Studies in the Origins of Buddhism c8.149

c8.149

8—9 B. first climbs up to the Saññāvedayitanirodha, then comes to the first Jhāna; goes up again—this time only up to the 4th Jhāna, where he reaches “Perfect Nibbāna”. One may ask why this tortuous procedure? The account varies greatly in some of the Chinese versions (see Pa-chow op. cit. 69).