Try Majjhima Nikaya sutta no 4. Doesn’t sound like the Buddha was in Jhana at the time he directed his mind to these things does it?
Extract translation I made here: Prince Siddhattha’s Enlightenment
Strenuous effort and unremitting mindfulness were present in me, my body was peaceful and tranquil and my mind concentrated and one-pointed. Then being detached from sensual desire and unwholesome states I attained and dwelt in the first jhana which has initial and sustained application of the mind, joy, and pleasure born of detachment (from the hindrances). With the subsiding of initial and sustained application of the mind I attained and dwelt in the second jhana, with internal tranquility and one-pointedness of mind, without initial and sustained application of the mind, but with joy and pleasure born of concentration. Being without joy, I dwelt in equanimity with mindfulness and clear understanding, and experienced pleasure in mind and body. I attained and dwelt in the third jhana which causes a person who attains it to be praised by the Noble Ones as one who has equanimity and mindfulness, one who abides in pleasure. By becoming detached from both pleasure and pain and by the previous cessation of mental happiness and pain, I attained and dwelt in the fourth jhana a state of pure mindfulness born of equanimity.
Then when my mind was thus concentrated, pure, clean, unblemished, undefiled, pliant, workable, stable, and unshakable, I directed my mind towards the attainment of the knowledge of recollection of my past lives. (pubbenivasanussati nana) And I recollected my various past lives. That is to say, one life, two lives, three lives, four lives, five lives, ten lives, twenty lives, thirty lives, forty lives, fifty lives, one hundred lives, one thousand lives, one hundred thousand lives, many ages of devolution of the universe, many ages of evolution of the universe, many ages of devolving and evolving of the universe. I knew, “In that life such was my name, clan, appearance, food, experience of pleasure and pain, and life span. Having passed away from there I arose in such and such a place, and there such was my name, clan, appearance, food, experience of pleasure and pain, and life span, and having passed away from there I arose here.” In this way with details and particulars I recollected my various past lives. This was the first knowledge attained by me in the first watch of the night, ignorance vanished, knowledge arose, darkness vanished, light arose, just as it should in one who has unremitting mindfulness, strenuous effort, and a controlled mind.
Then when my mind was thus concentrated, pure, clean, unblemished, undefiled, pliant, workable, stable, and unshakable, I directed my mind towards the attainment of the knowledge of the passing away and reappearance of beings. With the divine eye (dibbacakkhu) which is purified and surpasses the human eye I saw beings passing away and reappearing, inferior, superior, of good appearance, of bad appearance, going to a good destiny and going to a bad destiny. I understood how beings go on according to their actions thus, "Those beings possessed of evil bodily conduct, evil verbal conduct, and evil mental conduct, who revile Noble Ones, are wrong in their views, and who give effect to wrong views in their actions, they on the breakup of the body after death arrive in a state of misery, in a bad destiny, in a place of suffering, in hell. But those beings possessed of good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct, and good mental conduct, who do not revile Noble Ones, are right in their views, and give effect to right views in their actions they on the breakup of the body after death arrive in a good destiny, in heaven. In this way with the divine eye which is purified and surpasses the human eye I saw beings passing away and reappearing, inferior, superior, of good appearance, of bad appearance, going to a good destiny and going to a bad destiny, and I understood how beings go on according to their actions. This was the second knowledge attained by me in the second watch of the night, ignorance vanished, knowledge arose, darkness vanished, light arose, just as it should in one who has unremitting mindfulness, strenuous effort, and a controlled mind.
Then when my mind was thus concentrated, pure, clean, unblemished, undefiled, pliant, workable, stable, and unshakable, I directed my mind towards the attainment of the knowledge of the destruction of the currents (asavakkhaya nana). I understood as it really is that, “This is suffering”. I understood as it really is that, “This is the cause of suffering”. I understood as it really is that, “This is the cessation of suffering”. I understood as it really is that, “This is the practise which leads to the cessation of suffering”. I understood as it really is that, “These are the currents (asava)”. I understood as it really is that, “This is the cause of the currents”. I understood as it really is that, “This is the cessation of the currents”. I understood as it really is that, “This is the practise that leads to the cessation of the currents.” When I had known and seen in this way my mind was freed from the current of sense desire, my mind was freed from the current of desire for existence, and my mind was freed from the current of ignorance. Being free the knowledge arose, “I am free”. And I knew, “Rebirth is no more, I have finished living the life of purity (brahmacariya), done is what should be done, for attaining the goal of Arahatship I have nothing more to do.” This was the third knowledge attained by me in the third watch of the night, ignorance vanished, knowledge arose, darkness vanished, light arose, just as it should in one who has unremitting mindfulness, strenuous effort, and a controlled mind.
(Extract from Majjhima Nikaya Sutta No.4)|
