The Practice Which leads to Nibbana - A Buddhist Library

If you wish to develop the base consisting of nothingness youmust firstly attain the five masteries of the base consisting of boundlessconsciousness. Then after that you should reflect on the disadvantagesof the base consisting of boundless consciousness by thinking:This base consisting of boundless consciousness has the baseconsisting of boundless space as its near enemy and it is not as peacefulas the base consisting of nothingness.After having thus become dispassionate towards the base consistingof boundless consciousness you should then reflect on thepeaceful nature of the base consisting of nothingness. Then youshould pay attention to the present non-existence of the consciousnessthat was present during the attainment of the base consisting ofboundless space and is the object of the base consisting of boundlessconsciousness. You should pay attention again and again to thenon-existence of the object of the base consisting of boundless consciousnessand note it as "Nothingness, nothingness, Void, Void orWithout, Without,".Then you need to continue to pay attention to that sign "Nothingness,Nothingness" with initial application of the mind. By doingthis again and again you will find that the hindrances are suppressedand that upacŒra concentration arises with that sign as itsobject. By repeated attention to that sign you will find that appanajhŒna arises with that sign as its object. This is the third immaterialjhŒna called the base consisting of nothingness.The Base Consisting OfNeither Perception Nor Non PerceptionThe fourth immaterial jhŒna is the base consisting of neitherperception nor non perception and it has as its object theconsciousness present during the attainment of the the basew 81