It is not possible to escape Samsara without tearing out the three roots of evil: attachment, aversion and ignorance in all spheres or abodes where consciousness can operate. Therefore, it is essential to enter these spheres to start from there the evil, the attachment to existence, existence itself. The spheres are spaces where the devas inhabit and in which they must penetrate with the mission of seeing that they are unsatisfactory, tearing away any desire to remain there.
Once the attachment to human existence is wrested, it no longer returns, one becomes anagami. That is the time to do the same in the divine spheres, tearing out in each of them the desire to exist. This is how arahantado is achieved in a way that destroys existence and when he dies, the arahant dies out.
However, it happens that there are people who are attracted to one or another sphere, they create attachment to that sphere and, upon their death, they are reborn in that sphere. And among them there are two types, those who are disciples of a Buddha and when they exhaust their life as deva, they exhaust their healthy kamma, but they become extinct, while those who are not disciples of a Buddha, when exhausting their life as deva also deplete all their healthy kamma and, having not finished their existence, they are reborn in hell.
This brings us to a disturbing question: the Buddha did well not to follow the teachings of his teachers, Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta, who taught him to penetrate the spheres of nothingness and neither perception nor non-perception.That, after a joyous life of deva, would have dragged him to hell. As he did with his teachers.
Collection of Discourses Grouped Numerically AN 3.116 Unperturbed
«Mendicants, these three people are in the world.
That three?
First, a person, who goes completely beyond the perceptions of the physical form, ending the abusive invasion of perceptions, without focusing on perceiving the contrast, aware that «space is infinite», enters and remains in the dimension of infinite space. He enjoys it and he likes it and they find it satisfactory. If he is in that, he surrenders to it and meditates often without depriving himself of it, when he dies, he will be reborn in the company of the devas of the dimension of infinite space. The useful life of the devas of infinite space is twenty thousand eons. An ordinary person remains there until the life of those devas is exhausted, then goes to hell or the animal kingdom or the ghost realm. But a disciple of Buddha remains there until the life of those devas is exhausted, then they are extinguished in that same life. This is the difference between an educated noble disciple and an ordinary uneducated person regarding his place of rebirth.
In addition, a person, who goes completely beyond the dimension of infinite space, aware that «consciousness is infinite», enters and remains in the dimension of infinite consciousness. He enjoys it and likes it and finds it satisfying. If he is in that, he surrenders to it and meditates often without depriving himself of it, when he dies, he will be reborn in the company of the devas of the dimension of infinite consciousness. The useful life of the devas of infinite consciousness is forty thousand aeons. An ordinary person remains there until the life of those devas is exhausted, then goes to hell or the animal kingdom or the ghost realm. But a disciple of Buddha remains there until the life of those devas is exhausted, then it is extinguished in that same life. This is the difference between an educated noble disciple and an ordinary person without education regarding his place of rebirth.
In addition, a person, who goes completely beyond the dimension of infinite consciousness, aware that «there is nothing at all», enters and remains in the dimension of nothingness. He enjoys it and likes it and finds it satisfying. If he is in that, he surrenders to it and meditates often without depriving himself of it, when he dies, he will be reborn in the company of the devas of the dimension of nothingness. The lifespan of the devas out of nothing is sixty thousand eons. An ordinary person remains there until the life of those devas is exhausted, then goes to hell or the animal kingdom or the ghost realm. But a disciple of Buddha remains there until the life of those devas is exhausted, then they are extinguished in that same life.This is the difference between an educated noble disciple and an ordinary uneducated person regarding his place of rebirth. These are the three people that are in the world. «
Collection of Medium Length Discourses MN 85. Prince Bodhi
«Having renounced, prince, in search of what is healthy, seeking the supreme state of sublime peace, I went to Alara Kalama and said: ‘Friend Kalama, I want to lead the holy life in this Dhamma-and-Discipline’ . Alara Kalama replied: ‘The venerable lord can stay here. This Dhamma is such that a wise man can enter soon and dwell in him, reaching for himself through direct knowledge the doctrine of his teacher. ‘ And so, I soon learned that Dhamma.As for the mere recitation and enumeration [of the points] of his teaching, he could speak with knowledge and security; Then, I affirmed: ‘I know and I see’. And there were others who did the same.
«Then, I considered this: ‘It is not only through the mere faith that Alara Kalama declares:’ By attaining it by myself with direct knowledge, I enter and remain in this Dhamma. ‘ Certainly, Alara Kalama remains knowing and seeing this Dhamma ‘. So, I went to Alara Kalama and asked him: ‘Friend Kalama, in what way do you declare that by attaining it by yourself with direct knowledge you enter and remain in this Dhamma?’ And answering, he declared the basis of nothingness.
«Then, I considered this: ‘Not only Alara Kalama has faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom. I also have faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom. What if I strive to achieve the Dhamma in which Alara Kalama declares that he enters and remains, attaining it by himself with direct knowledge? ‘
«And so, I soon entered and dwelt in that Dhamma, attaining it by myself with direct knowledge. Then I went to Alara Kalama and asked him: ‘Friend Kalama, is it in this way that you declare that you enter and dwell in this Dhamma having attained it by yourself with direct knowledge?’ ‘That’s the way, friend.’ ‘It is in this way, friend, that I also enter and reside in this Dhamma, having attained it by myself with direct knowledge’. ‘It is a gain for us, friend, a great gain for us, that we have such a venerable lord as a companion in the holy life.So the Dhamma in which I declare that I enter and remain, having attained it by myself, with direct knowledge, is the Dhamma in which you also enter and remain, having attained it by yourself with direct knowledge. And the Dhamma in which you enter and remain, having attained it by yourself with direct knowledge, is the same Dhamma in which I declare that I also enter and remain, having attained it by myself with direct knowledge. So, you know the Dhamma that I know and I know the Dhamma that you know. As I am, it is you, and as you are, it is me. Come, friend, let’s lead this community together. ‘
«In this way, Alara Kalama, my teacher, put me, his student, on the same level as him and gave me the highest honor. But this occurred to me: ‘This Dhamma does not lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to Awakening, to Nibbana, but only to the reappearance at the base of nothingness. ‘ Not being satisfied with that Dhamma, disappointed, I left.
«Continuing with the search for what is healthy, seeking the supreme state of sublime peace, I went with Uddaka Ramaputta and said: ‘Friend, I want to lead the holy life in this Dhamma-and-Discipline’.Uddaka Ramaputta replied: ‘The venerable lord can stay here. This Dhamma is such that a wise man can enter soon and remain in him, reaching for himself through direct knowledge the doctrine of his teacher. ‘ So I soon learned that Dhamma. As for the mere recitation and enumeration [of the points] of his teaching, he could speak with knowledge and security; Then, I affirmed this: ‘I know and I see’. And there were others who did the same.
«Then, I considered this: ‘It was not only through the mere faith that Rama declared:’ Reached by myself with direct knowledge, I enter and remain in this Dhamma ‘. Certainly Rama remains knowing and seeing this Dhamma ‘. Then I went with Uddaka Ramaputta and asked him: ‘Friend, in what way did Rama declare that, reached by himself with direct knowledge, he entered and remained in this Dhamma?’ And answering, Uddaka Ramaputta declared the basis of ni-perception-no-no-perception.
«Then, I considered this: ‘Not only Rama has faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom. I also have faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom. What if I strive to attain the Dhamma in which Rama declared that he entered and remained, attaining it by himself with direct knowledge? ‘
«And so, I soon entered and remained in that Dhamma, attaining it by myself with direct knowledge. Then I went with Uddaka Ramaputta and asked him: ‘Friend, is it in this way that Rama declared that he entered and remained in this Dhamma by attaining it by himself with direct knowledge?’ ‘That’s the way, friend.’ ‘It is in this way, friend, that I also enter and remain in this Dhamma, attaining it by myself with direct knowledge.’ ‘It is a gain for us, friend, a great gain for us, that we have such a venerable lord as a companion in the holy life.So the Dhamma in which Rama declared that he entered and remained, attaining it by himself with direct knowledge, is the same Dhamma in which you enter and remain, having attained it by yourself with direct knowledge. And the Dhamma in which you enter and remain, attaining it by yourself with direct knowledge, is the Dhamma in which Rama declared that he entered and remained attaining by himself with direct knowledge. So, you know the Dhamma that Rama knew and Rama knew the Dhamma that you know. As it was Rama, it is you; As you are, it was Rama. Come, friend, direct this community now. ‘
«In this way, Uddaka Ramaputta, my companion in the holy life, put me in the position of a teacher and granted me the highest honor. But this occurred to me: ‘This Dhamma does not lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to Awakening, to Nibbana, but only to the reappearance at the base of ni-perception-ni- no-perception ‘. Not being satisfied with that Dhamma, disappointed, I left.
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