“‘Directly visible nibbāna, directly visible nibbāna’, you say friend.
But to what extent did the Awakened One speak of nibbāna as being directly visible?”1
“Here friend,
(1) disengaged from the sense faculties
and detached from unwholesome mental states,
attended by thinking and imagining,
with the blissful happiness born of letting go
one experiences and dwells in the first level of meditation
To such extent the Awakened One spoke of nibbāna
as being directly visible, in a metaphorical manner.
(2) As thinking and imagining calm down,
wth inner tranquilization,
one’s mind becoming unified,
without thinking and imagining,
with joy and happiness born of mental collectedness
one experiences and dwells in the second level of meditation.
To such extent the Awakened One spoke of nibbāna
as being directly visible, in a metaphorical manner.
(3) As stronger joy calms down,
abides in mental steadiness,
present and fully aware,
experiencing happiness within one’s body
a state the awakened ones describe as:
“Steadiness and presence of mind:
This is a pleasant abiding.”
one experiences and abides in the third level of meditation.
To such extent the Awakened One spoke of nibbāna
as being directly visible, in a metaphorical manner.
(4) Unattached to pleasant sensations,
unstirred by unpleasant ones,
as mental excitement and heaviness settle,
one’s mind is balanced,
purified by unmoving presence,
one experiences and abides in the fourth level of meditation.
To such extent the Awakened One spoke of nibbāna
as being directly visible, in a metaphorical manner.
(5) Going beyond all perception of form,
where awareness of the senses fades away,
turning away from the awareness plurality,
knowing: ‘There is Endless Space’
one experiences and abides in the plane of endless space.
To such extent the Awakened One spoke of nibbāna
as being directly visible, in a metaphorical manner.
(6) Going entirely beyond the plane of endless space,
knowing: ‘There is endless consciousness’
one experiences and abides in the plane of endless consciousness.
To such extent the Awakened One spoke of nibbāna
as being directly visible, in a metaphorical manner.
(7) Going entirely beyond the plane of endless space,
knowing: ‘There is nothing,’
one experiences and abides in the plane of bare awareness.
To such extent the Awakened One spoke of nibbāna
as being directly visible, in a metaphorical manner.
(8) Going entirely beyond the plane of bare awareness,
one experiences and abides in the plane between awareness and its limit.
To such extent the Awakened One spoke of nibbāna
as being directly visible, in a metaphorical manner.
(9) Going entirely beyond the plane between awareness and its limit,
one experiences and abides in the release from experiential awareness,
and by having seen with wisdom, one’s mental activities are brought to an end.
To such an extent the Awakened One spoke of nibbāna
as being directly visible, in a non-metaphorical and literal manner.”2
1 Kittāvatā nu kho, āvuso, sandiṭṭhikaṁ nibbānaṁ vuttaṁ bhagavatā”ti?
2 nippariyāyenā
