Venerable Sir, among recluses and Brahmins of various sects assembled in the hall for discussing moot-points, a talk arose concerning the cessation of higher levels of perception (abhisaññānirodha).
The topic of discussion was: ‘How does the cessation of higher levels of perception come about?’ When that topic came up, some put forward the view: “Without a cause or condition a man’s perception arises and ceases. At the time it arises, one is percipient. When it ceases, one is not percipient.” This is how some explained the cessation of higher levels of perception. Then another said: “No, no. That is not the way it happens. Perception is a man’s self. It comes and goes. When it comes, one is percipient. When it goes one is nonpercipient.” Then a third interposed: “No no………And then Poṭṭhapāda formally invited the Buddha to explain it with the words: “Venerable Sir, how does cessation of higher levels of perception come about?”
Bhikkhu Katukurunde Ñāṇananda comment:– Before presenting the Buddha’s answer to this question, let me mention something that enhances the relevance of the Buddha’s sermon. It was a time when yogins of India in their spiritual quest found themselves in a dilemma. They had reached the highest level in the development of perception. There were some who had attained the jhānic level of neither-perception-nornon- perception (nevasaññānāsaññāyatana). You may have heard of the two teachers our Bodhisatta prince Siddhattha approached after his renunciation namely Ālāra Kālāma and Uddaka Rāmaputta. Out of them, Ālāra Kālāma had attained the Formless Realm of Nothingness. (Ākiñcaññāyatana) and Uddaka Rāmaputta had attained the Realm of Neither-perception-nornon- perception (nevasaññānāsaññāyatana). But our Bodhisatta aroused both those jhānic levels as soon as the two teachers uttered a few words about them and even as they were offering equal status as teachers he left them with the thought: “This is not the way to Nibbāna.” From this we can infer that those yogins were in a problematic situation. The dilemma they were in is briefly mentioned in the Pañcattaya Sutta3 of the Majjhima Nikāya….
In order to highlight above great sutta (Poṭṭhapāda Sutta – Sīlakkhandhavaggapāḷi, Dīghanikāya) above comments were extracted from Sermon 11 (Pahan Kanuwa Sermon – No. 193) – Bhikkhu Katukurunde Ñāṇananda
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