Eight liberations
eight liberations (aṣṭa-vimokṣa, 八解脫, 八背捨). Through samādhi power, one successively achieves eight liberations from one’s greed for rebirth in the form and formless realms:
(1) liberation from perceptible desires for form by visualizing the impurity of external objects;
(2) liberation from imperceptible desires for form by visualizing the impurity of external objects;
(3) liberation from all desires for form by visualizing the purity of external objects;
(4) liberation from visualization of the purity of external objects through the mental state of boundless space;
(5) liberation from the state of boundless space through the mental state of boundless consciousness;
(6) liberation from the state of boundless consciousness through the mental state of nothingness;
(7) liberation from the state of nothingness through the mental state of neither with nor without perception; and
(8) liberation from the state of neither with nor without perception through the mental state of total suspension of sensory reception and perception.
Liberations 1 and 2 correspond to the first two dhyānas, and liberation 3 corresponds to the fourth dhyāna. The third dhyāna is not used because one’s mind is not vigilant in a subtle joyful state. Liberations 4–7 correspond to the four samādhis in the formless realm (see samādhi), and liberation 8 is the liberation samādhi attained by an Arhat.
