The Buddha shares the four kinds of persons — those who cultivate the first jhāna, the second jhāna, the third jhāna, and the fourth jhāna while perceiving drawbacks — and the difference in their rebirths.
“Cattārome, bhikkhave, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame cattāro?
“Bhikkhus, there are these four kinds of persons found existing in the world. What four?
Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. So yadeva tattha hoti rūpagataṁ vedanāgataṁ saññāgataṁ saṅkhāragataṁ viññāṇagataṁ, te dhamme aniccato dukkhato rogato gaṇḍato sallato aghato ābādhato parato palokato suññato anattato samanupassati. So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā suddhāvāsānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjati. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, upapatti asādhāraṇā puthujjanehi.
1.) Here, bhikkhus, a certain person, quite secluded from sensual pleasures and |unwholesome::unhealthy, unskillful, unbeneficial, or karmically unprofitable [akusala]| mental states, enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which is |accompanied by reflection::with thinking [savitakka]| and |examination::with investigation, evaluation [savicāra]|, |born of seclusion::secluded from the defilements [vivekaja]|, and imbued with |uplifting joy and pleasure::delight and ease; sometimes experienced as ecstasy, intense exhilaration or rapture [pītisukha]|. In this state, he perceives whatever phenomena are present — whether |form::materiality, material existence, experience of the material world, i.e. encompassing both one’s body and external objects, whether near or far, gross or subtle, deficient or refined; first of the five aggregates [rūpa]|, |felt experience::pleasant, neutral, or painful sensation, feeling felt on contact through eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; second of the five aggregates [vedanā]|, |perception::The mental process of recognizing and giving meaning to experience. It marks sensory information by signs, labels, or associations drawn from memory and the field of contact. Perception shapes how one experiences the world; third of the five aggregates [sañña]|, |intentional constructs::intentions, volitions, choices; mental and bodily volitional activities; thought formations and constructed experiences (including proliferative tendencies); kamma-producing processes; fourth of the five aggregates [saṅkhāra]|, or |consciousness::quality of awareness — distinctive knowing that arises in dependence on the meeting of eye and form, ear and sound, nose and odor, tongue and taste, body and tangible object, mind and mind object; fifth of the five aggregates [viññāṇa]| — as |impermanent::not lasting, transient, unreliable [anicca]|, |dissatisfactory::uncomfortable, unpleasant [dukkha]|, a disease, a boil, a dart, misery, an affliction, alien, disintegrating, empty, and |not-self::not suitable to identify with, impersonality [anatta]|. After the breaking up of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the gods of the |Pure Abodes::name of five heavens in the Brahma realm; lit. pure land [suddhāvāsa]|. This rebirth, bhikkhus, is not shared with the ordinary persons.
Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, idhekacco puggalo vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā …pe… dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ …pe… tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ …pe… catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. So yadeva tattha hoti rūpagataṁ vedanāgataṁ saññāgataṁ saṅkhāragataṁ viññāṇagataṁ, te dhamme aniccato dukkhato rogato gaṇḍato sallato aghato ābādhato parato palokato suññato anattato samanupassati. So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā suddhāvāsānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjati. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, upapatti asādhāraṇā puthujjanehi.
2.) Again, bhikkhus, here a certain person, with the |settling::calming, conciliation, subsiding [vūpasama]| of reflection and examination, a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the second jhāna, in the third jhāna, in the fourth jhāna. In this state, he perceives whatever phenomena are present — whether form, felt experience, perception, intentional constructs, or consciousness — as impermanent, dissatisfactory, a disease, a boil, a dart, misery, an affliction, alien, disintegrating, empty, and not-self. After the breaking up of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the gods of the Pure Abodes. This rebirth, bhikkhus, is not shared with the ordinary persons.
Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmin”ti.
These, bhikkhus, are the four kinds of persons found existing in the world.”
“Bhikkhus, there are these four kinds of persons found existing in the world. What four?
1.) Here, bhikkhus, a certain person, quite secluded from sensual pleasures and |unwholesome::unhealthy, unskillful, unbeneficial, or karmically unprofitable [akusala]| mental states, enters and dwells in the first jhāna, which is |accompanied by reflection::with thinking [savitakka]| and |examination::with investigation, evaluation [savicāra]|, |born of seclusion::secluded from the defilements [vivekaja]|, and imbued with |uplifting joy and pleasure::delight and ease; sometimes experienced as ecstasy, intense exhilaration or rapture [pītisukha]|. In this state, he perceives whatever phenomena are present — whether |form::materiality, material existence, experience of the material world, i.e. encompassing both one’s body and external objects, whether near or far, gross or subtle, deficient or refined; first of the five aggregates [rūpa]|, |felt experience::pleasant, neutral, or painful sensation, feeling felt on contact through eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; second of the five aggregates [vedanā]|, |perception::The mental process of recognizing and giving meaning to experience. It marks sensory information by signs, labels, or associations drawn from memory and the field of contact. Perception shapes how one experiences the world; third of the five aggregates [sañña]|, |intentional constructs::intentions, volitions, choices; mental and bodily volitional activities; thought formations and constructed experiences (including proliferative tendencies); kamma-producing processes; fourth of the five aggregates [saṅkhāra]|, or |consciousness::quality of awareness — distinctive knowing that arises in dependence on the meeting of eye and form, ear and sound, nose and odor, tongue and taste, body and tangible object, mind and mind object; fifth of the five aggregates [viññāṇa]| — as |impermanent::not lasting, transient, unreliable [anicca]|, |dissatisfactory::uncomfortable, unpleasant [dukkha]|, a disease, a boil, a dart, misery, an affliction, alien, disintegrating, empty, and |not-self::not suitable to identify with, impersonality [anatta]|. After the breaking up of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the gods of the |Pure Abodes::name of five heavens in the Brahma realm; lit. pure land [suddhāvāsa]|. This rebirth, bhikkhus, is not shared with the ordinary persons.
2.) Again, bhikkhus, here a certain person, with the |settling::calming, conciliation, subsiding [vūpasama]| of reflection and examination, a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the second jhāna, in the third jhāna, in the fourth jhāna. In this state, he perceives whatever phenomena are present — whether form, felt experience, perception, intentional constructs, or consciousness — as impermanent, dissatisfactory, a disease, a boil, a dart, misery, an affliction, alien, disintegrating, empty, and not-self. After the breaking up of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the gods of the Pure Abodes. This rebirth, bhikkhus, is not shared with the ordinary persons.
These, bhikkhus, are the four kinds of persons found existing in the world.”
“Cattārome, bhikkhave, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame cattāro?
Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo vivicceva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi savitakkaṁ savicāraṁ vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. So yadeva tattha hoti rūpagataṁ vedanāgataṁ saññāgataṁ saṅkhāragataṁ viññāṇagataṁ, te dhamme aniccato dukkhato rogato gaṇḍato sallato aghato ābādhato parato palokato suññato anattato samanupassati. So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā suddhāvāsānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjati. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, upapatti asādhāraṇā puthujjanehi.
Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, idhekacco puggalo vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā …pe… dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ …pe… tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ …pe… catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. So yadeva tattha hoti rūpagataṁ vedanāgataṁ saññāgataṁ saṅkhāragataṁ viññāṇagataṁ, te dhamme aniccato dukkhato rogato gaṇḍato sallato aghato ābādhato parato palokato suññato anattato samanupassati. So kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā suddhāvāsānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjati. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, upapatti asādhāraṇā puthujjanehi.
Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmin”ti.