Piti: Physical, Sukha: Mental

or

Piti: Mental, Sukha: Physical?

One of the debates that occurs among scholars is whether piti refers to something primarily physical or mental (emotional). Of course anyone who has actually experienced the first three jhanas as described in the suttas has no doubt that piti encompasses the physical component and sukha refers to a purely mental (emotional) component.

The misunderstanding seems to come from two sources in the suttas. The first one is in the description of the Seven Factors of Awakening that is found in the Anapanasati Sutta at MN 118. At verse 34 it says, “In one who is rapturous, the body and the mind become tranquil. On whatever occasion the body and the mind become tranquil in a bhikkhu who is rapturous – on that occasion the tranquility enlightenment factor is aroused in him, and he develops it, and by development it comes to fulfillment in him.” The conclusion is then made that piti can’t be referring to the physically energetic component of the first two jhanas because obviously that energetic component is incompatible with tranquility.

However they have missed the larger context such as is found in the chapter in Right Concentration on The Jhana Summary and the Upanisa Sutta (SN 12.23). The same sub-pattern of tranquility following from piti occurs in these larger patterns as well. As we saw in the chapter on The Jhana Summary, the larger pattern in both of these is:

pamojja (gladness), piti, pasaddhakaya (bodily tranquility), sukha, samadhi, (concentration)

with each component generating the subsequent component. Translating piti as “emotional happiness” and sukha as “physical rapture” leads to:

gladness, emotional happiness, bodily tranquility, physical rapture, concentration.

But there is just no way physical rapture is going to arise from tranquility, which is what would be required if piti is primarily mental and sukha is primarily physical. In fact, just the opposite happens – the tranquility arises from the ceasing of the physically energetic experience.

The second source of confusion seems to be the description of the third jhana where, after the piti has faded and only the sukha remains, it says one “experiences happiness with the body.” Those who think sukha is physical seem to assume this bodily happiness arises because of the presence of the sukha – entirely missing the point that the happiness with the body arises because the piti has faded away. See the chapter in Right Concentration on the 3rd Jhana for a more complete discussion of this.

In the first two jhanas, both piti and sukha are present and in the third only sukha is present. If we were to translate piti as “emotional happiness” and sukha as “physical rapture,” we would have emotional happiness and physical rapture in the first two jhanas and have only the physical rapture present in the third jhana. But people who are trying to learn the jhanas sometimes, instead of generating an experience of both emotional happiness and physical rapture, wind up generating an experience of only emotional happiness and no physical rapture; others generate only physical rapture and no emotional happiness.

Those with only emotional happiness and no physical rapture find the state quite nice and also workable for accessing the fourth jhana. Those with only physical rapture and no emotional happiness find themselves in a state that is most unpleasant and completely unworkable for doing anything – yet that state would correspond to the third jhana if piti were emotional happiness and sukha were physical rapture. Clearly this is not the case.

Perhaps those who think sukha is physical may also be confused by thinking that the kayena in the phrase sukha kayena is solely referring to the physical body. But since kaya means “group, heap, collection;” it is probably referring to both the body and mind.

An additional source of misunderstanding seems to come from The Pemakopadesa – Stories of the Hungry Ghosts, a text sometimes included in the Khuddaka Nikaya of the Pali Canon. Piti there is defined as a mental quality and sukha, in the context of jhna is defined as bodily pleasure. But this is a late text and certainly not a good source for understanding what is described in the suttas – and perhaps it is making the same two mistakes outlined above.

The similes for the first 3 jhnas also provide useful clues to the sutta understanding of p+ti and sukha:

1st jhana: bath attendant making soap – vigorous activity - lots of physical energy - piti & sukha

2nd jhana: spring in a lake – gentle activity - calmer with inner tranquility – sukha & piti

3rd jhana: lotus blossoms underwater – no activity - very still - sukha & no piti

Notice that the decrease in piti corresponds with the decrease in physical energy as one moves from first to third jhana.

Even the very late Visuddhimagga indicates that piti is physical and sukha is mental. It describes five grades of piti such that there is certainly an indication of a physical component for piti, especially in the fourth grade of “uplifting piti” (even if you toss out the levitating!). 1 And in describing the jhanas, the Visuddhimagga says “Piti is included in the rupa aggregate; sukha is included in the vedana aggregate” (which is mental). 2

In conclusion, piti is physical; sukha is mental. Reversing this leads to nonsense and confusion, especially regarding the third jhana and the similes for the first three jhanas.

1. Vsm IV.94-99, pp 137-139.
2. Vsm IV.100, p. 139.