The Practice Which leads to Nibbana - A Buddhist Library

Falling into BhavaºgaIn this book we have written briefly about how to developappanŒ jhŒna using several different traditional meditation subjectssuch as mindfulness of breathing, skeleton meditation, and whitekasiöa. These meditation subjects all produce two classes ofconcentration upacŒra concentration and appanŒ concentration.The concentration that precedes close to the entering into jhŒnaconcentration is called upacŒra concentration and the concentrationpresent when one has entered into jhŒna is called appanŒconcentration.The Visuddhimagga mentions the potential of the meditator'smind to fall into a bhavaºga state during the time of upacŒra concentration.It states:Now concentration is of two kinds, that is to say, access concentrationand absorption concentration: the mind becomes concentratedin two ways, that is, on the plane of access and on the plane ofobtainment. Herein, the mind becomes concentrated on the planeof access by the abandonment of the hindrances, and on the plane ofobtainment by the manifestation of the jhŒna factors. The differencebetween the two kinds of concentration is this. The factors arenot strong in access. It is because they are not strong that whenaccess has arisen, the mind now makes the sign its object and nowre-enters the life-continuum (bhavaºga), just as when a young childis lifted up and stood on its feet, it repeatedly falls down on theground. But the factors are strong in absorption. It is because theyare strong that when absorption concentration has arisen, the mind,having once interrupted the flow of the life-continuum, carries onwith a stream of profitable impulsion for a whole night and for awhole day, just as a healthy man, after rising from his seat, couldstand for a whole day.w 167