Venerable Mahāmoggallāna recounts how, while developing fourth absorption, distracting perceptions beset him until the Buddha appeared by psychic power and urged him to settle his mind in that attainment until he mastered it.

SN 40.4 A Question About the Fourth Absorption

“‘Catutthaṁ jhānaṁ, catutthaṁ jhānan’ti vuccati. Katamaṁ nu kho catutthaṁ jhānanti? Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, etadahosi: ‘idha bhikkhu sukhassa ca pahānā dukkhassa ca pahānā pubbeva somanassadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamā adukkhamasukhaṁ upekkhāsatipārisuddhiṁ catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. Idaṁ vuccati catutthaṁ jhānan’ti.

So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, sukhassa ca pahānā dukkhassa ca pahānā pubbeva somanassadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamā adukkhamasukhaṁ upekkhāsatipārisuddhiṁ catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharāmi. Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, iminā vihārena viharato sukhasahagatā saññāmanasikārā samudācaranti.

Atha kho maṁ, āvuso, bhagavā iddhiyā upasaṅkamitvā etadavoca: ‘moggallāna, moggallāna. Mā, brāhmaṇa, catutthaṁ jhānaṁ pamādo, catutthe jhāne cittaṁ saṇṭhapehi, catutthe jhāne cittaṁ ekodiṁ karohi, catutthe jhāne cittaṁ samādahā’ti.

So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, aparena samayena sukhassa ca pahānā dukkhassa ca pahānā pubbeva somanassadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamā adukkhamasukhaṁ upekkhāsatipārisuddhiṁ catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja vihāsiṁ.

Yañhi taṁ, āvuso, sammā vadamāno vadeyya …pe… mahābhiññataṁ patto”ti.

Catutthaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“‘Catutthaṁ jhānaṁ, catutthaṁ jhānan’ti vuccati.

“They speak of this thing called the ‘fourth absorption’.

Katamaṁ nu kho catutthaṁ jhānanti?

What is the fourth absorption?

Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, etadahosi:

It occurred to me:

‘idha bhikkhu sukhassa ca pahānā dukkhassa ca pahānā pubbeva somanassadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamā adukkhamasukhaṁ upekkhāsatipārisuddhiṁ catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati.

‘It’s when, with the giving up of pleasure and pain and the disappearance of former happiness and sadness, a mendicant enters and remains in the fourth absorption, without pleasure or pain, with pure equanimity and mindfulness.

Idaṁ vuccati catutthaṁ jhānan’ti.

This is called the fourth absorption.’

So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, sukhassa ca pahānā dukkhassa ca pahānā pubbeva somanassadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamā adukkhamasukhaṁ upekkhāsatipārisuddhiṁ catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharāmi.

And so … I was entering and remaining in the fourth absorption.

Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, iminā vihārena viharato sukhasahagatā saññāmanasikārā samudācaranti.

While I was in that meditation, perception and focus accompanied by pleasure beset me.

Atha kho maṁ, āvuso, bhagavā iddhiyā upasaṅkamitvā etadavoca:

Then the Buddha came up to me with his psychic power and said,

‘moggallāna, moggallāna.

‘Moggallāna, Moggallāna!

Mā, brāhmaṇa, catutthaṁ jhānaṁ pamādo, catutthe jhāne cittaṁ saṇṭhapehi, catutthe jhāne cittaṁ ekodiṁ karohi, catutthe jhāne cittaṁ samādahā’ti.

Don’t neglect the fourth absorption, brahmin! Settle your mind in the fourth absorption; unify your mind and immerse it in the fourth absorption.’

So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, aparena samayena sukhassa ca pahānā dukkhassa ca pahānā pubbeva somanassadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamā adukkhamasukhaṁ upekkhāsatipārisuddhiṁ catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja vihāsiṁ.

And so, after some time … I entered and remained in the fourth absorption.

Yañhi taṁ, āvuso, sammā vadamāno vadeyya …pe… mahābhiññataṁ patto”ti.

So if anyone should be rightly called a disciple who attained to great direct knowledge with help from the Teacher, it’s me.”

Catutthaṁ.

Topics & Qualities:

Direct knowledge

Direct knowledge

A deep, firsthand realization or knowing that arises from personal experience, not from study or conceptual understanding; it is an immediate, unmediated apprehension of truth.

Also known as: experiential understanding, direct experience
Pāli: abhiñña
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Equanimity

Equanimity

A state of mental poise and balance, characterized by non-reactivity and composure in the face of agreeable or disagreeable experiences.

Also known as: mental poise, mental balance, equipose, non-reactivity, composure
Pāli: upekkha
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Giving

Giving

The act of generosity, sharing, or offering to others without expecting anything in return. Giving is considered a foundational virtue in Buddhist practice, fostering selflessness and compassion.

Also known as: generosity, charity, donation, almsgiving, donating, philanthropy, providing with, gift with
Pāli: dāna
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Giving up

Giving up

The mental quality of renunciation and release from attachment. It delights in simplicity and freedom rather than in sensual pleasure. Giving up is not loss but the joyful abandoning of burden, opening the way to peace and insight.

Also known as: renunciation, relinquishment, letting go, abandonment
Pāli: nekkhamma
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Jhana

Jhana

An abiding with a steady, collected awareness that is attained through seclusion from the five hindrances and unwholesome mental states. When supported by right view, a jhāna can be a basis for the wearing away of taints and directing the mind toward the vision of Nibbāna.

Also known as: meditation, undistracted awareness, absorption, mental absorption
Pāli: jhāna, samāhita, susamāhita, sammāsamādhi
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Suffering

Suffering

Unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering that is inherent in conditioned existence.

Also known as: discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentedness, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, distress, affliction
Pāli: dukkha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026