5: Praticing Meditation – 323 

 

master, had, by himself, realized with the super knowledges and taught, you, 
superb man, have, by yourself, realized with the super knowledges. What you 
have, by yourself, realized with the super knowledges, my father, Rāma the 
master, had, by himself, realized with the super knowledges and taught. In this 
way, the doctrine my father had 

[286]

 discerned, you have also. The doctrine 

you have discerned, my father, Rāma the master, had. In this way, you are like 
my father, and my father is like you. Please come friend, please take charge of 
this great sect.” So saying, he entrusted the Bodhisatta with the whole sect. Thus 
Udaka appointed his fellow ascetic and spiritual companion, the Bodhisatta, as 
his own teacher. Not only did he entrust him with the entire sect but he 
honoured the Bodhisatta with reverence the way Āḷāra, the sect-leader, did, as 
has been mentioned before. 

The Bodhisatta Departs 

Having put efforts and gained the eight mundane absorption attainments, as he 
had acquired absorption experiences in his previous existences and as he was 
highly intelligent, the Bodhisatta soon reflected on the nature and prospects of 
the said eight absorption attainments, up to the absorption on the sphere of 
neither-perception-nor-non-perception in the present life and the fruits that 
would accrue in the future. He came to know perfectly well the nature and 
prospects of these eight absorption attainments, up to the absorption on the 
sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception in the present life and his 
rebirth that would take place in the Brahma abode of the Sphere of Neither-
Perception-nor-Non-Perception (

Nevasaññā-nāsaññāyatana

) hereafter. 

Therefore, he came to the conclusion that these eight mundane absorptions fell 
within the cycle of suffering, and he also contemplated thus: “The aggregate of 
these attainments cannot lead to weariness in the cycle of suffering, to 
detachment, to the cessation of the defilements such as lust (

rāga

), hatred (

dosa

), 

etc., to extinction of all these defilements, to knowledge of all that is to be 
known, to achievement of knowledge of the four paths, to realization of 
Nibbāna. In fact, these eight attainments result, at most, only in the Brahma 
abode of the Sphere of Neither-Perception-nor-Non-Perception where one lives 
for 84,000 great aeons (

mahā-kappa

), but they cannot produce any benefit 

superior to that. The highest Brahma world of the Sphere of Neither-Perception-
nor-Non-Perception in which the same absorption results, is a realm which is not