Tranquillity of body, (kayappassadhi)

Meditation
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tranquility

There are, bhikkhus, tranquillity of body, tranquillity of mind[note 61]:
frequently giving careful attention to them is the nutriment for the
arising of unarisen enlightenment factor of tranquillity and for the
fulfilment by development of the arisen enlightenment factor of
tranquillity."

bodhi note 61

Spk: Tranquillity of body (kayappassaddhi) is the tranquillizing of
distress in the three mental aggregates (feeling, perception, volitional
formations), tranquillizing of mind (cittappassaddhi)the tranquillizing of
distress in the aggregate of consciousness.

Thus we see that "Tranquillity of body " refers to the mental cetasikas in this sutta.

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This is from the commentaries and not from the suttas themselves. Nothing in the suttas support the commentarial take on this. Kaya is either the physical body or the breath energies within the physical body. That tends to be how the suttas use the word.

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The commentaries are authoritative here. The commentaries take “bodhi” in bojjhaṅgā to be genitive, so the physical body can’t be meant as they are factors of the awakening experience.

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welcome to the forum dhamma012.
there are different contexts.
in the tika to the visuddhimagga see this passage
https://classicaltheravada.org/uploads/short-url/17CmYsAECMgtAGPL9gZgGd8CgV0.pdf

The Tīka summarizes the six pairs of tranquillity, lightness, mallleability, wieldiness, proficiency and rectitude. They all assist sobhana citta and its accompanying cetasikas so that citta and cetasikas are alert, healthy and efficient in performing kusala. They are classified as six pairs, one pertaining to citta and one pertaining to the mental body, cetasikas. The Tīka gives another reason why they are classified as twofold.

Note 65, taken from the Tīka:
‘And here by tranquilization, etc., of consciousness only consciousness is tranquilized and becomes light, malleable, wieldy, proficient and upright. But with tranquilization, etc., of the [mental]body also the material body is tranquilized, and so on. This is why the twofoldness of states is given by the Blessed One here, but not in all places’ (Pm.489).
Nina van gorkom: Thus we see that the good qualities of tranquillity, lightness etc. also condition bodily phenomena.

Imagine if mental factors are tranquil - the physical must also be very calm.
translation of vism tika

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“Here”, as in on the classical theravada forum? Why? The Buddha’s own words say that the suttas should be what is authoritative. So any commentary should line up with the suttas.

DN 16 - The Great Total Unbinding Discourse (Mahā Parinibbāna Sutta)

The Blessed One said, “There is the case where a monk says this: ‘Face-to-face with the Blessed One have I heard this, face-to-face have I received this: This is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the Teacher’s instruction.’ His statement is neither to be approved nor scorned. Without approval or scorn, take careful note of his words and make them stand against the suttas and tally them against the Vinaya. If, on making them stand against the suttas and tallying them against the Vinaya, you find that they don’t stand with the suttas or tally with the Vinaya, you may conclude: ‘This is not the word of the Blessed One; this monk has misunderstood it’—and you should reject it. But if, on making them stand against the suttas and tallying them against the Vinaya, you find that they stand with the suttas and tally with the Vinaya, you may conclude: ‘This is the word of the Blessed One; this monk has understood it rightly.’

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Thanks Robert.

Yes, calming mental factors can calm the breath. But that doesn’t mean the two are equivalent. For example, the movement of the heart in the body causes movement of the blood. But you would not say that the blood is the heart.

There is also another angle to consider. The causality is not one way. Yes, the body is calmed when mental factors are calmed. However mental factors are also calmed when the body is calmed.

E.g.

  • Acupuncture treatment for nervous tension
  • Box breathing for anxiety
  • Putting a pencil in a depressed person’s mouth to force a smile, which in turn lessens the depression

Whether you use the body to calm mental factors or you use mental factors to calm the body depends on which of these you have the most awareness of and control over. If you have more awareness and control of mental factors, you will naturally gravitate to using these to calm the body. If you have more awareness of the body, you will naturally gravitate to using this to calm the mental factors.

Ultimately, of course, the ideal is to develop awareness and control over both aspects - where control over the body is accomplished through the breath.

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According to the Netti “sutta” here doesn’t mean a body of texts but rather the 4NT. According to an analysis of the word by K R Norman and others sutta here means what is “well said”, i.e. the 4NT, thus agreeing with the Netti. Anyway, since this is a Classical Theravādin forum the commentaries are seen as being in harmony with the suttas (texts). The Vinaya, Suttas and Abhidhamma form one coherent whole in CT.

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Based on the suttas, the idea that the commentaries, abidhamma and suttas form one coherent whole can’t be assumed - it must be tested, practiced and proven at a personal level. Otherwise, any commentary that says anything could be taken as fact simply because it originated a thousand years ago.

AN 3.66 To the Kālāmas (Kālāma Sutta)

“So, as I said, Kālāmas: ‘Don’t go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, “This contemplative is our teacher.” When you know for yourselves that, “These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the observant; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness”—then you should enter & remain in them.’ Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said.

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Greetings @dhamma012, welcome to the Forum.

Just a gentle reminder that this platform is specifically dedicated to discussions from the Classical Theravāda perspective. Trying to use the suttas to refute commentarial positions could end up being counterproductive.

That said, if you share the teachings on bodily tranquillity that you’ve found in the suttas, I believe it could lead to a more fruitful and engaging discussion.

I can remember the AN10.2 Cetanākaraṇīyasutta , mentioning conditions to bodily tranquility, and that tranquility being a condition to further attainments:

(…)
(5) “For one with a rapturous mind no volition need be exerted: ‘Let my body be tranquil.’ It is natural that the body of one with a rapturous mind is tranquil.
(6) “For one tranquil in body no volition need be exerted: ‘Let me feel pleasure.’ It is natural that one tranquil in body feels pleasure.
(…)
“Thus, bhikkhus,
(9)–(10) the knowledge and vision of liberation is the purpose and benefit of disenchantment and dispassion;
(8) disenchantment and dispassion are the purpose and benefit of the knowledge and vision of things as they really are;
(7) the knowledge and vision of things as they really are is the purpose and benefit of concentration;
(6) concentration is the purpose and benefit of pleasure;
(5) pleasure is the purpose and benefit of tranquility;
(4) [bodily] tranquility is the purpose and benefit of rapture;
(3) rapture is the purpose and benefit of joy;
(2) joy is the purpose and benefit of non-regret; and
(1) non-regret is the purpose and benefit of virtuous behavior.

“Thus, bhikkhus, one stage flows into the next stage, one stage fills up the next stage, for going from the near shore to the far shore.”

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Yes and fortunately the ancient Commentaries are fully in line.

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the Commentary to this notes

. cetanākaraṇīyasuttavaṇṇanā
. dutiye na cetanāya karaṇīyanti na cetetvā kappetvā pakappetvā kātabbaṃ. dhammatā esāti dhammasabhāvo eso kāraṇaniyamo ayaṃ. abhisandentīti pavattenti. paripūrentīti paripuṇṇaṃ karonti. apārā pāraṃ gamanāyāti orimatīrabhūtā tebhūmakavaṭṭā nibbānapāraṃ gamanatthāya.

In the second case, the action should not be done with intention—neither intending, nor planning, nor preparing should it be done. This is the law of nature (dhammatā): it is the intrinsic nature of things, this is the causal order.
‘Abhisandenti’ means ‘they cause to arise or produce.’
‘Paripūrenti’ means ‘they fulfill or complete.’
‘Apārā pāraṃ gamanāya’ means ‘from the near shore to the far shore’—that is, from the near bank, which is the round of existence (the threefold world), to the far shore of Nibbāna, for the purpose of crossing over.”

na cetanāya karaṇīyaṃ – should not be done with volition (intention)

see this thread: Cetanākaraṇīya sutta: Aṅguttara 10.2. Volition

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According to Classical Theravāda the Buddha taught the Abhidhamma, so the suttas and Abhidhamma would form a coherent whole (including the Vinaya). For CT the suttas are seen as being in harmony with all 3. That’s how they are seen and understood in CT. You’ll get more out of this site if you take it as an opportunity to learn about CT, the Abhidhamma and what the commentaries say and why. If you want to explore your own individual thoughts and theories then DhammaWheel is more for you, or SuttaCentral.

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Thank you for the welcome. I am not sure I understand what you are saying. Are you saying that on this forum, all commentarial positions are accepted without question, even if the suttas may say something different?

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I would have thought that if there was a reasonable why, then it could be offered. For example, I provided an example of how the body affects the mind in the same way as the mind affects the body. If the commentaries form a complete analysis, they would have an opinion on this. And it could be seen whether this opinion considered aspects that I had not - or vice versa.

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Ceisiwr did give a citation on another site about this.

Visuddhimagga Xviii175. (iv) He trains thus: “I shall breathe in … shall breathe out tranquilizing the bodily formation;” he trains thus: “I shall breathe in, shall breathe out tranquilizing, completely tranquilizing, stopping, stilling, the gross bodily formation50”.
176. And here both the gross and subtle state and also [progressive] tranquilizing should be understood. For previously, at the time when the bhikkhu has still not discerned [the meditation subject], his body and his mind are disturbed and so they are gross. And while the grossness of the body and the mind has still not subsided the in-breaths and out-breaths are gross. They get stronger; his nostrils become inadequate, and he keeps breathing in and out through his mouth. But they become quiet and still when his body and mind have been discerned. When they are still then the in-breaths and out-breaths occur so subtly that he has to investigate whether they exist or not

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I would say that, on this forum, what tends to be questioned is the stance of relying only on the suttas as authoritative.

I’m speaking only for myself here. All texts—suttas included—are subject to scrutiny, both intellectual and practical. Some of the teachings found in the suttas and commentaries can only be verified through deep meditation. Since I haven’t developed such capabilities yet, I accept those teachings on faith for the time being, until I can investigate them for myself.

Over time, I found the suttas to be quite reliable, and now I’m gradually exploring the commentaries. I personally regard the suttas as hierarchically superior to the commentaries, but I’ve noticed that the commentaries often provide details that are difficult to find in the suttas—such as historical background, accounts of past lives of the Buddha and his disciples, and more explicit metaphysical explanations. It’s not common to find commentary texts that directly contradict the suttas.

That said, this isn’t the main topic of the thread. There are other discussions specifically about commentarial authority—perhaps some of your questions might be addressed there. For example:

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I also take this approach: since this is a Classical Theravāda forum, I keep some of my doubts about the authority of the commentaries to myself. I do the same in “suttanta” forums—avoiding the use of commentaries to support my arguments. It’s a matter of respecting the ‘territory’ of each space, which I believe is beneficial.

Venerable @bksubhuti once posted something about this using the simile of the quail and the falcon. But I couldn’t find the original post.

Jātaka 168

“Thus you see, Brethren, how even animals fall into their enemies’ hands by leaving their proper place; but when they keep to it, they conquer their enemies. Therefore do you take care not to leave your own place and intrude upon another’s.”

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I should have said commentaries here, not suttas.

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From the Paṭisambhidāmagga

239. How is it that (5) he trains thus ‘I shall breathe in acquainted with the whole body [of breaths] (6) he trains thus 7 shall breathe out acquainted with the whole body [of breaths]’?

[ Analysis of the Object of Contemplation ]

  1. Body: there are two bodies: the mental body and the material body. What is the mental body? Feeling, perception, volition, contact, attention, and mentality are the mental body, and also what are called cognizance formations: these are the mental body. What is the material body? The four great entities and the materiality derived by clinging from the four great entities, in-breath and out-breath and the sign for anchoring [mindfulness], and also what are called body formations: this is the material body.
  2. How is he acquainted with these bodies? When he understands unification of cognizance and non-distraction through long in-breaths, his mindfulness is established (founded). By means of that mindfulness and that knowledge he is acquainted with those bodies. When he understands unification of cognizance and non-distraction through long outbreaths, … through short in-breaths, … through short out-breaths, his mindfulness is established (founded). By means of that mindfulness and that knowledge he is acquainted with those bodies.
  3. When he adverts, he is acquainted with those bodies. When he knows, he is acquainted with those bodies. When he sees,… reviews,… steadies his cognizance, … resolves with faith, … exerts energy, … establishes (founds) mindfulness, … concentrates cognizance, … When he understands with understanding,… When he directly knows what is to be directly known, … When he fully understands what is to be fully understood, … [184] When he abandons what is to be abandoned, … When he develops what is to be developed,… When he realizes what is to be realized, he is acquainted with those bodies. That is how those bodies are experienced.

[ The Foundation of Mindfulness]

  1. In-breaths and out-breaths while acquainted with the whole body [of breaths] are a body. The establishment (foundation) is mindfulness. The contemplation is knowledge. The body is the establishment (foundation), but it is not the mindfulness. Mindfulness is both the establishment (foundation) and the mindfulness. By means of that mindfulness and that knowledge he contemplates that body. Hence ‘Development of the Foundation (Establishment) of Mindfulness consisting in contemplation of the body as a body’ is said.
  2. He contemplates: … [repeat § 197].
  3. Development:… [repeat § 198].

[ Training]

  1. In-breaths and out-breaths while acquainted with the whole body [of breaths] are Purification of Virtue in the sense of restraint; they are Purification of Cognizance in the sense of non-distraction; they are Purification of View in the sense of seeing. The meaning of restraint therein is training in the Higher Virtue; the meaning of non-distraction therein is training in the Higher Cognizance; the meaning of seeing therein is training in the Higher Understanding.
  2. When he adverts to these three trainings he trains, when he knows them he trains, when he sees,… [and so on as in §242 up to]… when he realizes what is to be realized he trains.

[Exercise of Mindfulness and Full-awareness]

248-51. When he understands unification of cognizance and non-distraction through in-breaths and out-breaths while acquainted with the whole body [of breaths], his feelings are recognized as they arise,… [and so on as in §§199-202 up to the end].

[ Combining the Faculties, Etc.]

252-64. When he understands unification of cognizance and non-distraction through in-breaths and out-breaths while acquainted with the whole body [of breaths], he combines the faculties, understands their domain, and penetrates their meaning of sameness; he combines the
powers … [and so on as in §§203-15 up to the end].

265. How is it that (7) he trains thus 7 shall breathe in tranquillizing the body formation(8) he trains thus 'I shall breathe out tranquillizing the body formation ?

[ Analysis of the Object of Contemplation]

  1. What is the body formation? Long in-breaths are of the body; these things, being bound up with the body, are body formations;23 he trains in tranquillizing, stopping, stilling, those body formations. Long out-breaths belong to the body; … Short in-breaths belong to the body; … Short out breaths belong to the body; … In-breaths while acquainted with the whole body [of breaths] belong to the body; … Out-breaths while acquainted with the whole body [of breaths] belong to the body; these things, being bound up with the body, are body formations; he trains in tranquillizing, stopping, stilling, those body formations.

When there are such body formations whereby there is bending backwards, sideways, in all directions, and forwards, and perturbation, excitement, moving, and shaking, of the body, [185] he trains thus ‘I shall breathe in tranquillizing the body formation’, he trains thus ‘I shall breathe out tranquillizing the body formation’. When there are such body formations whereby there is no bending backwards, sideways, in all directions, and forwards, and no perturbation, excitement, moving, and shaking, of the body, quiet and subtle, he trains thus ‘I shall breathe in tranquillizing the body formation’, he trains thus “I shall breathe out tranquillizing the body formation.”

So then he trains thus " I shall breathe in tranquillizing the body formation", he trains thus “I shall breathe out tranquillizing the body formation”: that being so, there is no production of experience of wind, and there is no production of in-breaths and out-breaths, and there is no production of mindfulness of breathing, and there is no production of concentration by mindfulness of breathing, and consequently the wise neither enter into nor emerge from that attainment. So then he trains thus “I shall breathe in tranquillizing the body formation”, he trains thus “I shall breathe out tranquillizing the body formation”: that being so, there is production of experience of wind, and there is production of out-breaths and in-breaths, and there is production of mindfulness of breathing, and there is production of concentration by mindfulness of breathing, and consequently the wise enter into and emerge from that attainment.

Like what? Just as when a gong is struck. At first gross sounds occur and [cognizance occurs] because the sign of the gross sounds is well apprehended, well attended to, well observed; and when the gross sounds have ceased, then afterwards faint sounds occur and [cognizance occurs] because the sign of the faint sounds is well apprehended, well attended to, well observed; and when the faint sounds have ceased, then afterwards cognizance occurs because it has the sign of the faint sounds as its object — so too, at first gross in-breaths and out-breaths occur and [cognizance does not become distracted] because the sign of the gross inbreaths and out-breaths is well apprehended, well attended to, well observed; and when the gross in-breaths and out-breaths have ceased, then afterwards faint in-breaths and [186] out-breaths occur and [cognizance does not become distracted] because the sign of the faint in breaths and out-breaths is well apprehended, well attended to, well observed; and when the faint in-breaths and out-breaths have ceased, then afterwards cognizance does not become distracted because it has the sign of the faint in-breaths and out-breaths as its object. That being so, there is production of experience of wind, and there is production of in-breaths and outbreaths, and there is production of mindfulness of breathing, and there is production of concentration by mindfulness of breathing, and consequently the wise enter into and emerge from that attainment.

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All Buddhist sites have some basic rules of engagement. The people who run them, and most participants, are interested in deepening their knowledge by interacting with people who share some common interests and understandings. Posters advocating, for example, Hindu or Christian paths would be a pointless distraction - there are plenty of other forums to discuss those.

There are also a variety of Buddhist sites. Dhammawheel focusses on Theravada, but not exclusively Classical. Dharmawheel focusses on Mahayana. SuttaCentral focuses on a particular definition of Early Buddhist Texts.

This site was established by people who wanted a place to discuss Classical Theravada without having a to put up with lot of noise along the lines of “The Abhidhamma and Commentaries are not the teaching of the Buddha and are basically worthless” (which tended to happen in the Classical section of DhammaWheel, despite having similar rules there: https://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?t=373).

In this context, most participants here are interested in deepening their understanding of the Suttas, Vinaya, Abhidhamma, and Commentaries, starting from the assumption that all of those contain important information about Dhamma. If your interest is in proving that the Commentaries are inconsistent with the Suttas, then DhammaWheel or SuttaCentral would be a better choice.

However, if you have a genuine interest in understanding how participants on this Forum see the Commentaries to be an essential aid to understanding the Dhamma, then I would think that questions phrased along the lines of: “How do I reconcile this Sutta with this Commentary?” would be welcome.

In closing, I note that I am not a Classical Theravada enthusiast myself. However, when I post here, I am mindful of the mission of the site.

:folded_hands:
Mike

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