thieves and so on within the period of cessation-attainment, which lasts no longer than seven days. He does not have to make a specific resolution with regard to his personal property, such as his inner robes and outer robes, or his seat. These are protected from damage or loss by the attainment of cessation itself.

As regards the Master’s summons, he should resolve to emerge from cessation when the Buddha requires his presence.

As regards the limit of duration, he should know whether his life will last longer than seven days or not. During the period of cessation, the dying-consciousness cannot arise. Thus, when his lifespan is not due to end within seven days he can enter cessation.

When a bhikkhu has done the fourfold preparatory task, he can attain the fourth stage of arūpa-jhāna. After two moments of arūpa-jhānacittas of that stage, which arise in that process, he achieves cessation of citta and cetasika. They do not arise anymore and this state can last for seven days. When he emerges from cessation, one moment of phala-citta arises, to be followed by bhavanga-cittas. The attainment of cessation can occur only in the planes where there are five khandhas. It cannot occur in the arūpa-brahma planes where rūpa-jhānacitta does not arise.