The Practice Which leads to Nibbana - A Buddhist Library

w 164pana samŒdhissa samŒna lakkhaöatŒya eva× vutta×. (Vsm.subcom.1.436)Which means:When the commentary says upacŒra samŒdhi when defining thehighest concentration attainable by four elements meditation, it mustbe understood that it is used in the sense of comparison or similarity.Only the concentration close to jhŒna can be called upacŒra and inthis four elements meditation there is no jhŒna to be attained becauseit has states with individual essences as its object. But because thepower of concentration attained by four elements meditation is similarto upacŒra concentration the commentators call it upacŒra concentration.So it can be seen that the author of the sub-commentary believedthat only the highest kŒmŒvacara samadhi which has a serenity objectwhich is prior to or close to jhŒna can truly be called upacŒraconcentration. He believed that the highest kŒmŒvacara concentrationattained by doing four elements meditation is called upacŒraconcentration by the commentators because of its similarity to it, buthe believed that it should be called khaöika samŒdhi.Insight And Momentary ConcentrationThe visuddhimagga says that a meditator should try to developthe insight knowledges from sammasana –Œöa (comprehension bygroups) upwards only after he has completed five kinds of discernment.These are:1. rèpa pariggaha = discerning of rèpas.2. arèpa pariggaha = discerning of nŒmas.3. nŒma rèpa pariggaha = discerning of nŒmas and rèpas.4. paccaya pariggaha = discerning of dhammas which arecauses and dhammas which are results of the present nŒmas andrèpas.