Tatiyajhānapañhāsutta

“‘Tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ, tatiyaṁ jhānan’ti vuccati. Katamaṁ nu kho tatiyaṁ jhānanti? Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, etadahosi— idha bhikkhu pītiyā ca virāgā upekkhako ca viharati sato ca sampajāno sukhañca kāyena paṭisaṁvedeti, yaṁ taṁ ariyā ācikkhanti: ‘upekkhako satimā sukhavihārī’ti tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. Idaṁ vuccati tatiyaṁ jhānanti. So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, pītiyā ca virāgā upekkhako ca viharāmi sato ca sampajāno sukhañca kāyena paṭisaṁvedemi. Yaṁ taṁ ariyā ācikkhanti: ‘upekkhako satimā sukhavihārī’ti tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharāmi. Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, iminā vihārena viharato pītisahagatā saññāmanasikārā samudācaranti.

“They speak of this thing called the ‘third absorption’. What is the third absorption? It occurred to me: ‘With the fading away of rapture, a mendicant enters and remains in the third absorption, where they meditate with equanimity, mindful and aware, experiencing for themselves the bliss of which the noble ones declare, “Equanimous and mindful, one meditates in bliss.” This is called the third absorption.’ And so … I was entering and remaining in the third absorption. While I was in that meditation, perception and focus accompanied by rapture beset me.

Atha kho maṁ, āvuso, bhagavā iddhiyā upasaṅkamitvā etadavoca: ‘moggallāna, moggallāna. Mā, brāhmaṇa, tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ pamādo, tatiye jhāne cittaṁ saṇṭhapehi, tatiye jhāne cittaṁ ekodiṁ karohi, tatiye jhāne cittaṁ samādahā’ti. So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, aparena samayena pītiyā ca virāgā upekkhako ca viharāmi sato ca sampajāno sukhañca kāyena paṭisaṁvedemi, yaṁ taṁ ariyā ācikkhanti: ‘upekkhako satimā sukhavihārī’ti tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja vihāsiṁ. Yañhi taṁ āvuso sammā vadamāno vadeyya …pe… mahābhiññataṁ patto”ti. Tatiyaṁ.

Then the Buddha came up to me with his psychic power and said, ‘Moggallāna, Moggallāna! Don’t neglect the third absorption, brahmin! Settle your mind in the third absorption; unify your mind and immerse it in the third absorption.’ And so, after some time … I entered and remained in the third absorption. So if anyone should be rightly called a disciple who attained to great direct knowledge with help from the Teacher, it’s me.”