5: Praticing Meditation – 321 

 

with effort by learned persons, will enable them, in a short time, to realize with 
the super knowledges

 

the teacher’s view (

ācariya-vāda

) and to live in happiness.” 

Accordingly, the Bodhisatta lost no time to learn the doctrine and the course of 
practice of Udaka, the sect-leader. As with Āḷāra, the leader of the previous sect, 
the Bodhisatta, being highly intelligent, could easily learn the doctrine and the 
course of practice. Just by repeating what the teacher uttered with slight 
movements of the lips, the Bodhisatta reached the stage at which he could say: “I 
have understood!” In fact, he did announce: “I have understood! I have seen the 
course!” and this was confirmed by the sect-leader Udaka and his disciples. 

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On considering the way Udaka explained, according to their traditional method 
he had learned from his father, the course of practice leading to the absorption 
on the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception (

nevasaññā-

nāsaññāyatana-jhāna

), the Bodhisatta came to understand thus: “It does not 

seem that Rāma, the deceased father of Udaka, had merely learnt by heart, 
believing what others speak of the course of practice leading to the absorption 
on the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. In fact, the teacher 
Rāma, the father of Udaka, must have been one who has personally gained and 
realized the eight mundane absorptions

.”

 

When the sect-leader Udaka was having discussions with the Bodhisatta, 
he had not yet himself realized the eight attainments, he was then telling 
the Bodhisatta what had been told by his father Rāma. When the 
Bodhisatta had learnt from him and realized, within two or three days, the 
eight mundane absorptions

 

up to the highest of them all, the absorption on 

the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, he parted company 
with Udaka. 

As for Udaka himself, only when the Bodhisatta had left him, he was 
greatly overcome by spiritual urgency (

saṁvega

) and made exertion to 

gain the attainments; as befitting one who had previous experiences in 
meditation, he realized the absorptions

 

up to neither-perception-nor-non-

perception. Direct mention of this point is made in the sub-commentary to 
MN 26. This accounts for the Bodhisatta’s consideration with reference to 
Udaka’s father, Rāma, and his question about the great teacher Rāma 
alone in his discussion with Udaka. 

The Bodhisatta approached the sect-leader Udaka again and asked him directly: 
“Friend, to what extent did your father, Rāma the master, say that he himself